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Champion beer miler Corey Bellemore signs pro deal with Adidas

Beer mile world record holder Corey Bellemore, who is one of Canada's top developing athletes, has signed a professional contract with Adidas.

Corey Bellemore

Corey Bellemore

Brooks is no longer the only sportswear brand to sponsor an athlete who competes in the beer mile.

Corey Bellemore, the beer mile world record holder, has signed with Adidas ahead of the Dec. 17 FloTrack Beer Mile World Championships.

A crucial part of the one-year deal is Bellemore’s talents as a middle distance runner and one of Canada’s top up-and-coming competitors. He won a bronze medal in the 800m at the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 Championships. He is also a strong cross-country runner having won the Ontario University Championships followed by a seventh-place finish at the Canadian University Championships.

“It was a two-part pitch,” says Bellemore’s agent Kris Mychasiw. “Corey is a fantastic beer miler and a developing track and field athlete. Cameras will be on him in Austin, Texas (site of the FloTrack Beer Mile Championships) and he will be getting plenty of exposure.”

RELATED: Beer miler Lewis Kent signs new multi-year deal with Brooks.

The 22-year-old Windsor, Ont. resident has run 1:47.68 for 800m and 3:43.88 for 1,500m, both national-class performances. Bellemore made waves last summer when he ran a 4:39 beer mile at a local track in southern Ontario, breaking the then-world record by eight seconds. Days later, he ran 4:34 and won the Beer Mile World Classic, one of the niche sport’s two global events, in London. No other runner has run within 13 seconds of Bellemore’s best time.

It was unclear whether he would return to the beer mile following those world record performances. It was recently announced that he will be racing the beer mile again in three weeks time. The beer mile is four laps of a standard 400m track (or 400m loop) with the consumption of a 355 mL, five per cent alcohol beer to begin each segment.

The Adidas contract, which came into effect on Dec. 1, was negotiated out of Adidas HQ, located in Europe. Financial details of Bellemore’s contract were not disclosed. He will, however, be receiving the same gear as current professionals, a line-up which includes 800m world record holder David Rudisha and fellow Windsor resident Brandon McBride.

Bellemore will be receiving shoes and apparel as part of the contract. The 22-year-old is rather unique as he has upsides both in terms of the beer mile as well as potential to become a national team threat in the coming years. He would need to shave off approximately 2.5 seconds to approach the men’s 800m standard for the 2017 IAAF World Championships.

“It’s amazing that Adidas made the leap into the beer mile category,” Mychasiw says. “It makes lot of sense right now as the beer mile continues to grow.”

Mychasiw would not say whether the deal is similar in value to Lewis Kent’s contract. He represents both athletes.

Brooks became the first sportswear brand to sponsor a beer miler in 2015 when the Seattle-based company announced a deal with Kent. The London, Ont. resident has held the beer mile world record on multiple occasions including a best of 4:47, which he ran in winning the 2015 FloTrack Championships in Austin, Texas.

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