Lewis Kent from Mississauga wins the Beer Mile World Classic in San Francisco

WATCH ABOVE: An Ontario athlete is heading home a champion, of sorts, after winning first place in a running competition in San Francisco that involves chugging a pint of beer before every quarter mile.

Lewis Kent is finishing up his studies at the University of Western Ontario, but he’s already made a name for himself by posting a time of four minutes and 55.78 seconds in the “beer mile” – making him the world record holder.

“It’s amazing to have it, and know that I’m the best in the world right now,” he said.

The beer mile is a race where racers run four laps of a 400 metre track and finish a beer between each lap. The 21-year-old has posted a faster time than a former Olympian.

“I beat Olympian Nick Symmonds who’s also second in the world in the 800 metres. I’m able to get the beer down in 6-7 sec. where he takes13-14.” Revealing how fast racers drink is just as important as how fast racers run.

“I think that makes me one of the best. My flat mile time is just around 4:15, and in the beer mile, run splits add up to about a 4:19.”

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This past Saturday Kent cemented his status as the world’s best by winning the Beer Mile World Classic in San Francisco.

“It was amazing, honestly going in I could have finished first or fifth or sixth. It was tight. They had the last four or five world record holders in that race,” he said.

Kent says it’s not until after the race, that he feels the effects of the beers, which have to be at least five per cent alcohol.

“You just kind of get a bit of a buzz going on. That next hour is really weird you go from feeling exhausted after the race, feeling buzzed; and then if you don’t continue drinking, you feel normal again.”

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According to Kent, the beer mile is a niche, underground activity enjoyed by varsity athletes during their off season in order to have a bit of fun. Although he’s been running track for eight years, and currently competes in the 1500 metres for the University of Western Ontario, Kent only began running the beer mile last April.

His new-found fame now has him thirsty for sponsorship.

“I use Amsterdam Blonde, it’s a Toronto craft brew,” he said.