Longest Beer Run Ever?

Vowing to run every single day for a year takes a special determination.

In Tim Cigelske's case, that determination is partly fueled by beer.

The Whitefish Bay man was looking to do something special for his 29th birthday, so he put a call out on Twitter looking for suggestions. One of his followers suggested he try running and drinking beer every day for the next year.

He did that...and more.

Now, more than 18 months later, Cigelske still hasn't broken his streak. In 2011, he ran 2011 miles, and he is averaging even higher mileage this year. He keeps things interesting by coming up with special routes on landmark dates, like tracing the number '100' on his 100th day or 250 on day 250.

While some might wonder how he finds time to run every single day, Cigelske said it has become a regular part of his day, no different than brushing your teeth in the morning.

"When you don't run every day, sometimes you have this internal debate of whether you're going to run or not," he said. "With this, you just kinda assume you're going to run, and you learn to be more efficient with it. You just get it done."

Cigelske, 30, said he runs an average of five miles per day, on top of biking every day to Marquette University, where he works as a senior communications specialist. Sometimes he runs at lunch and sometimes he runs instead of biking to work.

"Sometimes my co-workers might say, 'You biked today, doesn't that count?' No that doesn't count," he said.

And what about the beer?

Cigelske said enjoying a cold one every day seemed to make sense because he already wrote for a beer blog, and because several studies have shown the health benefits of enjoying a beer after a run.

He doesn't drink at work, of course, but if he runs in the evening, he will enjoy a beer afterward.

"It's a really great reward," he said. "It just kind of gives you something to look forward to."

Having tried nearly 500 different beers and more than 1,000 beers overall since he started, Cigelske said he tries to mix up the drink selection as much as possible, but he prefers to drink local microbrews from Lakefront, Sprecher, Lake Louie and Milwaukee Brewing Company, to name a few.

Cigelske's new routine has been publicized by WIRED Magazine and Guyism.com. He has also chronicled his efforts on Draftmag.com’s Beer Runner blog and keeps himself accountable in a way by logging his mileage on Daily Mile and tracking his beer intake on Untappd.

As for the path ahead, Cigelske said he doesn't plan to end his streak anytime soon.

"It would have to take something pretty catastrophic to make me stop," he said. "I'm not going to stop on my own."