Running first beer mile ever in 2 days - tips?

You have to train by chug drinking after you run hard. Not just water but something like beer. If you think the beer will be cold then practice with a cold drink. The hard part is timing your breaking with your swallowing.

just run baby

Practice slamming beverages out of a bottle or can (whichever is being used for the race). Go into the race empty - you need your stomach volume to hold the beer.

spend the 1st 100 meters burpping, run hard from 100-300, jog it in as to not be out of breath for the next beer

Don't run flat out. Its hard to drink when you are really out of breath

Thanks to all for the advice. As far as splits, is it best to negative split (practically jog the first couple laps)?

I think I have the option of what temperature my beer will be; is cold or room temperature better for chugging/running? Also, I think the beer will be Natural Ice from a can.

The advice about going out easy to get burps up, speeding up, then jogging in to catch your breath is sound. For the average college runner, the drinking is going to limit you much more than the running.

I'm not sure it really matters how fast you run the first two laps... obviously it makes it harder to drink the beers if you are all out of breath, but for me I know the 3rd and 4th chugs are the hardest part of a beer mile. Handling the volume (no pre-drinking/eating) and getting it down quickly are essential.

By the way, you will almost certainly puke. Successful beer milers (not me) just learn to stave off the need to vomit until after the tape. The penalty lap, obviously, torpedoes your race.

I drank 32 oz of water from a bottle just to see what that felt like, and it took 19 seconds. Obviously, water goes down a lot more easily than beer, but would a similar time be good to shoot for per 12 oz can (around 20 seconds)? Knowing the general pattern of splits in a good beer mile might help.

natty ice wrote:

My school is hosting a beer mile competition this weekend, and I have never run one before. Does anyone have tips for a first timer? Should I drink a lot of water in the next couple days? Or a lot of beer? What about directly before the race - is it better to go into it sober or having had a little bit to drink already?

My goal is 7:00; I imagine I am in shape to run about 4:35 right now.

i ran 7:06, and i was in 4:15 shape. easiest part for me was the chugging, hardest part was burping while running without puking. somehow i didnt vomit at all, but everyone i was with did.

First of all you should probably use a beer that is at least 5% anything else is not even legit. Everyone's advice so far has been good. And definitely go for the warmer beer it's easier too chug then cold beer.

natty ice wrote:

I drank 32 oz of water from a bottle just to see what that felt like, and it took 19 seconds. Obviously, water goes down a lot more easily than beer, but would a similar time be good to shoot for per 12 oz can (around 20 seconds)? Knowing the general pattern of splits in a good beer mile might help.

A lot of the records here have splits attached:

natty ice wrote:

Thanks to all for the advice. As far as splits, is it best to negative split (practically jog the first couple laps)?

I think I have the option of what temperature my beer will be; is cold or room temperature better for chugging/running? Also, I think the beer will be Natural Ice from a can.

the only way you negative split a beer mile is by walking the first couple laps.

natty ice wrote:

Thanks to all for the advice. As far as splits, is it best to negative split (practically jog the first couple laps)?

I think I have the option of what temperature my beer will be; is cold or room temperature better for chugging/running? Also, I think the beer will be Natural Ice from a can.

If you don't even know what temperature beer is best for chugging, you don't have a shot at breaking 7. My guess is you run about 10 minutes. A goal should be each beer in an average of 15 seconds. Maybe 10 for the first two and 20 for the last two. But you'll probably chug yours in about 30 seconds each at best. You'll definitely puke if you're drinking Natty Ice also because that's like 5.8 or something. You're gonna want to burp as much as possible, but you'll definitely throw up. It sounds like you're really not a good drinker at all, which is the most important part. I've seen guys who can't run fast that 5 minutes for a mile run low sixes in the beer mile because they're drinking tanks. Unfortunately for you, it's too late to get good at drinking.

Eh... wrote:

First of all you should probably use a beer that is at least 5% anything else is not even legit. Everyone's advice so far has been good. And definitely go for the warmer beer it's easier too chug then cold beer.

I know that it is a rule, and without rules we would have anarchy, but does the alcohol content really have any effect in a 7-9 minute race? Is it any harder to run a mile dinking beer rather than doing it with milk, juice or soda?

Sparky Hill wrote:

I know that it is a rule, and without rules we would have anarchy, but does the alcohol content really have any effect in a 7-9 minute race? Is it any harder to run a mile dinking beer rather than doing it with milk, juice or soda?

Yes.

Natty Light is 4.2%, so not quite legal.

Yes, Natty Ice is indeed 5.9, which won't make things easy on me, but it is certainly legal.

I am not a huge drinker by any means, but I have a couple things going for me. First, I am not a small person (currently 6'4" 190 lb; compared to 175 when in top shape), and second, I can generally eat and drink large amounts. I would say I would be disappointed with 10 minutes, but then again, the beer mile seems like it can be a humbling event.

natty ice wrote:

Yes, Natty Ice is indeed 5.9, which won't make things easy on me, but it is certainly legal.

I am not a huge drinker by any means, but I have a couple things going for me. First, I am not a small person (currently 6'4" 190 lb; compared to 175 when in top shape), and second, I can generally eat and drink large amounts. I would say I would be disappointed with 10 minutes, but then again, the beer mile seems like it can be a humbling event.

7:00 in the first beer mile is legit, I'd only expect experienced drinkers to be able to run that. 10:00 isn't a terrible time if you are just a recreational drinker.

Pro-tip; once you are about 1/3 of the way through the beer start crushing the can to get it to come out faster, don't start crushing it too soon or you will trap beer in the bottom of the can and then you're f***ed..