A Beer mile is a drinking game

Drinking game

Drinking games are games which involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages. These games vary widely in scope and complexity, although the purpose of most is to become intoxicated as quickly as possible...

 combining running

Running

Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...

 and speed drinking. Typically, the game takes place on a standard 400 meter or 1/4 mile running track. The race begins at the 1-mile

Mile run

The mile run is a middle-distance foot race which is among the more popular events in track running.The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races...

 starting line with the consumption of a standard amount of beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

, followed by a full lap around the track. The second lap continues in a similar manner; the standard amount of beer is consumed before commencing the running of the second lap. This process is repeated for the next two laps. Following the completion of the fourth running lap (and four beers), a competitor has finished the race. The more specific rules of the race vary by region.

A variant of this game named "Kastenlauf" (short for "Bierkastenlauf", literally "beer crate running"; other names: Kistenlauf, Bierlauf, Bier-Rallye, Bierathlon etc.) is popular in the German-speaking countries Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. It is a race among teams that consist of two people carrying a crate

Bottle crate

A bottle crate or beverage crate is a container used for transport of beverage containers. In the present day they are usually made of plastic, but before the widespread use of plastic they tended to be made of wood or metal....

 of beer, all of which must be consumed prior to crossing the finish line.

North American tradition

In North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, typically, 12 US ounces of beer is consumed from an aluminum can before every lap. Since the advent of the internet, the rules of the Beer Mile have become more standardized, particularly in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The standard rules published by BEERMILE.COM are based on the most common rules used in North America. These rules specify that any competitor that vomits prior to finishing the race must complete a penalty lap immediately following the fourth lap. The penalty lap does not require the drinking of an additional beer. The standard rules also dictate that the beer be consumed directly from the pour of the can (i.e. tampering with the cans, such as "shotgunning

Shotgunning

Shotgunning is a means of consuming a canned beverage, particularly beer, very quickly by punching a hole in the side of the can. With this method, it is possible to easily drink a canned beverage in under 10 seconds.. A related technique, strawpedoing, is used for containers not easily punctured...

", is not allowed). The beer used for the competition must also be full-strength, or at least 5.0% ABV

ABV

ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...

. Hard ciders and other alcoholic beverages are generally not allowed. The Beer Mile has become a very popular event among collegiate track and field programs, and is often contested following the conclusion of the "official" season.

The fastest recorded Beer Mile, following the "official" rules is 5:09.0. Much like the four-minute barrier

Four-minute mile

In the sport of athletics, the four-minute mile is the act of completing the mile run in less than four minutes. It was first achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister in 3:59.4. The 'four minute barrier' has since been broken by many male athletes, and is now the standard of all male professional...

 in the mile run

Mile run

The mile run is a middle-distance foot race which is among the more popular events in track running.The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races...

, the five-minute barrier tempts beer-milers world wide.

The "Chunder" Mile

The rules used in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 often vary slightly from those favored in the United States. Typically, an imperial pint (20 imperial ounces) is consumed before every lap, with no specification of the drinking vessel. Pint glasses are preferred for the speed in which the beverage can be finished. The one lap penalty for "chundering", popular in North America, is not generally enforced.

Popular variations

A popular variation allows female competitors to consume one fewer beer than the male competitors. Females are allowed to begin the first running lap without consuming a beer. This rule is often enacted to encourage participation from females.

While full strength beer is generally the preferred beverage, some races allow consumption of alternative beverages such as light beer, malt beverages, or milk.

The beer mile is often combined with other running/drinking events such as the:

4 x 40 oz. relay -- where a team of 4 competitors run 100m each around the track, finishing a 40 oz. bottle of beer or malt liquor on the way

Wild Turkey 2-mile -- each competitor runs 8 laps, with a shot of whiskey (usually Wild Turkey) before every lap.

naked 4 x 400m -- each member of a 4 competitor team runs a lap around the track nude - drinking is technically optional, but encouraged

Kastenlauf (Beer-case racing)

Kastenlauf

Kastenlauf

Kastenlauf, also Kistenlauf, Bierkastenlauf, Bierlauf, Bierkastenrennen or biergrätle-race or Bier-Rallye is a drinking game/sport that is popular in Austria, Germany and Switzerland...

, also Kistenlauf, Bierkastenlauf, Bierlauf, Bierkastenrennen (literally crate-running, beer crate-running, or equivalents) is a drinking game/sport that is popular in German-speaking countries. It is a race among teams that consist of two people carrying a crate of beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

, all of which must be consumed prior to crossing the finish line. The route is about 10 km long, although it can vary from half this to twice this.

The name bierathlon is also used for a students' game where participants have to drink a beer in a fixed order in a number of pubs of the city, which is certified by stamps.

External links

• http://www.beermile.com/
• "Vogelsberger Kastenlauf"