This past Saturday I participated in the Texas Beer Run 5k, a 3.1 mile route guided by City Running Tours that took us through downtown and to different saloons.

The run was definitely more running than drinking, but everyone seemed to enjoy it nonetheless.

The actual run went on about a 10 minute mile pace with short stops for water and elaboration on tour sites

People on the tour came from as far as Chicago to as close as Houston, and all were in town to experience Austin firsthand.

Rusty Tolliver, the run’s tour guide, started the course at the corner of 5^th st. and Lamar, in front of Whole Foods.

From there, we ran down Lamar until we hit 2^nd, and then we ran along Lady Bird Lake until reaching Congress st.

We learned that the pictures along the fence on Second St. were of when the lake, actually a part of the Colorado River, had flooded and caused major damage to the surrounding areas.

Tourists got to take pictures with the statues of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson, and learned a little about the musicians and their connections to Austin.

Our first beer stop was at the Shiner Saloon on Congress. Runners got a giant glass of water and samples of Shiner’s Oktoberfest and Hefewizen beers.

Charles Boone, a visitor from Houston, was running his first 5k with his son and also trying his first Shiner.

“It’s good and it doesn’t leave an aftertaste,” said Boone.

The cold saloon came as a relief after the first mile running in humid heat, but the stop was short and running commenced immediately after stepping outside again.

From Shiner Saloon, we ran up Congress, taking note of historic buildings and their components, like a building built in 1863 that still had the original doors.

We ran to the Capitol, took pictures in front and went inside for a brief look around. After exiting through the back, we ran past the Governor’s Mansion and towards our final stop, Kung Fu Saloon.

Since I’m underage, I wasn’t able to get inside Kung Fu Saloon, but it looked fun and fresh from the outside.

Overall, the running tour was fast and exciting, and a great opportunity to get outside and learn about the city you live in.