There are beer festivals and festivals for runners. The Fishtown Beer Runners are planning to officially combine the two.

The beer and running club based in Philadelphia will bring together like-minded enthusiasts with the First Annual Beer Runners Summit,  April 19th – April 22nd. The event will include lectures, a film screening and a lot of beer and running.

The summit theme: Responsible Running and Drinking in the Interest of Science.

The opening keynote will be a lecture titled “Running Away from Doctors and Hospitals,” by Dr. Manuel Castillo of the  University of Granada Medical School. Castillo is the researcher who authored a study saying beer was more beneficial than water after a workout. The Fishtown Beer Runner group toast his work at every event. 

The closing keynote will come from “Born to Run” author Christopher McDougall who will talk on the topic of the transformative power of running. In between, there will be a plenty of running, beer drinking, and a screening of the film about the Fishtown Beer Runners.

More info at http://fishtownbeerrunners.com

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Photo via Oskar Blues’ Facebook

Oskar Blues is known for sponsoring beer-themed races, such as the Beer Relay at Burning Can and other beer festivals.

They’re adding another beery twist with the debut of a specialty 4-Mile Lager at the upcoming Oskar Blues 4-Miler; the beer is brewed and released just for this race.

The runner-friendly 5% ABV beer will benefit the Cindy Platt Boys and Girls Club of Brevard. Winners of the March 5th race will also take home beer steins.

With their entry, runners get a beverage from Oskar Blues, T-shirt, live music, pastries from Bracken Mountain Bakery,  awards from Mud Dabbers Potter.  Online registration can be found here.

Oskar Blues has become known for hosting running events featuring beer. In 2015, they created The Beer Relay with six hours (!) of trail running around a 5K trail loop overlooking waterfalls and the Rocky Mountains.

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Deschutes Brewery is capitalizing on the popularity of the beer mile with a race of its own, and the winning team will take home its weight in beer.

The Oregon brewery is hosting the Brewers Cup Relay, a 4-kilometer race for teams of two or four runners. Participants will run a 1K lap and drink a Pacific Wonderland Lager before tagging a teammate to repeat the process.

There’s also a division for breweries to compete—all team members must be currently employed at the same brewery—with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to a charity of the brewery’s choice.

Prizes include winning the team’s weight in Deschutes Brewery Pacific Wonderland Lager; Deschutes Brewery Public House gift certificates; and Deschutes Brewery swag.

The relay will take place on February 4th after the 2017 Cross Country championships in Bend, Oregon. Sign up here.

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After winning 1 of the 5 Beer Garden 5Ks

Last year, I woke up on New Year’s Day and scrolled through my social media feeds. It was completely filled with chatter about resolutions.

One one side were people talking earnestly about traveling the world, learning to cook, getting fit. On the other side were people mocking the whole idea of resolutions, that they won’t stick and that people were wasting their money on new gym memberships.

It was all very predictable.

I wondered if there was a better way.

Five years before, I had made a public goal on this blog to run at least a mile a day and drink at least a beer a day. I decided to continue this streak for one year, the last year of my 20s.

It wasn’t always easy. I ran through Milwaukee’s worst blizzard in years and another time on a treadmill at 1 a.m. in a New Jersey hotel. I chugged a PBR just before midnight during a busy day of work and travel. I finished the occasional late-night run after a happy hour. I had to be both determined and flexible to keep up the streak.

But overall, it was a big success. I set multiple PRs. I averaged a beer for about every three miles I ran. At the end of one year, I kept the streak going. I enjoyed it so much I ended up continuing my beer and running streak for three years instead of the original plan of one year.

During that time, I got written about in Runner’s World and BroBible, was interviewed by WIRED Magazine, and attracted thousands of Twitter followers. The public attention held me accountable and, in part, motivated me to keep my streak going even after I was ready to give up.

Fast forward a few years and I was sitting and contemplating my New Year’s resolutions. I was coming off two of my best years of running, having set two sub-3 hour marathon PRs. So I decided to start another beer and running streak.

Except this time, I wouldn’t tell anyone.

My motivation was something Derek Sivers wrote about goals:

“Tests done since 1933 show that people who talk about their intentions are less likely to make them happen,” Sivers wrote (emphasis his). “Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.”

I wanted to see if he was right with an experiment. Was it more effective to announce my intentions publically? Or keep it to myself?

To my surprise, I found it motivating to have a secret goal that no one knew about. It gave me a sense of pride to think that while others were bragging about intentions on social media, I was quietly accomplishing what I set out to do. It felt like I was using the energy it takes to get attention on social media and harnessing it for myself.

Summer flew by and the streak kept going. I ran a Beer Garden 5K series and won all five races. I set a new 5K PR of 17 minutes flat. And I started marathon training again with the intention of setting a new PR.

Then the streak hit a speed bump. I developed a corn on my foot that made it extremely painful to run. But of all the stupid injuries, I wasn’t going to let this one ruin my streak. I slogged through months of useless self-remedy before finally visiting the doctor to get it removed.

By then my training had suffered. My marathon race came, and it was a disaster. It was unseasonably warm, humid and rained the whole 26.2. My time was a disappointment.

And still, I continued the secret streak. But it became a chore instead of an adventure. I found myself  procrastinating, running later in the day, and covering only my one mile minimum. It was finally during one night sneaking out at 11:50 pm to run that I told my wife what I was up to.

One day, I decided to quit. I was sore, it was cold out, and I no longer felt motivated to keep going. I told my wife I was hanging up the streak.

She told me not to quit. So I went outside and ran a mile. It paid to let others in on my secret, after all.

It’s now one year after I set my secret New Year’s resolution. I didn’t make it to a full year, but I came close. I got sick a few weeks ago and had to stop the streak. In the end, I ran and drank a beer for 345 consecutive days.

I can’t say if it’s more effective for your goals to keep them secret or make them public. I think both approaches had their positive and negatives, and you’ll have ups and downs when pursuing a goal no matter what.

But for me, this experience reinforced that running and craft beer culture is a social experience. By not discussing my streak publically, I missed out on opportunities to share the highs and lows with others. I cut myself off a bit from the communal aspect.

If you have New Year’s Resolutions this year, I think it’s OK to shout them from the mountaintops, or at least from your Facebook page. Or keep it for yourself.

I’d love to hear what you’re doing for your resolutions and if I can help support you. If you want, I don’t have to tell anyone else.

I can keep a secret.

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If your 2017 New Year’s Resolution is exercise more, meet new people and try different craft beers, here are 17 (of many) beer and running clubs from around the country you can join. 

East Bay Beer Runners

Location Bay Area, California
Every Tuesday night a group of 50-100 runners with varying running experience meets at a local brewery or craft beer bar, runs between 3 to 6 miles, then returns for drinks. “Over the past year we have created a network of over 1300 subscribed members and are continuously growing,” said co-founder Gabe Abastillas. Past events have taken place in Oakland (The Trappist, Beer Revolution, Drake’s Dealership), San Leandro (Drake’s Brewery, 21st Amendment), and Berkeley (Fieldwork Brewing, Triple Rock).
More info here

Alpine Dog Brewery Tuesday Run Club

Location Denver, Colorado
Runners meet at Alpine Dog Brewery at 6:15 pm every Tuesday, with out and back routes around Cheesman Park; workouts are open to all levels of runners. Following the run, enjoy happy hour specials all night at the brewery.
More info

RunTOBeer

Location Toronto and coming soon to Ottawa, Canada
Toronto’s RunTOBeer is less than 3 years old but already has 2,500 members, and is opening an Ottawa chapter in January. It has partnerships with two of North America’s five IAAF Gold Label Marathons, coorganized the international beer run at Craft Brewers Conference (with the Fishtown Beer Runners & Mikkeller Run Club), features brewery-sponsored road trips and has its own beer mile crew.
More info

Sloppy Moose Running Club

Location Sacramento, California
Founded in 2013, the Sloppy Moose Running Club is a group of laid-back runners who meet at New Helvetia Brewing Co. on Thursdays for a 3-mile run followed by beers, food and laughs. Bonus: There is a dog-friendly patio out in the back.
More info

Big Ugly Running Posse (BURP)

Location Chesapeake, Virginia
The Big Ugly Running Posse meets every Wednesday at Big Ugly Brewery for a 1-, 3- or 5-mile route followed by beer at the brewery.
More info

Fishtown Beer Runners

Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
“To the professor!” That’s how the 9-year-old beer and running club ends all of their group runs. It’s a toast to the professor who authored a research study finding that beer was better for runners than water following a run. The ranks of the group have swelled to 3,000 Facebook members and the club even has its own documentary.
More info

Mikkeller Running Club

Location Worldwide
Mikkeller has running groups around the world, from San Diego to Seoul, and even has its own iPhone app. The club is founded by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, creator and owner of Mikkeller, who is a former competitive runner that earned scholarships in the US and set some Danish track records. But the main goal of Mikkeller Running Club is social with a finish up at a bar that serves Mikkeller.
More info

Running for Brews

Location Nationwide
Running for Brews started with just one location in Florida in 2010. Today, there are more than 25 locations across the country that combine weekly runs, social events, themed runs, and charity events runs, all finishing at a bar or with beer.
More info

Flying Bike Run Club

Location Seattle, Washington
Flying Bike Run Club runs from Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery every Wednesday evening, with an average of 20-50 runners participating. The group consists of runners of many different skill levels, running 3-5 miles with a pace for every runner. Jogging strollers and dogs are welcome.
More info

River Horse Run Crew

Location Ewing, New Jersey
Join the River Horse Crew for a running tour to burn off some calories and immediately drink them back up. The route is designed with a 2-mile or 4-mile option, with a diverse group of ages and paces that welcome everyone.
More info

Flying Irish Running Club

Location Spokane, Washington
The Flying Irish Running Club has an impressive 4,300 likes on its group Facebook page, and it looks like many of the members show up for their social runs. Here’s how they describe themselves: “We didn’t invent running, social runs, post-run cold beverages or even being Irish but we are the biggest and best at doing them all! WE RUN SPOKANE!!”
More info

Dirtbag Runners

Location Worldwide
Dirtbag Runners is a community of trail runners and ultrarunners that are fond of getting together for camping and beer miles in backcountry locations like Yosemite and Reyes Creek. “Run Free. Get Dirty.”
More info

Run Wild Missoula

Location: Missoula, Montana
The Montana running group organizes more than a dozen races each year, including the Missoula Marathon and monthly beer-themed runs. Each month, a 3- and 5-mile route is offered at a different brewery location on the last Wednesday of the month, and at the finish line, a social gathering with libations and food awaits.
More info

Pioneer Beer Runners

Location Western Massachusetts
The Pioneer Beer Runners, or PBR for short, organize weekly group runs to and from local breweries along with impromptu runs scheduled through the club’s Facebook group.
More info

Heist Brewery Run Club

Photo via https://twitter.com/workforyourbeer

Location Charlotte, North Carolina
The Monday night runs range from 1-5 miles. With a Frequent Runner Card, you get a complimentary menu item after eight stamps, and each event comes with prizes and raffles and a live band. An optional annual membership program for $25 includes other perks and a HBRC tech-shirt. Note: There are many, many beer and running clubs in Charlotte.
More info

The Road Sodas

Location Indianapolis, Indiana
“Indiana On Tap’s premier club for runners with a drinking problem” meets weekly for runs from breweries such as MashCraft Brewery, Broad Ripple Brewpub, and Flat12 Bierworks.
More info 

Big Boss Run Club

Location Raleigh, North Carolina
More than 1,000 members have joined the Big Boss Run Club Facebook group, where members live by the motto “no pain, no beer.” The runs continue on Sundays through the winter at Big Boss Brewing, ending at the tap room.
More info

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Photo via https://twitter.com/winecountryhalf

Destination Races is known for its series of wine country races, which take place in wine-friendly regions like Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara.

Now, Destination Races is looking to capitalize on the popularity of beer-themed races with a new IPA 10k and Beer Mile race coming to Sebastopol, California in April 2017.

The 10K will be sponsored by several breweries including Lagunitas, Henhouse Brewing, 3 Disciples Brewing, The Barlow and Bear Republic. The race kicks off with a “Runner’s Toast” shot of beer, and ends with a beer and music festival that will be open to the public.

Destination Races President Matt Dockstader said that Sonoma County is home to “some of the finest IPAs on the planet,” which inspired the name IPA 10K.  It was important for him to keep the brewery list local to highlight Sonoma County’s craft beer and IPAs.

“Truthfully, the primary reason for this event is that my staff and I love good beer and we all enjoy exploring new breweries and beer country!” Dockstader said. “Life is better when you are passionate about your work.”

Registration is now open, and the first 150 people to register will receive a mason jar pint glass from Lagunitas Brewing Co. 

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Screenshots via http://mikkellerrunningclub.dk

Nearly two years ago, Danish brewery Mikkeller kicked off the new year by launching running clubs around the globe.

Now it’s expanding its involvement in beer and running culture again by launching its first Mikkeller Running Club app.

“Mikkeller Running Club’s new running app helps to keep a balance between exercise and enjoying life,” the brewery said in a release. “Core members of the Mikkeller Running Club (MRC) love to run and they love beer. It is that simple.”

With the new app, runners can track their miles, check-in their beers and look up Mikkeller Running Club chapters and news and find Mikkeller bars around the world. Want to know how many beers you’ve earned from your last run? The app does that, too.

“It is an overall guideline to strike the right balance between beer and running and since MRC’s values are based on this ideology, we are of course very excited that we now have an app to illustrate the whole thing so elegantly,” MRC President Søren Runge said in the release.

The Copenhagen-based brewer has been growing its beer and running lifestyle groups in Bangkok, London, Sao Paolo, Stockholm and elsewhere. It also boasts its own running club beer and plenty of merchandise.

Previously, I wrote about Mikkell and his brother Jeppe when they were profiled in the New York Times for their running rivalry.

The app was launched on iOS on December 3rd, with an Android version coming soon. You can watch a video of the app in action on the group’s Facebook page.

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Photo via Kris Mychasiw on Twitter

It’s becoming more and more lucrative to be a beer miler.

Elite Canadian track and field runner and current beer mile record holder Corey Bellemore has signed an endorsement deal with Adidas, according to his representative Kristopher Mychasiw.

Bellemore took the beer mile world by storm this summer when he shattered the world record with a 4:34 beer mile, which includes chugging four beers and running one mile. The previous world record of 4:47 was set by fellow Canadian Lewis Kent.

The story produced plenty of buzz after being picked up by TMZ and Fortune Magazine, among other outlets. Canadian Running has a good recap here.

Bellemore follows in the footsteps of Kent, who signed his own multi-year endorsement deal with Brooks. Both athletes are represented by Mychasiw.

The two beer mile stars will meet again on December 17th for the Flotrack World Beer Mile Championship. Oskar Blues brewery is the official beer sponsor of the event, and will provide Mamma’s Little Pils for runners. The races will be streamed for free on FloTrack, a site covering track and running.

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Photo via https://facebook.com/startlinebrewing

The Boston Marathon just became even more appealing for runners.

This month, Boston-area Start Line Brewery began production of their running-themed beers, including Night Run Black IPA and Homestretch Dark Chocolate Stout. Their logo appears to be a turtle with a hop shell crawling across a starting line.

Why the running theme? The brewery is located about a mile from the famous marathon start line.

This isn’t the only way to celebrate the Boston Marathon with beer, of course. The Boston Brewing Company also has created a Boston 26.2 brew to reward runners as well as spectators.

The Start Line brewery features hydroponic-grown hops and has beers available in crowlers. According to Eater, Start Line has a 560-square-foot tasting room and seasonal patios for sampling four-glass tasting flights or beers by the glass.

Learn more about the new brewery at http://startlinebrewing.com/welcome

SaveSave

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Photo via http://www.bendalerun.com

Plenty of races end with a beer tent at the finish line. But it’s hard to top running to an actual beer festival.

This weekend’s Bend Ale Run offers the experience of a half marathon or 10K that culminates at the Bend Ale Festival, which features 20 breweries.

The festival in central Oregon—home of the Bend Ale Trail—features a course that is part road race, part trail with views of  the Cascade Mountain Range.

After crossing the finish line, participants get a pint glass and four tokens to sample the 40 beers on tap. Deschutes Brewery, Full Sail and more will be pouring.

For more info and to enter, visit bendalerun.com.

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