This year, instead of inviting the public to a mud run, Olds College is putting on a beer run.
On Sept. 17, the campus will host its new fall event, Kegs & Legs 5K. It's a five-kilometre run with four hydration stations where participants can snack and sample craft beer from the school's brewmaster program. An after party will be held at the Olds Regional Exhibition's Cow Palace.
The event is intended to showcase the Olds College campus and its brewery. Proceeds go toward supporting the school's brewmaster and hospitality and tourism programs, used to create scholarships, purchase equipment and setting up field trips for students.
Registration is currently open, with a goal to reach 500 runners, said Trina Radcliffe, Olds College's community initiatives manager.
The early-bird, "Happy Hour Registration" period runs until July 31 at a $66 cost per runner. The price jumps $10 afterward.
Those who wish to participate without drinking have the "mocktail," non-alcoholic registration at a lower price -- $36.
Everyone must be at least 18 years old as of the race date. Photo I.D. will be required.
Radcliffe said Kegs & Legs is modelled after other beer runs in Canada and the U.S.
She said many have questioned whether running and consuming alcohol is a good idea. She said the race in Olds is not about getting drunk and that people who show up intoxicated will not be allowed to participate.
"Each hydration station, you only receive one four-ounce sample. So by the end of the race, you've only consumed one beer," Radcliffe said.
"This isn't an event about getting as drunk as you can and running. It's really more about the spirit of being on campus, having some fun and promoting our Olds College brewery."
A total of 16 ounces would seem tame compared to the amount runners drink at the Beer Mile World Championship, held in Austin, Texas.
In that competition, runners down a 12-ounce beer, then run a lap. They do that four times. Penalty laps are assessed for those who vomit. In 2015, a Mississauga, Ont. man set a world record for running it in four minutes 51.9 seconds.
"This isn't an event about getting as drunk as you can and running. It's really more about the spirit of being on campus, having some fun and promoting our Olds College brewery." TRINA RADCLIFFE, OC community initiatives manager
