Cottonmouth 8 Mile

Cottonmouth 8 Mile Beerlay - Lakewood Nature Preserve

The Cottonmouth Beerlay is an 8 mile trail event held at Lakewood Nature Preserve in Greenville, South Carolina. The course consists of four repeats of a 2-mile trail loop. Participants may enter as a solo runner or as a relay team of 2 to 4 people.

The event uses a BYOB community pool. Before each lap, a volunteer gives the runner a randomly selected, already opened beer from the pooled beers. Solo runners bring four beers (5%+ ABV) and teams collectively bring four beers per team. Drinking is restricted to participants 21 and older; minors and sober participants may use carbonated non-alcoholic alternatives. Swapping of beers is not permitted.

Timing is chip based with four-lap split tracking for both solo and relay competitors. Packet pickup is on site starting 90 minutes before the event inside the barn; the start and finish are located at the barn. Gear check for BYOB beer is provided at tables outside the barn and personal tents or staging areas are permitted. Parking is available in adjacent field lots; a $5 fee during registration covers the special use permit and entry. There will be water at the finish and three portable toilets at the start/finish area.

All finishers receive a medal. Top three awards are given to solo and team divisions, including men's, women's, mixed, mixed masters (40+), youth, and a non-alcoholic division. The event includes free race photos, custom race bibs, giveaways, on-site music, and a post-race Beer Olympics with games such as beer pong, tug of war, cornhole, spike ball, dodgeball, and hillbilly golf. Registration details note that the first 50 teams and first 50 solo entrants receive custom race socks. Donations through the organizer support the Giving Series and multiple local nonprofits. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.