DRAFT Magazine

Urban Iditarod Flickr photo by Misserion

As the 38th Iditarod makes its journey across Alaska, one of the more unusual beer-fueled races unfolds today through the streets of downtown Portland.

The annual Urban Iditarod — sometimes also called the Idiotrod — features teams of dogs, sleds and checkpoints spread out through four miles of the city. Except the dogs are actually absurdly-costumed runners, sleds are shopping carts and checkpoints are bars.

There are no prizes awarded in this race, though you could say anyone running through the streets dressed as an astronaut or bullfighter while hunting for beer is already victorious. In years past checkpoints have been Bridgeport Brewery, Rogue Public House and the Marathon Tavern.

Here’s a description from the Portland State student newspaper The Vangaurd:

As might be expected, costumes play an important role in the race. Last year presented a wacky mix of both predictable and absolutely original team themes. There were Ghostbusters, Devo and Troll dolls. Over-the-top Italian chefs threw flour at people. A team of Richard Simmons fitness instructors turned on a CD player and did a dance workout routine. Another team, called Speedos and Tuxedos, stormed through the crowd while dancing on a pole affixed to their cart.

The Portland race is expected to attract around 1,000 participants. Don’t live in Portland? There are also Urban Iditarods in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Brooklyn and Ann Arbor. Or you could start one in your own town.

Photo by Peter DiAntoni

Hands down, my favorite new beer of 2010 so far is Lakefront Brewery’s Fixed Gear American Red Ale.

The Milwaukee beer also gets the nod of approval from urban bike magazine COG, for its inspiration from the messenger community. The single-speed fixed gear bike is the type of model favored by many city cyclists.

This beer comes just in time to toast Google map’s new travel-by-bike feature, which has been very happily received by the cyclist community.

According to the beer label, Fixed Gear Ale was “inspired by the energy and audacity of the fearless fixed gear courier.” It came about when “Lakefront ran smack into this arresting creation - it’s red, it’s bold, and it tastes damn good… This one’s got an attitude.”

The 6.5% AVB is now being sold around Milwaukee, but going fast.

Hood to Coast movie trailer

The craziness of the world’s largest relay race  will make its bigscreen debut this week at the South By Southwest Film Festival.

“Hood To Coast is basically a party for most of the teams on the course,” said Anna Campbell, producer of HOOD TO COAST and a veteran of the race. “And the beer tent on the beach is all the motivation people need to make it 197 miles from the top of Mt. Hood to the ocean.”

She added: “I should mention I also both run and drink beer.”

HOOD TO COAST follows four unlikely teams — including one whose training consists of beer drinking — among the legendary Oregon race’s 1,000 teams and 12,000 runners. Director Christoph Baaden (Campbell’s husband) ran the HTC race for the first time in 2007, and when he finished he vowed to shoot his first feature documentary about the event.

The film makes its debut on Saturday, March 13 at SXSW. You can see the trailer here.

“We’re madly putting finishing touches on the film now,” Anna said, “but by Thursday we’ll be in Austin for the festival.”

Rachael Ray adds a dash of beer

At least that’s the impression I get from People magazine, where the cooking show empire owner discusses running while drinking beer.

“I started running 3½ miles every morning after throat surgery to remove a cyst last year,” Ray told the magazine while reportedly “sipping a beer.” (It does not specify what kind.)

“The gym used to be my adversary. But that has all changed,” she says. “Now, I look forward to it every morning.”

People reports that Ray spends about 30 minutes running, 45-60 more minutes of elliptical training and then hits up weight machines for circuit training.

People is becoming my definititve source for revealing celebrity beer runners. Or at least Rachael Ray and Patrick Dempsey.

You can see some of Rachael Ray’s beer and food pairings here and her Can O’ Beer Chicken recipe here.

MCM Mamma

Erika, aka MCM Mamma, is a 30-something blogging mom of two boys who started running to overcome postpartum depression. She enjoyed it so much she started racing, and now she’s working on racing in all 50 states - and hit up brewpubs and breweries along the way. Also, she and her husband hit up the Alaskan Brewery on their honeymoon. That’s +100 wife points.

Occupation: Stay at home mom. In my pre-kids life, I was a librarian

Residence: Arlington, VA

Last beer: Naughty Scot at Rock Bottom Brewery

Last run: 6 x 800 repeats on the treadmill

Favorite beer: Three way tie: Alaskan Smoked Porter/Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron/New Holland Dragon’s Milk Ale

Fun fact about yourself: My cats (Saranac Black and Tan and Pete’s Wicked Kitty) were adopted on two different trips in 1995 to the SPCA after an afternoon spent enjoying beer at the Carolina Brewery in Chapel Hill, NC.

The Beer Runner: How did you get into running?

Erika: I’ve been running off and on for exercise for years, but I didn’t really start running regularly until after I had my sons. I’m a much better mom after a running related endorphin hit! Then a friend dragged me to a race and I discovered that there was a whole lot more to running than hitting the road for a quick three mile run. Since then, I’ve run the Marine Corps Marathon and done back to back (one each weekend) half marathons and joined the Half Fanatics. The “50 races in 50 states” idea happened when I decided to wait before training for a second marathon and needed a goal.

BR: How did you get into craft beer?

Erika: I took an “enrichment” class at my university, where I first encountered beers that went beyond the typical mass market beers. My education was continued by my now husband who was a home brewer. A trip to the Alaskan Brewery in Juneau on our honeymoon sealed my fate. Every vacation for the last 15 years has included at least one brewery/pub and one trip to Washington and Oregon included more than 20.

BR: What’s been your favorite race so far as you attempt to run 50 races in 50 states?

Erika: The Maine Lobster Festival 10K this past summer. It was a small race, but extremely well organized with a lot of spectator support. The runners were some of the friendliest I’ve met. On top of that, the weather that day was perfect for running, the course went right past our vacation house so the boys could see me, and I had a nice PR.

BR: What is your dream race in your dream state?

Erika: A race that actually exists? I’d have to say the Boilermaker 15K. Saranac Black and Tan was one of my first craft beers, so finishing a race at the brewery sounds great to me! It doesn’t hurt that it’s in a favorite vacation area of ours (upstate NY), is a distance I like, and is a state I still need to get. I plan to be there in 2011. If I could design my own race, it would involve running between brewpubs, likely in the Pacific Northwest.

BR: Is it true you have a beer geek glass collection above your treadmill? Does that motivate you?

Treadmill + beer glass collection

Well, Beer Geek is my blog name for my husband and his beer glass collection is indeed right next to the treadmill. It certainly motivates me not to fall off the treadmill as I’m not sure that breaking any of his glasses would be good for our marriage. And the more calories I burn, the more beer I can drink, right?

BR: What brewpub would you most like to visit during this trek?

Erika: I’d really like to visit the pub at the New Holland Brewery. I’ve already been to the breweries that make my other two favorite beers, so it would be great to visit this one. Honestly, I’ve been to over 150 breweries and brewpubs and I can’t think of one that I didn’t enjoy.

BR: What is your next racing goal?

Erika: My next big goal is to PR at my second marathon in May when I run the Bob Potts Marathon in York, PA. Other near future goals include running the Oak Barrel Half (sponsored by Jack Daniels) in Tennessee in March and running the Soldotna Unity Run 10 mile race in Alaska in July, which will get me my minimum of three new states this year.

BR: I loved your 10 beers that make you happy post. How do you discover new beers to try?

Erika: Events like Savor are a great place to try new beers. We also like to visit breweries and brewpubs on our travels. My favorite way to discover new beers, though, is to buy beers I’ve never had before. I love to walk into a well stocked grocery store (or random other place that sells beer) and find a craft beer I’ve never had. The hard part is limiting myself to buying one or two new beers at a time. Beer Geek often comes home to the beer fridge stocked with beers we’ve never had before.

BR: Any other words of wisdom to add?

Erika: No matter how busy you are, make sure to take some time each week to do something you love. Life’s too short to not have fun along the way.

The Beer Bell

You’ve heard the old joke about working out with 16-ounce curls.

Now you can actually get serious about bicep curls while drinking with the beer bell mug. It’s essentially a beer mug with a hand weight attached. It’s brilliant in its simplicity.

I’m not sure this item exists anywhere outside this obscure eBay auction, so you might want to hurry if you’re determined to exercise with beer. The lot also includes a yellow-paged book demonstrating exercises “in nice condition,” save for pages 16-17.

According to the seller’s description, this vintage item was recovered from an estate sale in the 1980s. Today it’s selling for about 25 bucks — beer not included.

“The beerbell is the most enjoyable exercise device ever created!” the seller promises. “Who says exercise can’t be fun?!?!”

Not us!

DrinkFit app for iPhone

If you want to know exactly how many calories you’re consuming with each craft beer, there’s an app for that.

Add DrinkFit to the growing legions of beer-related iPhone apps.

DrinkFit was recently featured on Mashable’s 10 fun iPhone apps for beer lovers, which had this to say about it:

“Drink Fit is a great app that provides users with full nutritional information for more than 1,600 drinks (including beer, cocktails, wine) and also offers a My Night feature where users can tally their caloric consumption for one evening of drinking.”

Maybe this means we have to turn our Beer Allowance into an iPhone app. Now that he’s done with the DRAFTmag.com redesign, maybe we can persuade our web director get on that.

Sara Santiago with Unibroue Terrible

Name: Sara Santiago

Bio President of Roll Mobile; wife to Agustin and mom to Grace and Nora; proud Milwaukeean; purveyor of jackassery.

The Beer Runner: What are your beer runner credentials?

Sara Santiago: Quite simply, I love delicious beer, and I love running, hiking, and having fun outdoors with my husband and our kids. Being an active family and appreciating our ability to do that is important to me. As a mom, I want to be a strong, positive role model for my girls. It’s so important that they see how I care for my own health as well as theirs. I want to instill in them the benefits that an active, healthy lifestyle has to offer, from the physiological benefits of exercise, to the opportunity for inspiration and wonderment that comes with a hike up a moonlit canyon. How am I into craft beer? Sara likes beer. It’s really that simple.

BR: How did you get into running?

SS: I became serious about running in 1999. At the time I didn’t have children, and I wanted an activity that offered solitude and a higher cardiovascular benefit than the team sports Agustin and I were playing. I began to run regularly, and soon was entering local races, triathlons and half marathons. I found that running was the activity that fit well for me. I have continued to run over the years, sometimes going through periods of “dry” months, where I wish I were running more, but then I try to get back in the saddle and ramp up the mileage again. I’m currently in “ramp up” mode now.

Sara on a winter run

BR: What are your goals for 2010?

SS: My goals for 2010 are pretty simple. Find the balance. Maintain a high level of running activity, maintain a high level of performance in my professional life, and have the most wicked-awesome fun with my family. All while enjoying well crafted, delicious and unique brews. Cha cha cha.

BR: What have been some of your biggest running highlights so far?

SS: My favorite race ever was the 2008 Memphis Half Marathon supporting St. Jude’s Hospital. It was a very emotional experience. The entire city seemed to reach out to all of the runners and offer their sincere gratitude. The energy was amazing! My sister and I drove down to Memphis from Milwaukee, stayed in an awful (totally gross) motel, ran a fabulous race on a beautiful day, supported one of our favorite charities, and celebrated that night with beer and Beale Street. I guess I should also mention that my sister is the funniest person on the face of this Earth, so having her for a running partner is ridiculously fun.

BR: How did you get into craft beer?

SS: I paid my way through college by bartending. It gave me the opportunity to sample a lot of beer and wine. I realized I had an opinion about beer. Wow, it sounds so dorky when I say it like that.

BR: What’s your beer of choice?

SS: That, my friend, is an unfair question. I don’t think I can choose one beer. I am partial to an IPA. I love a good porter, and if you ever want to try a good sour ale, you really should try the La Folie Sour Brown Ale by New Belgium. Aged in floor to ceiling oak casks. Amazing.

BR: When you visited Colorado a few months ago, did you do more hiking or drinking?

Sara visits New Belgium

SS: We did quite a bit of hiking (at least one hike every day for four days), but one of our main reasons for the trip was to tour some of Colorado’s craft breweries, the highlight being one of my favorites, New Belgium. The brewery is beautiful. A balance of form and function. The culture there is so closely aligned with my own ideas of blending what you’re passionate about with what you do everyday, and what you put back into the world. I also love the fact that behind that successful brewery was a guy with a dream to start a brewery and a woman who loved him so much, that she supported his dream and told him to quit his engineering job and “follow your folly.” Behind one of my favorite beers is a strong woman.

BR: Living in Milwaukee, do you have any tips for winter running?

SS: Listen to your feet, knees, and hips. Runners tend to modify stride when running over uneven snow and ice. Or, you may overcompensate and pronate differently, causing injury. Be aware of your stride, keep an eye out for ice, and if you are going to fall, let yourself fall. You are more likely to strain your back trying to regain balance on a patch of ice. Oh, and if you do fall down, take a photo with your phone and post it on Twitter.

BR: How did you like trying out the Bar Method as a workout? And did you visit a bar afterward?

SS: omg Bar Method! Wow. This workout is intense. I love it because it works completely different muscle groups than running. I also find it fun to use the bar and pretend that I look graceful, like a dancer. Then I hear my husband cracking up behind me. I did enjoy a pint afterward, but from the fridge, not the bar.

BR: You’re a fan of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, right?

SS: I enjoy the Young’s Double Chocolate Stout because it doesn’t have a sweet finish, no syrupy weight to it. Lots of cocoa flavor, not overly creamy mouthfeel, nice dry finish. I’m actually experimenting with it for a chocolate cupcake recipe I’m working on. I cook with beer often, and I’m venturing in to baking with beer this year.

BR: Any other words of wisdom you’d like to add?

SS: Find the balance that works for you. You’ll know it when you find it.

Photo from http://kcsprints.blogspot.com

What is there to do in Nebraska during the winter?

Have an indoor bike race, drink beer and occasionally make use of a puke bucket, if you’re one bar in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Recently Duffy’s Tavern hosted KC Sprints - a Kansas City-based bike racing series - pitting two stationary bikers onstage head-to-head for 500 meters.

I’m not surprised. I’ve biked through Lincoln, and it boasts an impressive cycling scene.

And this being a bar setting meant that beer, a puke bucket and a cheering crowd were also part of the festivities.

“It kind of started out as a drunken bar idea, and it evolved to getting sponsors and taking it on the road,” Ryan Jones, KC Sprints co-founder, recently told the Lincoln Journal Star.

So how are the races for the participants? The paper gave this account from Rhino Albeez, who drank  a bottle of beer before his sprint.

“That was a lot of fun,” he said post-race. “It’s a great workout, but, uh, it sucks at the same time.”

If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and sign up at DailyMile.

Takes 10 seconds. I’ll wait.

….

Done? Fantastic. Now get ready to chronicle your training, hear from supportive athletes of all ability levels, and meet many of them in real life for training — and beer.

“DailyMile is all about having fun and socializing with other athletes,” says John Hegstrom, a California runner who has attended five DailyMile meet-ups. “People are encouraging and friendly.”

He’s planning a DailyMile meet-up for tonight at the Goose Island Clybourn brewpub in Chicago — and you’re invited.

“I travel to Chicago for work fairly often, so I thought it would be fun to meet up with fellow DailyMilers,” Hegstrom says.

DailyMile visitors, according to Compete.com

I recently jumped on the DailyMile bandwagon bigtime, and I’m far from the only one. According to compete.com, DailyMile has more than doubled its visitors since last year. Runners, walkers and cyclists have used the site to track more than 4.2 million miles, find races and events, and meet and motivate other athletes locally and across the country.

Previously Hegstrom has met fellow DailyMilers for beer after the San Ramon half marathon, the Portland marathon and the California International Marathon in Sacramento. There’s also a DailyMile meet-up planned after the Kaiser-Permanente Half Marathon in San Francisco on February 7.

These runners go big even after their races.

“The beer boot seems to have caught on in the DailyMile community,” he says.

DailyMilers don’t always limit their beer consumption to after the race, either. Take, for example, the DailyMile 3×3 event at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. This was a three-lap running race with a twist: eat a hotdog and drink a beer before each lap.

“There is no elitism or snobbery,” Hegstrom says of fellow DailyMilers. “That’s not to say that they aren’t strong athletes — many are.”