Make Your Way to Wisconsin for the National Snowshoe Beer Mile Championship!

Beer drinkers are mostly familiar with the beer mile and many have even tried their luck at completing the beer- infused form of endurance. Drinking one 12 oz. serving of beer at each quarter mile mark and then crossing the finish line is all it takes to prove that exercise and love of beer can, indeed, go hand- in- hand.

In Eau Claire, Wisconsin, there is an annual beer mile event now in its fourth year and it adds a new, Wisconsin- style element to the idea of running and chugging. It’s the National Snowshoe Beer Mile Championship, scheduled for February 16, 2019, and it involves- you guessed it- running a beer mile over an open course of fluffy white snow with snowshoes strapped to your feet. Founded by an Eau Claire running club known as the Hash House Harriers, this cold weather version of an event normally held during the milder times of the year is certain to add some goose bumps to what is normally nothing but perspiration- soaked skin.

Tim McManus, president of the Eau Claire Hash House Harriers, says his running club started off with a beer mile of their own as a summer gathering intended as a means for fun, socializing, good times, etc, with the added benefit of exercise. It was only a matter of time until someone suggested doing the beer mile during the winter season. One thing led to another and the National Snowshoe Beer Mile Championship was official, with its first run taking place in January, 2016.

“This was our unique, winter- in- Wisconsin twist on a growing international event in the Beer Mile”, said McManus. “But as with everything our group does, it is a way to bring people together in a fun, social setting.”

January and February are normally quite chilly in northern Wisconsin but as the first three National Snowshoe Beer Mile Championships have shown, there is always an unpredictability factor present this time of year. The inaugural run in 2016 was quite cold, with temperatures in the single digits. The 2017 run was significantly warmer with highs in the 40’s. Year number three fell somewhere in the middle of those extremes, with temps in the 30’s and a good deal of snow.

Running an ordinary beer mile in warm, dry conditions is often challenging enough. Participants have to pace themselves just right so that a full, 12 oz. serving can be consumed in reasonable time at each quarter mile mark. Drink too fast and you may feel the sensation of vomiting and if that happens, you will have to endure a penalty lap. Drink too slow and, well, you may end up humiliated by finishing near the end of the pack. Yes, it’s all in fun, but even the less competitive among us want to finish at least in the middle. Now, try adding snowshoes to the equation and an entirely different dynamic and strategy emerges.

McManus, incidentally, is the reigning National Snowshoe Beer Mile Champion, completing the run and required beer drinking in 9 minutes, 29 seconds in 2018. He agrees with most people that adding snowshoes to the run adds to the difficulty.

“Overall, running in snowshoes is tougher than running without them. I don’t think many people would dispute that”, McManus said.

The National Snowshoe Beer Mile Championship starts at 1:30pm local time on February 16, 2019 at the Fox Run Tavern, 1515 S. 65^th Ave. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The event is open and free to anyone age 21 and up, but you are required to purchase your beer from Fox Run Tavern. They have non- alcoholic versions of the race as well, appropriate for any age, as well as half- beer miles and relay races. It’s all in a day of fun, Wisconsin style, so make a trip to Eau Claire and see how you fare in the crisp, cold Wisconsin air with beer in tow and snowshoes below.