Bozeman Brew Run: The 5K race to the tap continues

Darkening clouds and a black-and-green Bozeman Running Company inflatable arch towered over a crowd of over 300 racers gathered at Bozeman Brewing for the April 5K Brew Run on Wednesday.

White and yellow bibs pinned to shorts and shirts, the prospect of a locally brewed beer at the finish line, and the inviting energy of the Bozeman running community fueled racers as they navigated the slightly more than 5 kilometer course winding through the north end of town.

“The Brew Runs are kind of this little secret Bozeman underground event. It’s a fun activity on the second Wednesday of the month,” Casey Jermyn, the founder of Bozeman Running Company, said. “They’re just a good time, and they bring out a ton of people.”

The BRC Brew Run series is held annually from April until December. The 5K courses lead participants to local breweries where their registration and race completion earn them a pint of beer.

“It’s a really great community event. It’s really awesome to get people active and socializing,” Falyn Young, a Brew Run participant, said.

“And you get a beer at the end!”

Young ran the race with her friend Alexis Yeoh and their dog Banks, “like a river bank.”

She said they always try to get a group of friends together for the Brew Runs and have been attending them for years.

“We don’t even put music on. We’re just chatting and enjoying the weather,” Yeoh said. “Some people are taking it more seriously, but we’re just having a good time.”

When BRC first launched the Brew Run series in 2014, Jermyn had no idea it could gain the traction it has today.

Jermyn was looking for ways to bring the Bozeman running and brewery communities together. Holding designated brew runs seemed like the natural solution.

“Back then, we were practically begging our friends to show up and run with us at a local brewery,” Jermyn said. “We would even pack our grills and entice them with hamburgers and hot dogs so they’d come hang out.”

Since then, the monthly runs exploded in popularity. This year, Jermyn said each event averages 400 participants. Now, racers are offered sodas, seltzers, and nonalcoholic beer at the finish line.

“You don’t have to partake in beer drinking to participate,” Jermyn said.

The June race drew families, casual runners, and more competitive participants training for races like the Ridge Run in August and the Rut Mountain Runs in September.

“It’s a very inclusive event, and you get a wide variety of people,” Young said. “Whether you’re an athlete or you haven’t run in years, it’s great to come and hang out.”

The next Brew Run is on July 15.