Beer Mile World Classic Set For August 22
The event will leverage the social aspects of running and beer drinking to raise funds for and awareness of local nonprofits.
A year ago today, James Nielsen of California made beer mile history, becoming the first person known to break the 5-minute barrier, clocking 4 minutes and 57 seconds—a feat that went viral in this YouTube video. This August, Nielsen will help launch the first annual Beer Mile World Classic in San Francisco, hosted by Pier 70. National teams from Canada and Australia will fly in for the championship portion of the event, which will take place on August 22 and is open to the public.
The beer mile, an unsanctioned (and usually underground) event that involves chugging a can of beer after each quarter mile in the race, has garnered tons of interest in the past 12 months. Last December, Flotrack hosted the first Beer Mile World Championship in Austin, Texas, with Corey Gallagher of Winnipeg winning the men’s race in 5:00.23 and Elizabeth Herndon of Fort Wayne, Indiana taking the women’s title in 6:17.76. Nielsen, to the chagrin of many beer milers, did not compete in the event. And just three weeks ago, on April 2, Australia’s James Hansen dipped under Nielsen’s mark, running 4:56.2, a pending world record which is still awaiting verification from beermile.com.
RELATED: James Nielsen—Beer Mile Legend
Hansen has committed to participating in the Beer Mile World Classic, which will leverage the social aspects of running and beer drinking to raise funds for and awareness of local nonprofits. Partners include Walk SF and World Water Relief.
“The Beer Mile Challenge is a great way to draw attention to our cause while having a good time, San Francisco style,” affirmed Walk SF’s Executive Director, Nicole Ferrara.