Fabre never pretended his beloved suds helped his running. And Miles probably doesn't think a glass or two, had he indulged, would have laid him low on Heartbreak Hill. But their stories do serve as reminders that alcohol has always been part of running - and always a matter of controversy. Moderation Today, many runners consider beer and wine acceptable in moderation, although there are those like writer Joe Henderson who have run for more than four decades and never quaffed a post race beer - or wanted to. Others, like Al Howie, have used beer to fuel themselves through uluamarathons.
Breweries sponsor lots of road races.
Hard liquor, however, has generally fallen into disfavor. There is no Canadian Club 10Km or Jim Beam Marathon, although such was not always the case. Distillers Corp. Ltd. - and named after popular brands of Distillers' whiskey. The link between booze and running dates back much farther. In Hamilton, where the oldest long-distance race in North America, the Around the Bay Race, was founded in 1894, runners hung out in bars like the one Tommy Powers ran at the Mansion House Hotel.