My watch showed 5am – I should have wanted breakfast however beer was all that I could think about. After 23 hours on the course, I finished the Quebec Mega Trail 110 km with my friend Matt. Instead of receiving a medal, I was given a glass beer mug and told that I could fill it up in the chalet. We were at the base of the Mont Ste. Anne ski resort. I asked Matt if he wanted to have a beer and he nodded yes without a split second of hesitation. Matt joined me as a pacer at 9pm, the previous evening. Both beer lovers, Matt and I had been talking about our post race brews for a long time. I had planned on finishing the race a lot earlier than 5 am though. No bother, I hobbled inside and sat down with Matt for a well deserved, celebratory beer.
After seven years in the sport, I have noticed a special relationship between trail runners and beer. The conversations about beer during races, drinking beer the night before and immediately following a race. Some runners even down a beer or two during longer races. Top female ultra runner Camille Heron set the record for the fastest 100 mile trail race ever at 12 h 42 m 28 s while drinking a beer and a half and eating tacos.
I’m not alone in noticing the trail runner and beer relationship, two brands have launched beer specifically for runners. San Francisco based Sufferfest beer was founded by trail runner Caitlin Landesberg in 2016. A favourite among the US ultra runner community, Sufferfest beer has an IPA named FKT and a stout called Head Start. Ontario based Rally Beer Company recently launched a golden ale with electrolytes and black current. Formulated specifically for athletes and marketed to runners, Rally Beer is sold in LCBOs across Ontario.
All of this begs the question, why do runners like beer so much? As a starting point, cold beer is delicious when you’re hot and sweaty after a run. Beer also helps mark the occasion after a race or a particularly challenging training session. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that a couple of beers helps dull the pain after longer races.
It will be interesting to see how trail running’s relationship with beer continues to develop. From Milton, Ontario’s Orange Snail’s Pace brewery based run club to the Beer Runner Podcast. I’m sure that we’ll continue to see close ties between beer and trail running.
