Run a different kind of marathon: NYC Beerathon

Pour George, one of the 26 stops on the New York City Beerathon, Nov. 19.

By Erin Behan

You’ve heard of the ING New York City Marathon 2011—you know that 26-plus mile run through all five boroughs that attracts 2 million spectators every fall?—but what of the lesser known but equally grueling New York City Beerathon? The beer tasting and bar hopping extravaganza loosely follows the marathon’s exhausting schedule.

The Nov. 19 event is an all day and night affair with 26 featured beers at 26 specially selected bars from the East Village to the West Village.  Tickets to the Beerathon are $65 (that’s a measly $2.50 per beer!) and available at NYCbeerathon.com. The day begins at a bright and early 11 a.m.

The exact bar course isn’t released until the day of the event, but participating bars include New York favorites Amity Hall, Slainte, Pour George, Wechsler’s Currywurst and Angels & Kings. Though this is the event’s first year of being open to the public, it’s not run by amateurs. The New York City Beerathon started five years ago with a group of friends looking to have some fun with the term “beer run,” and they’ve been perfecting it ever since. This is the first year it’s open to the public.

Lest you think it’s simply an excuse to tour Village bars and drink beer with old and new friends, consider that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Team Fox, a community fundraising program that benefits the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

For inexpensive New York City hotels near the Village and the New York City Beerathon, try The GEM Hotel-Soho, an Ascend Collection hotel or the Four Points by Shearton Manhattan Soho Village when on a New York vacation.

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Erin Behan is a freelance writer and editor out of Brooklyn, N.Y., who counts good food, intoxicating drink and adventurous travel among her favorite things

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