Photo credit: @sprint_mgmt

Last night--two weeks to the day before the December 1 Flotrack Beer Mile World Championships in Austin, Texas--Lewis Kent ran 4:51.9 to break the beer mile world record. Now, Kent is going to get paid for his combined beer-chugging and lap-running aptitude.

 

 

Kent announced his endorsement deal with Brooks on Tuesday evening. ESPN’s Darren Rovell first reported the signing, though he incorrectly reported that this is the “first mainstream sponsorship for the sport.” 2014 FloTrack Beer Mile World champion Corey Gallagher was sponsored by Under Armour for much of late 2014, including before, during, and after the inaugural World Championships.
 

THE BEER MILER: Corey Gallagher and Under Armour (Bonus Clip)
 

Brooks Canada marketing manager Jenine Lafayette noted that Kent’s contract included a base salary and incentives that added up to “more than we would pay an amateur athlete and less than we would pay an Olympian.” That roughly translates to a salary somewhere between zero and a million dollars per year.

 

Kent, a senior at Western Ontario, has traded the beer mile world record back and forth with Gallagher over the last four months. Last year, Gallagher won the FloTrack Beer Mile World Championships in 5:00.23, while the twenty-one year old Kent was fifth in 5:32.58.  The two will have a rematch at the second annual world championship on December 1 in downtown Austin, Texas.