Beer run champ focuses on Gift
Tasmanian James Hansen's world record is unconventional, but don't be fooled.
Hansen is the world record holder for the Beer Mile, which involves four circuits of skolling a can of beer and running 400m.
At under five minutes, Hansen has the Beer Mile down to a fine art.
But he is a star athlete in his own right and continues his quest for a place on the Australian team for next year's Rio Olympics in Leonora this weekend.
Hansen is among an excellent field contesting the Elite Mile of the annual Leonora Golden Gift - Australia's richest mile running race, carrying $50,000 prize money.
At 21, Hansen - an Australian 1500m representative - spent last year in Sydney before moving to Melbourne earlier this year.
"The Beer Mile was just a bit of fun and a way to grab some attention for my athletics career," he said.
"It's a bit silly, but it was a way of getting my name out there, but I certainly take my running seriously and head to the World University Games in South Korea in July.
"I've put myself in a great training environment in Melbourne alongside (2014 Elite Mile winner) Jeff Riseley, who is injured and focused on getting back to full fitness ahead of the world titles later this year."
Hansen said Riseley's influence had taken his running to a new level.
"Jeff has been to two Olympics, so you're learning from him all the time," he said.
"I actually met him for the first time in Leonora last year, then we went off to Europe to compete and now I've made the move to Melbourne to train with him.
"I'd never been to outback WA before and the Leonora carnival is like nothing else in Australia - it has a very high profile in the athletics community and is the most amount of money you can win for any race in Australia."
This weekend's men's field includes rising Australian star Zak Patterson, a world junior representative who was fifth in this year's national 1500m.
A top women's field features London Olympian Eloise Wellings and Trychelle Kingdom, who was third in the 1500m at the nationals.
