The 12th Annual Beer Mile World Classic Set for Cologne, Germany

The 12th edition of the Beer Mile World Classic (BMWC) is on tap for Friday, September 18th in Cologne, Germany at TuS Köln rrh. 1874. It is the second time Germany has hosted the Official World Championship of the Beer Mile — the fifth edition was staged in Berlin in 2019. This year's meet is hosted by the German Beer Mile Team and will feature championship races for men and women alongside open heats before and after the championship section.

Women's Championship Preview

This is the fastest women's beer mile field ever assembled.

World record holder and US Olympian Shelby Houlihan (5:43) squares off against three-time reigning world champion and championship record-holder Elizabeth Laseter (5:56). They are the only two women in history under six minutes for the beer mile. Melanie Pozdol, the 2022 world champion, has lowered her personal best to 6:08 over the past year to move to #4 all-time. Missing from this year's competition is #3 all-time Katja Tegler.

Rounding out the top contenders in the championship field are hometown favorite Anna Kamp of Germany, fourth in last year's World Classic in Lisbon in a 6:14 that made her #4 all-time at the time, and USA's Claire Purcell with a personal best of 6:46.

BMWC co-founder John Markell is calling it a record watch on both fronts. "This is the fastest women's field ever assembled. We're on world and championship record watch. Shelby [Houlihan] will be coming to Cologne straight from Budapest, where she races at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship five days earlier. She's supremely track fit, but she'll have a short window to hone her chugging. Liz looked outstanding at the Beer Mile North American Classic. She's a fearless competitor who just PR'd in the mile in 4:46 and is in the prime of her beer mile career. Melanie may be able to join them under the magical six-minute barrier."

The American women arrive as defending Queen's Cup champions, but only barely: in Lisbon they held off the German team on an aggregate-time tiebreaker. The Germans now race at home.

Men's Championship Preview

The men's championship is headlined by world record holder and seven-time BMWC champion Corey Bellemore of Canada, who lowered his own world record to 4:27 in Lisbon last year and now chases a record eighth world title and a sixth straight.

Chasing him is a deep European and North American contingent with real range: Sweden's Emil Granqvist (4:51 Swedish record), Markus Liwing (4:53), and Jonas Andersson, a past BMWC podium finisher, along with Canadian Maxime LaPierre and Americans Hayden Bunnell, Joe Kehoe, Michael Cunningham and William Purifoy. The championship section also includes Faruk Soljovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Danijel Tomac (Croatia), Tom Van Cappellen (Belgium), Chris Russell (United Kingdom), and Germany's Lothar Wyroll.

The real drama is in the men's team race. Canada were the upset winners of the 2025 Kingston Cup, as Bellemore partnered with Maxime LaPierre and Jeff Mountjoy to upset the Americans and Swedes, but they will not have Mountjoy in Cologne. Will a third man step up to help Canada defend their title? Will the Swedes finally claim their first world title? Or will the Americans, winners of seven Kingston Cups, pull off their first win without #2 All Time performer Chris Robertson.  

"We’re excited that Corey is racing. He is always a world record threat," said Markell. "The team competition will be heated. It will be really tight between the USA, Canada and Sweden."

How to Watch

Join the spectacle and be part of the mayhem. All spectators are welcome to show up to TuS Köln rrh. 1874 on Friday, September 18 to witness the action.

The race videos will be posted on the Beer Mile Media YouTube channel within a couple of days after the conclusion of the event. Subscribe to the channel to receive a notification.

Results will be posted here.

Event Day Race Schedule

All times CEST

More Info

Media and sponsorship inquiries: Nick@beermileworldclassic.com

For general information about the beer mile and the Beer Mile World Classic, including past results, visit beermile.com — the official source for news, events, and rules for the beer mile and the Beer Mile World Classic.