Winnipeg beer mile runner hopes to guzzle way back to world record

Throw back a beer, sprint around the track. Repeat four times. Sounds easy enough, right? Even a bit silly.

But what was once a casual year-end ritual for university runners is becoming more serious, and a Winnipeg runner is out to regain his place as the world record holder.

• Canadian Lewis Kent chugs to beer mile world record
• WinnipeggerCorey Gallagher wins Beer Mile World Championship

"It's probably harder than any other race," said Winnipeg mail carrier Corey Gallagher, who held the world record time of four minutes54.38 seconds until earlier this week. "Not only are you trying to run as fast as you can,but now, you're trying to consume something. It's just an awkward mix."

Lewis Kent broke that record this week by more than three secondswith a time of 4:51:09, which promptedthe Brooksshoe and apparel companyto approachKent for a sponsorship deal.

"Now that legitimate events are happening, sponsorships are occurring," said Kent. "I think it's getting a lot more legitimate;as it gets legitimate it's time to take itseriously."

Canada 'theKenya of beer miling'

The beer mile isstarting to get recognition within the running establishment.

"In the last couple of years it's become huge," said Michael Doyle, editorinchief of Canadian Running."Canada is kind of weirdly dominant at it. We've jokingly said that we're the Kenya of beer miling."

Last year, Gallagher won the inaugural FloTrack Beer Mile Championship in Austin, Texas a victory he hopes to repeat in December.

His drink of choice? Bud Light Platinum. He can chug one in less than five seconds a feat that apparently sets him apart.

"I don't know if there is any secret," said Gallagher."It's just being ready to endure what's about to come and that's a lot of pain."

Kent runs on Amsterdam Blonde, a fiveper centToronto craft beer he saidhe has had multiple personal bests with.

It's not like they just stepped out of the pub to do this.Both menhave decent running resums.

Gallagherused to run track for the University of Manitoba.Kent currently runs for the University of Western Ontario.

"You've got these kind of journeymen runners, guys like Gallagher who's, you know, a pretty good runner, but by no means a world-class runner," said Doyle."But he's an incredible beer chugger. He can kind of stitch it all together, and he's got an iron stomach. He's able to be really competitive at this."

Olympian, Lance Armstrong attempt beer mile

Doyle saidthe origins of the beer mile is "enshrouded in a little bit of folklore and mystery," but the consensusis it began in Ontario in the late 1980s.

FloTrack, an online track and field hub, saidit organized the world championship last year to make it a more legitimate event.

"Is it going to ever be an Olympic sport? Probably not," laughed Max Crutchfield with FloTrack, who added, "We're doing everything to make these athletes stars. We want to create stars and Super Bowls."

Serious athletes do compete.

Last year, 2012 American Olympian Nick Symmonds placed seventhat the world championship. A video posted on FloTrack shows Lance Armstrong dropping out after his first lap in a race in Texas.

The rules are pretty simple: no wide-mouth cans or bottles allowed.The beer must be at least fiveper cent alcohol. No ciders. And yes, there are penalty laps if a runner vomits.

Of course, there have been twists on the race.

Beermile.com lists events involvingvodka shots, soda or milk instead of beer even a race where the runner must solve multiple Rubik'sCubes.

'I kind of puked everywhere'

Sound easy? Not so fast, saidDoyle.

"The beer mile is probably among the hardest events in running," he said, laughing."If you haven't tried one before and you're a decent runner, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into."

Gallagher saidhe has been running beer miles for about a decade now.

"I think my first one I ran like 14 minutes. I kind of puked everywhere. It wasn't a good feeling, I wasn't having fun with it," he said. But he kept improving his technique.

Kent agreed, saying training and preparation are key. He compares a five-minute beer mileto a four-minute mile:"They are equalfeats in my opinion."

Gallagher saidhe knows this year's world championship will be a larger affair than the first one.

But the basic appeal of the beer mile, he said, remains simple and relatable.

"Everybody knows how far a mile is.Everybody knows what it's like to drink a beer," said Gallagher.

Kent, meanwhile, saidhe's determined to add the world championship to his world record.

"I'llbe in peak running form, peak drinking shape," he said.