The LOST Beer Mile!!!

Ok, that was way too much fun.

It was a long time coming, I’ve had the idea for a while, as did Darren and Mauro… and finally we got it together, found a date and pulled the trigger.  Of course with this being the first one nobody was sure who, if anyone was going to actually step up to the plate and show up for a bit of a track workout and some liquid muscle relaxants.

It was to start at 6:30… Dylan and I showed up at 6:15… and we were the only ones there.  It was starting to feel like high school all over again… sneaking out for a few beers… throwing a party and hoping somebody shows up!  But alas, Al pulled in behind us.  And then a whole parade of cars.  And soon we had 17 sign ups… and a whole bunch of Looky-Loo’s!  Thanks to Steve, Steve and Dave for being the Beer Mile Officials too… I’d hate to have such awesome times not recorded for the annuls of history!  I think the spectators probably outnumbered the runners by 2 to 1… but this was shaping up to be one of the most spectator friendly running events I’ve ever attended!

We had a true LOSTie… in his training suit and bathing cap (Madhu!)… we had a true vintage 1970’s runner, complete with mustache, mullet, headband and 70’s running shorts (Ted)… oh wait, that mustache was real?!… whatever.  And we even had a couple of women who weren’t afraid to step it up with the big boys (France and Kenzie!)… and yes, they did “chick” at least 2 guys!

And the race… well, it was something.  The early favorites were Alex (4 time Ironman, running his 20th consecutive Boston Marathon this spring, east-coast’r and the defending Beer Mile World Champion of Oakville!)… and Michael… who just placed 20th in the Sprint Distance triathlon World Championships this summer and also ran track at the University of South Florida and did a Beer Mile each year there!  And 15 other schmucks who we doing their first Beer Mile and where going to be very happy just to finish… and not yack.  Myself included.

And off we went to the count down and roar of the crowd.  Drink a beer.  And quite literally Michael was done his first beer and was half way around the track before I was even finished my first one!  Even Alex was way behind.  He had this one in the bag.

But wait.  This is the BEER mile… running is the easy part of this gig.  And as far as beers go, the first beer is the easiest.  As Michael found out.  I think I heard that Alex caught him after the second beer!  Alex held on to win it soundly in a time of 7:15… the Roger Bannister of beer.  Although I don’t know if ol’ Roger could knock them back or not.  In fact, it was the young guys (Shawn and Dylan, both 23) who got their butts kicked by the old guys… and let me tell you, if it was just running a mile… Shawn would have easily been first!  But not today.

Today was about the old guys beating the young guys… fathers beating their sons… women beating some of the men… and just whole lot of good ol’ fashion fun.

And then the best part… rehashing it all at the King’s Arms over nacho’s… and of course a few cool-down beers too.

Don’t ever grow up.

Cheers,

Rob

Here are the results and a few interesting stats:

(official results have been uploaded to the Beermile.com  http://www.beermile.com/e/6154 )

• most popular beer: Canadian (4), Budwieser (3), Coors (2), Creemore, Cameron’s, Guiness, Steam Whistle, Keith’s, Lakeport (1 each)
• 4 guys under the Miracle Mile time of 10:00
• 10 LOSTies, 7 CR’s
• top 5 spots… and 8 of the top 9… were LOSTies
• 15 men, 2 women
• World Record: James “The Beast” Neilsen, 4:57, San Francisco, Marin Beer Mile, 34 years old, 2014, Budwieser, can
• http://www.beermile.com/
• Rules: 

1. Each competitor drinks four cans of beer and runs four laps on a track (Start – beer/lap, beer/lap, beer/lap, beer/lap – finish).
2. Beer must be consumed before the lap is begun, within the transition area which is the 10 meter zone before the start/finish line on a 400m track.
3. The race begins with the drinking of the first beer in the last meter of the transition zone to ensure the competitors run a complete mile (1609 meters).
4. Women also drink four beers in four laps (past rule lists only required ladies to drink three beers).
5. Competitors must drink canned beer and the cans should not be less than 355ml (the standard can volume) or 12oz (the imperial equivalent). Bottles may be substituted for cans as long as they are at least 12 oz (355 ml) in volume.
6. No specialized cans or bottles may be used that give an advantage by allowing the beer to pour at a faster rate. ie “super mega mouth cans” or “wide mouth bottles” are prohibited.
7. Beer cans must not be tampered with in any manner, ie. No shotgunning or puncturing of the can except for opening the can by the tab at the top. The same applies with bottles – no straws or other aids are allowed in order to aid in the speed of pouring.
8. Beer must be a minimum of 5% alcohol by volume.  Hard ciders and lemonades will not suffice.  The beer must be a fermented alcoholic beverage brewed from malt and flavored with hops.  For an abbreviated list of valid beers and exceptions, click here.
9. Each beer can must not be opened until the competitor enters the transition zone on each lap.
10. Competitors who vomit before they finish the race must complete one penalty lap at the end of the race (immediately after the completion of their 4th lap). Note: Vomitting more than once during the race still requires only one penalty lap at the end.
11. It is strongly recommended, when attempting official records, to tip the empty beer can or bottle over your head at the end of a chug to verify an empty vessel