Yup. It’s a thing. A big thing, actually. A phenomenon even. And don’t just take my word for it.
The boom in running happened a few decades ago. At first deemed lycra-clad nutters, we runners are now everywhere. Today, no-one bats an eyelid at someone pounding past them on the pavement. And the lycra is optional.
To give an idea of the scale of the running boom, at the first New York marathon in 1970 there were 127 participants. When I ran the race in 2015 I was one of almost 50,000 finishers.
So running’s now a common pursuit. In fact, its popularity has started to plateau. As the below graph from Running USA shows, the number of event finishers in the US has started to decline a little, but there are still 17,000 people in the States alone signing up to test themselves in races. The participation is fairly even between men and women too.
Craft beer, however, is truly still in the boom phase. The below chart from the Brewers Association in the US shows that the meteoric rise of craft beer into the
And while the US is often labelled as the spiritual home of the craft beer revolution, the explosion in independent craft breweries is not limited to the US. Here in Switzerland, for example, there were 81 breweries in 2000. Today, according to the Swiss Customs Office, there are 740 active breweries meaning Switzerland has one of the highest number of breweries per capita of any nation in the world.
The rise of the craft beer runner
Of course, with so many runners out there, and so many more people discovering the delights of craft beer, there would naturally be some crossover. But now, the number of people discovering the everyday-life-enhancing awesomeness of combining these two pursuits is rocketing too. Yes, mixing craft brews and running shoes is a thing.
A great example is the Mikkeller Running Club (MRC). MRC was started by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, the founder of Denmark’s iconic craft brewery Mikkeller. Before his flair for brewing emerged, Bjergsø was known for his talent on the track, setting Danish records and earning a scholarship to the US.
The MRC mission reflects the spirit of this blog – the MRC philosophy is “to stay fit through running. That makes us capable of enjoying even more of the good life – which includes state of the art food and drinks.”Amen.
Started in 2014, the MRC has already grown to around 150 MRC chapters spread across four continents, meeting at least monthly and often weekly to share a mutual love of craft beer and running.
The Beer Mile
While most choose to keep the combination to the enjoyment of a refreshing IPA or two after a long run, Beer Mile events see participants take on both simultaneously. The rules are simple: each competitor runs four 400m laps on the track, drinking a can of beer before each. It sounds messy and, given the rules, penalise vomiting, it almost certainly is. Make no mistake though, the race against the clock is real. The current world record stands at an impressive 4:34:35.
Convinced yet? Well, as if further evidence of the craze were needed, there are also breweries brewing beer specifically for runners, running shops that serve craft beer and even running shoes designed to be worn for beer mile races.
Want to catch up on the latest in home brewing, beer drinking and running? Then sign up for Brew Drink Run – a podcast dedicated to this holy trinity of happiness. Or why not kick back with a cold one and watch a film about the trailblazing beer runners of the US and Spain?
Still not convinced that there’s a craft beer and running phenomenon brewing (pun intended)? I’d suggest heading out for a run and then treat yourself to a cold India pale ale. You’ll soon see the appeal.