I am a three-time beer mile world champion. Here is what most people do wrong about sport

I was a newcomer to my college track team when I heard for the first time from the “Beer Mile”, a wild, unauthorized tradition after the season. The premise was simple: chug four beers, do four rounds, don’t vomit. What could go wrong?

After the end of the route season, my team gathered on a remote route late at night (what could go wrong again?). I ended my first beer mile in 7 minutes, 37 seconds and beat almost all boys. My first college running was a fight. When I discovered a “sport”, I was naturally good, it was a massive boost.

I could never have imagined that this late -evening race would develop into a serious competition that would lead me all over the world. I represented the team USA on the Beer Mile World ClassicThree consecutive world championship titles: 6:03 in 2023Present 6:06 in 2024And 5:56 in 2025-a new personal best and the second fastest time ever led by a woman.

The truth is, none of it was a coincidence. I spent weeks before every race to improve my tucker technology and sharpen my mileage. While the beer mile may appear like a gimmick, it is actually a very strategic, extremely competitive event. I have raised a lot of time and effort to improve my skills for the beer mile than for one of the five marathons I have ever led.

What else do people do wrong about the beer mile? A lot. Let us unpack the greatest misunderstandings.

1. “It’s more about drinking than running”

To exceed Beer Mile, you can’t just jog – you have to be able to run quickly. Professional beer miler Lewis Kent puts it perfectly into his book. A world champion guideline to run a beer mile. “The best beer miles are elite runners who drink, no elite drinkers who run.”

My race in 2025 breaks off a 4:53 mile and 63 seconds of drinking. While most people slower over the course of four rounds, I can also maintain my speed at 48 ounces of beer in the stomach. World record holder Corey Bellemore, Who ran a 4:27 beer milecan also pull it off.

2. “You shouldn’t eat in front of a beer mile”

Do not run a beer mile on an empty stomach. Just not. In the times when I tried it, I have trouble holding down the beer and I got dangerously close to handing me over. It makes sense – takes its higher acid Beer can irritate your stomach More than other spirits like whiskey or gin.

To prepare my stomach, I will eat small, mild meals all day (usually oatmeal or a simple turkey sandwich) so that I can never be too hungry or too full. I will eat a banana or a simple white bread (a favorite among beer milers) closer to the race to create a buffer against the beer.

I also picked up a few tips from Lewis Kent, who trained his stomach to expand from races. One of his preferred food before the race is watermelon, which is 92% water and used by professional competition significantly To expand your stomach before competitions.

3. “Every ice cold, light beer will do it”

I am very Corciously about my selection of beer and its temperature, because either a beer mile can produce or break. Drinking the beer too cold or too warm can irritate your stomach while you choose a tasty type (like an IPA), you can make it quickly.

Depending on the air temperature and humidity, I will cool my beer up to about 15 to 20 minutes before the race. It’s not a perfect science, but I know that my beer is finished, based on what it feels like. It is still well cooled, but was just out of the ice long enough to lose the edge.

I would not recommend my beer of choice, Bud Light Platinum. But it is perfect for a beer mile. It hits the 5% ABV rule and comes in a bottle that I prefer with doses because the beer flows faster. It also has a button-off cap that saves precious seconds because you don’t need a bottle opener.

4. “The last beer is the most difficult to chug.”

Actually, it is the third beer that is known to be the hardest. When chugging, you swallow the air together with the beer inevitable and combined with the carbon dioxide, you feel pretty bloated by beer #3.

After the first two beers it helps, but here is the trick that I found particularly valuable: leave the third beer strategically behind. Since you are allowed to leave a total of four ounces, you should have wobbly space if you have ended your beers cleanly.

Mastering This is an art because they have no time to weigh their beer – for this year I practiced until I could see exactly how much liquid was only left in my hand due to the weight of the bottle.

5. “You can’t practice for a beer mile.”

A beer mile may look like a party trick, but extraction requires serious practice. For health reasons (and to avoid it that he raves about a accidental Tuesday), I practice with non -alcoholic beer or Topo Chico Sprudel Water. Topo Chico is aggressively bubbling and actually much more difficult to drink than beer.

Inspired by Lewis Kents TrainingI designed special “workouts” so that I have the drinking from the breath. One morning I ran 400-meter repetitions in my neighborhood road and opened to chug a bottle of Topo Chico in any other round. I got some funny looks of parents who bring their children to school.

Another tactic that I learned from my teammate Melanie filled empty beer bottles with water and chugged them a few times a day. Did it help? Perhaps. Was it a great way to stay hydrated? Absolutely!