Written by Mark Tucker - Runner's Tribe
“All I want to do is drink beer and train like an animal.”
So said the champion New Zealand distance runner, Rod Dixon; And many runners agree. He is a fine example of the ideal marriage between running and beer. Dixon trained hard, enjoyed his beer, and ultimately won the bronze medal over 1500m at the 1972 Olympic Games (along with winning the 1983 New York Marathon). Beer may not have contributed to his success but it certainly didn’t hurt.
The myth of the distance runner and their monk like existence is usually just that, a myth. Many runners, social and elite, have enjoyed a beer or two while in training, none more so than the Hash House Harriers ‘a drinking club with a running problem’ as their motto goes. The club was formed in 1938, essentially for runners to enjoy a run together on the trails followed by a chat over a pint or two of beer (usually at a pub). It now has clubs in over thirty countries around the world, including Australia. Of particular interest are two of its stated objectives that were written back in 1950:
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