"That's all we had to hear," said David April of Philadelphia, who, upon reading the study two years ago with his friend Eric Siedler, immediately headed out for an early evening run to one of their favorite watering holes. "We had pierogi and beer, and it felt so good afterward, we had to share it with people."
That was the birth of the Fishtown Beer Runners club, named for the pair's neighborhood, where each Thursday night an average of 30 runners begin their organized trek to an area tavern.
The runs, which attract novices and marathoners, typically range from 3 to 5 miles. In recent weeks, they've paced themselves to Good Dog in Center City, the P.O.P.E. in South Philly and Memphis Taproom in Port Richmond, ending each session with rounds of good beer.
The weekly jaunt is one of hundreds across America devoted to jogging and chugging.
The most notable and widest-spread are the boisterous dashes sponsored by the Hash House Harriers. (Motto: "A beer-drinking club with a running problem.") There are an estimated 2,000 so-called H3 chapters worldwide, including at least two in Philadelphia.
In noncompetitive runs, called hashes, members follow a meandering trail laid out by a leader known as the hare. There are no official winners or losers, but there's plenty of beer and bawdy song at the post-race party.
Recognizing the natural affinity between running and beer drinking, breweries and taprooms across the country now sponsor races with a foamy finish line.
In Delaware, Dogfish Head Brewery draws 1,000 runners to its Dogfish Dash each September. In Wisconsin, those who complete the 13-mile "half-barrel" route in the Tyranena Beer Run in November wash down plates of lasagna with cups ofBitter Woman IPA.
