Beer mile world champion Corey Gallagher: the man behind the beer
One mile – four laps of the track, interrupted by four beers, run and chugged in the fastest time possible. That’s a beer mile.
Bob and Doug MacKenzie would be proud.
The beer mile is a crazy brew of running and drinking. The current rules and origin of the competitive version of this frothy foolishness were developed by Canucks. The official beer mile website states that true beer mile competitions must adhere to “Kingston rules,” recognizing the hometown of Queen’s University (which has produced many a talented beer miler) as the place where things really got brewing.
On Dec. 3, the first-ever World Championship Beer mile was held in Austin Texas. Olympians and four-minute milers toed the line. A Canadian was crowned champion.
This is his story.
Corey Gallagher crossing the inaugural beer mile world champion #flobeermile #ohcanada #eh #running
A video posted by canadianrunning (@canadianrunning) on
Corey Gallagher
Corey is a 27-year-old postal carrier who also works at a local running store in Winnipeg called Stride Ahead. Corey got his first taste of running in Grade 2 and was soon hooked.
Early on, Corey says running meant darting around the neighbourhood and playing every sport out there. His first half-marathon was at the tender age of 12, running 1:28:20, pretty quick by anyone’s standards. His young start to running was interrupted however, after developing issues with his illiotibial band while running at university.
“I switched gears and went back to playing Junior hockey,” says the athletically gifted Gallagher. “Once hockey was done I started to gain weight and had to do something. That’s when I found my passion again for running and there has been no looking back since.”
Corey’s personal bests
400m: 54.4
800m: 1:59
1500m: 4:03.55
Mile: 4:35
Beer Mile: 5:00.23
3,000m: 8:37
5,000m: 15:17
8K: 26:03
10K: 30:31
10 miles: 51:57
Half-marathon: 1:10:10
Flotrack Beer Mile World Championships
I let Corey catch his breath and the media frenzy to die down before I contacted the first-ever World Champion.
How did you get into running beer miles?
It’s a track tradition here in Manitoba. A fun way to end a long track season. My first year, in 2006, they dragged me out to run one and since then it’s become a tradition that I really look forward to.
How do you feel about being beer mile world champion?
It still hasn’t fully set in yet that I’m a World Champion. I still think of myself as your regular guy working a full-time job and part time job. I wouldn’t be able to call myself world champion without Flotrack putting on this amazing event.
Aside from beer miles what keeps you running?
Seeing what the body can do. Pushing the limits and seeing how much pain I can endure.
What are your running goals for 2015?
Staying healthy, breaking the 30-minute mark for 10K and go back and defending my title as beer mile world champion and officially get the world record.
See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.
Do you have a running story to tell?
runningwriter@hotmail.com
You can follow me on Twitter @NoelPaine or also check out my personal blog.
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