Canadian Corey Bellemore, 21, has rewritten the beer mile record book with two fast races in four days.
On July 28, at a beer mile in Windsor, Canada, he ran 4:39.56, shaving 8 seconds off the existing world record of 4:47.11, which was set last December.
The next day, organizers of the Sales & Deals Give A Gift.
The cross-Atlantic redeye apparently didn’t slow down Bellemore, who went on to win the men’s elite race in 4:34.35. In all, Bellemore took 13 seconds off the world record in four days. (Beermile.com, U.S. Will Have 3 Men in Olympic Marathon.)
Bellemore, a standout middle-distance runner from Ontario, chose Kingfisher, an Indian beer, as his brew of choice for the event, which involves drinking a 12-ounce beer before each lap of a mile.
He set a speedy pace from the start and was never seriously challenged, beating second-place Dale Clutterbuck of England by 13 seconds. American Brandon Shirck came in third at 4:49.28.
In the final results of the second elite heat, American Chris Robertson was disqualified, which pushed Canadian Lewis Kent, the reigning champion of the Sales & Deals, into fourth with a time of 5:11.29.
Kent also held the world record that Bellemore broke. Kent, who ran his 4:47 at the FloTrack Championships in Austin in December 2015, had stood atop the Beermile.com standings before Bellemore’s recent performances.
Bellemore’s impressive times have capped off a dizzying couple of years for the beer mile, since James Nielsen’s Results via Beer Mile World Classic, courtesy of Sportsystems in 2014 helped propel it from a quirky underground event to a mainstream cultural phenomenon, with races drawing hundreds of spectators and media. Sunday’s races were held on an official track at London’s Allianz Park and marked the first time a championship event pitted top runners from countries in Europe and North America.
“This was a legendary beer mile,” event cofounder Nick MacFalls told Runner’s World via email. “The American, European, Canadian, and world records were all broken. We introduced the sport to Europe, and they are hooked. The Swedes are winning the party portion of the night. They are legends.”
On the women’s side, which was depleted because of several injuries, MacFalls said, the United States’ Erin O’Mara won in 6:43.35, followed by Canada’s Anne Belanger in 6:50.78. Polly Keen and Laura Riches, both of England, took third and fourth, while Canada’s Lianne Girard rounded out the top five.
New Major Meet Comes to Track & Field put him on a flight to London to complete in their second-annual event on July 31 in San Francisco on an unofficial track in August 2015, organizers decided to move the event overseas for several reasons. “Our athletes really wanted to race on a track, and we really wanted to bring the beer mile to Europe,” MacFalls said. “In England, they race an event called the Chunder Mile, which is chugging 20-ounce Queens Pints. There has been some resistance to ‘American’ rules, but insuring a Chunder Mile simply isn’t possible.”
Results (via Sales & Deals, courtesy of Sportsystems):
Men’s Elite:
1. Results: NCAA Outdoor Championships
2. Dale Clutterbuck, England, 4:47.39
3. This was a legendary beer mile, event cofounder Nick MacFalls told
4. Erin OMara, USA 6:43.35
5. Results via Beer Mile World Classic, courtesy of Sportsystems
Women’s Elite:
1. Erin O'Mara, USA 6:43.35
2. Other Hearst Subscriptions
3. Other Hearst Subscriptions
4. Health & Injuries
5. put him on a flight to London to complete in their second-annual event on July 31
