Cottonmouth 8 Mile & Beerlay
Sat, Jun 6, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
- Distance
- 1 Mile
- Type
- Trail race
Finish signup on the organizer site (check fees and dates there).
Race feel
Embrace glorious chaos at this 8-mile trail run, featuring a mystery beer before each lap and a lively post-race Beer Olympics.
- Fun
- Scenic
- Competitive
- Quirky
- Festive
Fun
Scenic
Competitive
Quirky
FestiveWelcome to the annual Cottonmouth Beerlay, a uniquely spirited 8-mile trail event at Greenville's Lakewood Nature Preserve. This race combines a scenic 2-mile loop with a distinctive "BYOB Russian Roulette" twist: before each lap, runners consume a mystery beer from a community pool. Participate solo or with a relay team of 2-4 friends. Beyond the course, enjoy a lively post-race Beer Olympics, pizza, and a hot dog bar, all set to good tunes. It's an experience designed for pure, ridiculous fun.
What to expect
- Tackle a 2-mile grassy trail loop through the scenic Lakewood Nature Preserve, completing it four times.
- Before each lap, enjoy a randomly selected beer from the BYOB community pool (21+ only).
- Celebrate post-race with pizza, a hot dog bar, and fun Beer Olympics yard games.
Standout details
- BYOB Russian Roulette beer challenge
- Post-Race Beer Olympics yard games
- Scenic 2-mile grassy trail loop
- Solo or 2-4 person relay options
Perks & features
- Race Photos
Race PhotosFrom the public listing; confirm on the official site.
Summaries use public event text. Confirm schedule, fees, and rules on the official page before you sign up.
From the organizer
🐍🍺 Welcome to the Annual Cottonmouth Beerlay! 🍺🐍
Run fast. Drink hard. Don’t get bit.
What do you get when you combine trail running, random beers, and your most competitive (and possibly least coordinated) friends? The Cottonmouth Beerlay, baby! This wild race at the beautiful Lakewood Nature Preserve is back for another year of glorious chaos, beer-fueled miles, and unforgettable memories.
You can run it solo if you're a one-person party machine, or grab a few beer-loving buddies and tackle it as a relay team of 2–4. Either way, you're in for 8 miles of pure, ridiculous fun.
Are you fast enough to outrun the Cottonmouth? Or will the beer bite first ?
🐾 How It Works:
Each lap is a 2-mile trail loop through the preserve. You’ll do it 4 times total.
Before every lap, runners must consume a randomly-selected beer from the BYOB community pool
Solo runners do it all themselves. Relay teams tag in one runner per lap.
🍻 21+ only for the drinking portion, of course. Minors and Sober folks may run with non-alcoholic alternatives but must be carbonated.
🧊 BYOB Russian Roulette (a Cottonmouth Classic)
Each runner brings 4 beers (5%+ ABV), which are tossed into our giant iced community kitty pool.
When it's your turn to run, a volunteer will hand you a mystery brew, already cracked and poured.
You drink it, you run it. Deal with the consequences.
No swapping. No peeking. No mercy.
Non Alcoholic Drinks are of course permitted. We love sobriety but we just haven't practiced it yet! 😂
🏆 Post-Race Beer Olympics
The party definitely doesn’t stop at the finish line.
Once everyone’s stumbled their final lap, we crank up the music, toss some pizza your way, and break out the Beer Olympics yard games:
🍻 Beer Pong
🪢 Tug of War
🔫 Dodgeball
🌽 Cornhole
🏌️♂️ Hillbilly Golf
🔄 Spike Ball
🐍 Race Details:
📍 Location: 220 Lakewood Preserve, Greenville, SC 29607
🕔 Start Time: 4:00 PM
8 Mile Solo – 4 laps, 4 beers
8 Mile Relay (2-4 people) – 4 laps total, 1 lap per runner per round
📝 Packet Pickup: On-site starting at 3:00 PM
📍 Strava Course Map – COURSE MAP HERE
🌲 The Course:
Held at the scenic and shady Lakewood Nature Preserve just outside Greenville, SC, the course features:
A 2-mile grassy trail loop Rolling hills (they feel bigger after a beer) Wildlife sightings (deer, foxes, and maybe your dignity) A rustic barn that serves as our race HQ and beer-staging zone This isn’t just any trail—it’s a celebration of running, nature, and fermented grain-based hydration.
💥 Bonus Vibes:
🌭 Hot Dog Bar & party after you finish
📸 Free race photos
🧢 Custom race bibs + giveaway swag
🎶 Good tunes, loud laughs, and a wild crew
🐾 Support for a local nature preserve & sustainable fun