PREVIEWS: MEN | WOMEN

INTERVIEWS: PRE RACE | POST RACE

FULL RACES | RESULTS | PHOTOS

Chris Kimbrough setting the world record

The women’s race at the Flo Beer Mile World Championships received a jolt of energy when 45-year-old Chris Kimbrough set the world record last month by running 6:28.55. Kimbrough demolished Seanna Robinson’s 6:42 record which had stood for 17 years, and will now face her biggest challenge yet: becoming the Beer Mile World Champion. Looking to defeat Kimbrough will be none other than Seanna Robinson herself, as well as nine other capable ladies who have glory on their minds, among them professional athletes Katie Mackey and Kirsty Jahn (Smith). Here are the women’s beer mile storylines: 

Will the world record go down? 
With the deepest beer mile fields ever assembled coming to Austin, it’s not hard to imagine two world records going down on December 3rd. The women’s field may have the best shot, as race favorite and 45-year-old mother of six Chris Kimbrough ran 6:28.55 last month in her first ever beer mile, breaking the old record by nearly 14 seconds. Since her record came after a Sunday long run and with no one else on the track, Kimbrough should run considerably faster at the Flo Beer Mile World Championships with fresher legs and some competition.

Former world record holder Seanna Robinson

Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson
Former world record holder Seanna Robinson hasn’t competed in a beer mile since 2001, but the 39-year-old enters the World Championships with the second fastest seed time of 6:42. That time stood as the women’s record for 17 years before Chris Kimbrough demolished it with her 6:28. 

Like Kimbrough, Robinson is a prolific runner outside of her beer mile successes. Robinson has PRs of 17:31 in the 5k and 1:21 in the half marathon, and has also completed an Ironman. The Canadian has thrown in some 200s and 400s into her normal routine of aerobic training to better prepare herself to take down Kimbrough. 

Brooks athlete Katie Mackey has a 7:36 beer mile PR

Does Katie Mackey have a shot?
Brooks athlete Katie Mackey has run 4:04 for the 1500m and 15:04 for 5k, but her modest 7:36 beer mile PR is more than a minute slower than Chris Kimbrough’s world record. Her time was her lone beer mile attempt, taking place more than two years ago. Mackey is certainly the fastest in the field, but how will she handle the beer on December 3rd? Instead of focusing on an intense beer regimen that could hurt her training for the upcoming outdoor season, Mackey has dug deep into research to find any secrets that could help her in just her second beer mile. 

“Since I’m not going to be able to do what some of these other runners are doing, I figured the next best thing is just to get deep into the blogs, and look up the research. I’ve seen a couple different things, everything from the temperature of the beer to the degree (angle) that you drink the beer,” Mackey told Flotrack. 

Studying is one thing, but nothing replaces the real beer mile training. If Mackey can’t stomach the beer on December 3rd, her 4:04 speed won’t do her any good against the machine that is Chris Kimbrough. The carbonation wreaks havoc on the unprepared. 
The Sleeper
Kirsty Jahn (Smith) of Vancouver ran collegiately at Villanova and was a member of Team Canada at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships. The 30-year-old has a beer mile PR of 6:43, a time she ran all the way back in 2005. Jahn’s last attempt at the beer mile came in 2006.

Jahn’s current training is focused on triathlons, as her favorite race is the Half Ironman. While Jahn has not competed in a beer mile in eight years, she has a 4:26 1500 PR that puts her among the best in the women’s field. 

Go to flotrack.org/beermileworlds to see the women's entry list, and to find out more on the inaugural Flo Beer Mile World Championships on December 3rd in Austin.