Sarah Scales convinced her husband they should spend a night out downtown, but she left her heels at home.
Scales, a UF alumna, was one of about 200 people Friday evening who donned shorts, sneakers and shades for a 5K race with beer at the finish line.
“Our son is at his grandmother’s house, so we’re looking for a nice grown-up evening with the beer,” she said.
The Gainesville House of Beer hosted the Gainesville Beer Run 5K. Race director and event coordinator Dan Phillips said 235 people registered for the run.
There were five kegs waiting for the runners at $130 a piece. About 70 people showed up to watch the run and enjoy frothy craft beer, said Erin Cosgrove, assistant race director.
Phillips said the total cost of the event was abound $6,000 or $7,000.
After a 10-second countdown, Mayor Craig Lowe fired a starting gun, and the racers took off.
The course started and ended at Southwest First Street. Some parts of the course were changed to the sidewalk at the last minute to adjust to the RTS bus schedule, which had been rerouted due to the Gainesville Pride Festival and Parade.
During the race, runners had some trouble with the route.
One of the runners in the front of the pack took a wrong turn, which turned out to be an unexpected shortcut. Those behind followed, causing every runner from third place and below to run 2.6 miles instead of the standard 3.1 miles.
Joe Mueller, a 23-year-old exercise and sport science sophomore at Santa Fe College, won the race. He came to the event straight from his job as assistant cross-country coach at F. W. Buchholz High School.
“The second guy was really battling it out with me the whole time,” he said. “Afterward, it was nice to hang out at the House of Beer and meet some new friends.”
He won a trophy and a 32-ounce beer mug shaped like a boot.
After the race, a line of runners snaked outside the Gainesville House of Beer to get a 16-ounce glass of Bold City or Yuengling Oktoberfest.
Phillips said a flat donation of $250 will go toward A Walk in Your Shoes Inc., and $150 will go to the Pledge 5 Foundation.
He said event organizers had not counted the total proceeds from the event as of press time.
Entry fees for each runner were $30. For those who attended to just drink beer, entry fees were $15.
Phillips said to look out for another beer run in the spring.
“It’s a new community event,” he said. “It also incorporates something Gainesville seems to be known for whether they like it or not, and that’s partying.”
Elizabeth Martin, 26, crosses the finish line during the Gainesville Beer Run 5K race on Friday evening. Runners received free craft beer and and a commemorative mug for participating. Martin finished with a time of 21:02.
