Word is that
the 25th running of the St Patrick's Day Pub Crawl
may be it last, organizers say. Participants come
from all over to drink beers at 12 different pubs
in the least amount of time, but any negative event
could seal its doom. Check out the full story
on this different sort of pub crawl, US stylee.
"It could be stressful,"
said Fatty's owner John Daisy. "Last year we
had over 400 people. As soon as you have an incident
then the critics will say I told you so. I think in
years to come we're going to have to modify it. I
like it, but I'm glad when its over with."
Natives understands the
town council are supportive. The event is on
a Friday which should make it even more lively.
"We're been criticized big time for the last
three or four years," Daisy said, "they're
upset with the way people are running around town
puking."
Increasingly, the town
has received complaints from local businesses about
the poor image the crawl gives Breckenridge. Answering
concerns, the event was toned down to smaller beers
and stricter enforcement. Shots of liquor are no longer
an option. The number of participating bars was reduced
to 12 instead of 17. A clean-up squad was designated
and participation limited to 300 crawlers.
"There's going to
be people throwing up," said Council member JB
Katz, who said the event was generally harmless. Several
council members agreed and suggested a commemorative
"Shamus O'Toole Barf Bag."
Breckenridge Police Chief
Steve Annibali expressed little concern about the
event from his department, so the council approved
a permit for event organizers to use the Exchange
Lot at Ridge Street and Lincoln Avenue for registration.
Registration will only
take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Friday and will
be limited to a manageable number. Every participant
must be over 21 and wear an official wristband.
The race begins promptly at 2 p.m. with an awards
ceremony following at 4 pm at Shamus O'Toole's.
To hit all the drinking
stations, participants can organize the course in
any way they chose. They must drink the entire 6-8
ounce beer at each location. "No short hitting
allowed," said Rianoshek.
Additionally, participants
must pay 75 cents per beer and get a stamp for each.
To win skis, dinners and other prizes, the first finishers
must present a legible finish card with 12 stamps
and be able to say their name, he said."You're
supposed to keep your wits about you," Rianoshek
said, "It's not as easy as it seems."
What's it take to win?
A devout love of beer and a good time, Rianoshek said.
Most of the guys who win are decent athletes, college
kids, and sometimes Olympians. Speed skier C.J. Mueller
won one or two times. An average time is 12-18 minutes
for men. Women usually take between 30-40 minutes,
he said. "Only 60 or so people race,"
Rianoshek said. "Most people get together and
stroll it."
Proceeds from the race
go to charity. Past recipients of the St. Patrick's
day event have been the Breckenridge Outdoor Education
Center, Tipsy Taxi, Sierra Club, and Denver Rescue
Mission.
