At any given time in the US, you’re guaranteed to find a large number of 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons and marathons going on. Some races just take place merely for the love of running, but many others are related to some kind of cause, holiday or hobby – raising money for cancer research, Thanksgiving turkey “trots” or sweating your butt off while you run through Disney’s Magic Kingdom park.
That’s all well and good, but what if you run just to earn some calories for a nice, cold beer? You can always try hashing if you like to keep things casual, but some people prefer to add some friendly competition to their drinking/running schedule. Here are a few annual events to add to your road race calendar:
Will Run for Beer Series, throughout MA and NH
The Will Run for Beer Series is made up of seven different races of varying distances. You can sign up for any number that you please, but if you do at least five, you get a sweet “Will Run for Beer” jacket. There’s this whole crazy point system, so if you’re in to that kind of thing, you’re going to love this.
Midwest Outdoor Experience Off-Road 5K, Dayton OH
The Midwest Outdoor Experience Off-Road 5K is nice because it takes place on a cool fall evening rather than at the crack of dawn like most other races. It also ends at the Great Lakes Beer Garden (where you can use your free beer ticket) so it gives you a reason to run just a little bit faster.
Blood, Sweat & Beers, Auburn CA
Blood, Sweat & Beers offers a long course (10.5 miles) and a short course (5.9 miles), but each one offers some awesome scenery and a lot of variation so you don’t get bored. No matter which course you choose, there is a BBQ and beer from Hopping Brewing waiting for you at the end.
Psst! Not really a beer drinker? Try the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon. You will literally run through the vineyards and rolling acres of wine country. This race is touted as a “destination event” because there are things going on all weekend long like an expo, seminars, a wine & music festival and winery tours.
Absolutely love this post! I’m in the North East and I would love to stumble upon one of these races. Always been a fan of getting a good run in before having a well deserved beer.