On Saturday in Lisbon, Portugal, Canada’s Corey Bellemore once again demonstrated his dominance in one of running’s strangest traditions, winning the 11th edition of the Beer Mile World Classic in a blistering 4:27—his fastest recorded time yet. The event, part track race and part drinking challenge, asks runners to drink four beers—one before each lap of a mile—and still finish fast. Each beer must be at least 340 mL, five per cent alcohol, and fully consumed, with penalties for spillage or leftover foam.
Bellemore does it again
Bellemore, originally from Windsor, Ont., won his seventh world title in style, finishing in 4:27 to break his own world record by one second. It was a clean race for the 30-year-old, who’s been flirting with the 4:27 mark for years. He first broke the world record in 2016 and has steadily chipped away at it since. In 2023, he ran 4:30 wearing just one shoe. In 2018, he clocked 4:24 but was disqualified for excess foam. Bellemore’s time in Lisbon finally beat his 2021 official best of 4:28. Off the beer mile track, Bellemore has run a 3:57 mile, races regularly on the roads and track, and has even completed multiple Half Ironman races.
How fast could you run a chocolate milk mile?
From Canadian college laughs to the world
The beer mile didn’t begin as the spectacle it is today. It traces back to the late 1980s in Ontario, where late-night joking among a group of young men evolved into a quirky challenge: run a lap, chug a beer, repeat four times. That format spread quickly among Canadian running clubs. By the early 1990s, students at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., had formalized a set of standards—later dubbed the “Kingston Rules”—which laid the foundation for modern beer mile events.
Will he do it again?
Bellemore hinted at retirement after last year’s race, but ahead of this year’s event, he posted on Instagram: “I’ll retire after @jakobing pulls up.” That’s a nod to Olympic 5,000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who ran a 5:22 beer mile at his bachelor party—nearly a minute behind Bellemore’s winning time. Whether he’s serious remains to be seen—but if Ingebrigtsen ever toes the line, fans will be ready to crack open something cold for the showdown.For full results of the 2025 Beer Mile World Classic, head here.
