The world record for a beer-chugging sprinting race was just broken in Manchester

The world record for a bizarre beer-chugging sprinting race was broken here in Manchester last month, and we’ve never wanted to down a pint and go for a sprint more in our lives.

Born as an underground frat tradition in San Francisco in 2015, The Beer Mile World Classics has evolved into an internationally renowned competition, with nearly 100,000 keen competitors from all over the world taking part and giving both their legs and their stomachs a run for their money each year.

The premise of the race is simple; competitors are tasked with running one mile but have to stop every quarter of a mile to drink a 355ml can or bottle of beer (not a pint, sadly) as quickly as they can before proceeding on with the race.

For anyone who’s jogged to catch the bus after one too many in the pub on a Friday night will know that the acts of running and drinking beer do not mix well, and all too frequently result in a lot of puke.

Laura Riches

Laura Riches

Of course, the organisers of the race have the possibility of throwing up covered; if any competitor pukes more than once during the race, they are forced to run a penalty lap at the end of the race. No rest for the wicked, obviously.

Over the years, the race has been held across a number of different locations, such as San Francisco, London, Vancouver, and Berlin – but this year, it was brought to Greater Manchester in the humble town of Leigh, where the world record was actually broken by Canadian runner Corey Bellemore, who completed the race in an impressive new world-record time of 4:28.1.

But why exactly was such a far-flung tradition brought to Leigh? Well, it is mainly down to Manc-born competitor Laura Riches, twenty-eight, who suggested her local running club Leigh Harriers and Athletic Club after hearing that the organisers were looking for a brand new location to bring the race to.

Speaking to Proper Manchester, Laura, from Tyldesley, explained that finding a track to accommodate the Beer Mile’s unique set of rules was quite the challenge, but the chairman of Leigh Harriers was ‘more than up for it’, noting: “Everybody in Leigh loves a good beer, so this is exactly what they’ll love.”

@laurariches / Instagram

Laura’s introduction into the world of the Beer Mile World Classics was a pure coincidence; while in London in 2016 for a party, she went to an event at the Allied Stadium to meet a friend, only to be roped into trying out for the England team by the organisers who were hosting their event there that year.

She said on her first time running: “It was hilarious because I’d never drank a beer in my life. It was awful, I hated every minute of it. But while my drinking was really slow, my running was quick enough for me to keep up with the other contestants. The first three laps I was catching everyone up but eventually my beer drinking slowed me down.”

Laura, who ended up competing for England in the Beer Mile World Classics in Vancouver in 2017, sadly couldn’t compete this year due to a knee injury, so instead helped to host and commentate the event. She said the race had a great turn out in Leigh, saying: “Surprisingly it was a good turn out – over a hundred people showed up.

“There was also loads of people from the running club and the nearby sporting village who came down after hearing about it too. It was mad, and it could have been even bigger if it had been held in the summer as originally planned.”

Laura Riches

Laura Riches

Laura also organised the ‘chunder mile’ for the locals and less experienced runners to take part in. She explained: “So I put on ‘the chunder mile’ which is where you drink actual pints and you’re allowed to be sick, and I did an open Beer Mile, and loads of people from Leigh actually came down and took part for a bit of fun.”

And it isn’t just the running, the medals and the abundance of beer that makes Laura go back each year; it’s the Beer Mile community.

She said: “We’re all part of a massive community now; I’ve made some great friends and we all have our own chats on Facebook and Whatsapp. There’s some great drinking videos that go around, and we’re always challenging each other to drink different things.

“It’s a bit of a weird and strange community, everyone has normal jobs and goes to work everyday and just run and train on the side. But it’s one thing we all share and enjoy together, even though it can be unpleasant; we’re all crazy to find the beer running fun.”

Head over to the Beer Mile World Classics website for more information on their upcoming events.