W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A . C O M
57
LAP 1
A
lyssa Davis grabbed a red solo cup full of Bud Light,
stepped to the starting line, and took a deep breath.
When she heard the word "Go," she slammed the beer in less than 10
seconds, dropped the cup, and took off.
With 25 other runners gathered at a city park in Livingston, Davis was
competing in the beer mile, a sport that combines drinking and running and
where the fastest runners don't always win. Instead, the playing field is leveled
by how quickly you can drink. Variations have existed on college campuses
for decades, but the sport was hoisted into the public arena this year follow-
ing several high-profile, record-setting attempts and the first-ever Beer Mile
World Championship in Austin, Texas.
Davis knew her strength was running, not drinking. e previous year, her
belly had red-lined halfway through the final lap, forcing her to pull off to
the side and rid her tummy of the 48 ounces of Bud Light that were sloshing
violently inside.
is year, the 44-year-old ski travel agent resolved to keep it in, and to win.
Davis's hot pink running shirt and black shorts were a blur as she worked to
build a lead on the women chasing her. If she could keep the beer down, she
was confident she could bring the trophy home.
article and photos by
ERIK PETERSEN
CONTINUED
