Aussie Beer Crate Run 2026
Up for a new fun beer adventure? 🍺🏃♂️ Join the Aussie Beer Crate Run on Sunday, 18 October 2026, in Red Hill.
Teams of four tackle a 6.9km trail while carrying and finishing a crate of beer!
Bus from the city, lunch, then fresh air and plenty of laughs on the run/walk.
Aussie Beer Crate Run, easy as ABC.
When: Sunday 18 October 2026
Who: 4 runners/walkers per team, up to 5 teams
What: 1 crate per team, 20 bottles (330ml) of beer
Where: Lunch at Red Hill Brewery, then run/walk the 6.9 km trail
How: Respect the crate, Respect the beer, Respect the course, Respect each other. And have fun!
Join us as we party, run, and drink beers in Red Hill.
BUS – 10:30am from Melbourne to Red Hill and back.
LUNCH – 12pm at Red Hill Brewery
RACE – 2pm the Aussie Beer Crate Run is an out-and-back 6.9km run on the Red Hill Rail Trail.
Beer is Red Hil – Golden Ale, 5% ABV.
The crates only hold 20 beers, not 24. You only need to drink 5 beers per person. That’s 6.5 standard drinks.
Expect to walk, not run. Course is pretty flat.
Dress up. And get ready for some bonus activities on the day!
Note: This is small, informal gathering for a birthday. This is not an event. We will be sharing the space with other members of the public.
The information here is to help Mikey explain the Aussie Crate Run to friends and family.
What is a Crate Run?
Originally from Germany, and known as a Kastenlauf, these events are all about the fun.
Here is the summary video of the HUGE annnual event in Germany: Kastenlauf Salzhausen 2026:
Yeah, it’s a race, but it’s more about getting out in some good Spring weather for some good times with good people.
A few kilometres for a course, a crate of beer and a team to go the distance (drink and move). The basics are:
- The whole team does the distance.
- All beers are consumed before finishing. No spillage. No “reversals”.
- The crate can’t touch the ground.
- No rubbish left behind.
- No damage to the course.
- Be nice to others.
Dress up encouraged.
Crates will be provided. And chalk to personalise them.
Same beer for everyone, 24 bottles (330ml) of 5% Golden Ale.
Expect a few surprises on the day. Did someone say a quiz on course?
What’s the plan for the day?
Plan (subject to minor changes) is as follows:
- 10:30am – Bus pick-up at Federation Square
- 11:00am – Bus pick-up at Oakleigh East
- 11:50am – Bus arrives at Red Hill Brewery
- 12:00pm – Lunch at Red Hill Brewery (set menu)
- 1:30pm – Bus leaves Red Hill Brewery
- 1:35pm – Bus arrives at Red Hill Rail Trail
- 2:00pm – Crate Run starts
- 3:30pm – First finishers (90 mins)
- 4:30pm – Last finishers (2.5 hrs)
- 4:45pm – Bus leaves Red Hill
- 5:45pm – Bus drop-off at Oakleigh East
- 6:15pm – Bus drop-off at Federation Square
We’ll get back early if the race finishes early.
What’s the course?
The course is an old rail line. Now a trail. Expect dirt and mud.
If wet, a fair bit of mud.
We have an out-and-back course. Just under 7km, at 6.9km.
It is pretty flat. Just 100m down on the way out, then 100m up on the way back.
Expectation is that most people will walk the event, not run.
Expected times:
- Fast walking & necking beers
@ 12 mins per km = just under 90 mins. - Easy going both the walk & drinks
@ 18 mins per km = a bit over 2 hours - Struggling to move or finish the beers
@ 24 mins per km = nearly 2.5 hours.
Link to the GPX file here, if you want to save to your watch or phone.
How much will this all cost?
The whole day should be about $100 per person.
This is assuming we have 20 people (5 teams of 4, or 4 teams plus a few supporters). Breakdown is as follows:
- Bus: $40-$45 per person
- Lunch: $35 per person (food only)
- Beer: $78 per case – so $19.50 per person in a team of four.
- Total: $100(-ish)
The full rules
- Safety is priority. If someone is in distress stop and help.
- Participants may withdraw from the race at any time.
- A team must be 2-4 people.
- Each team must buy a slab (24 bottles) of Red Hill Brewery – Kolsch (Golden Ale) for the race. – NOTE: as the crates only hold 20 beers, you will only need to drink 20 in the race. The other four for another time.
- The full course must be done by all team members.
- Team must cross the finish line together, with all beer bottles empty.
- The cut off time is 2 hours and 30 minutes (i.e., 4:30pm).
- Crate, beer bottles, and bottle caps must be returned in full at the finish. Penalties apply.
- No litter on course. Bring a bag for rubbish if needed. Penalties apply.
- No stealing signs, taking shortcuts, or interfering with others (including the public). Immediate disqualification.
Crate specific rules
- Crate can only be carried by members of the team. One, two, or more at a time. Take turns as required.
- Crate can be carried by any aid (e.g., backpack, sling, ropes).
- The crate can not touch the ground during the race. Penalties apply.
- No rolling aids for the crate (e.g., trolly, skateboard, bike). Immediate disqualification.
Beer specific rules
- No spilling beer or reversals (vomit). Penalties apply.
- No cheating attempts to get rid of the beer (e.g., pouring out beer, having non-team members drink). Immediate disqualification.
- Other food and drink allowed.
Penalty list
- Missing or broken bottle: 15 minutes per bottle.
- Missing bottle cap: 10 minutes per cap.
- Litter left on course: 10 minutes per item.
- Crate touches the ground: 10 minutes per ground contact.
- Spilling beer or vomit: 10 minutes per incident.
- Beer not finished: 7 minutes per bottle. – Better to not finish a beer than pour it out!
Sounds good? Yeah!
Sign up here:
Or get in touch with me via Instagram.
Team list
Here are the teams so far.
Team 1 – Birthday Boy
Mikey
Suze
Stuart
Leanne
Team 2 – Zac & co
Zac
Daniel
Aaron (TBC)
Patrick (TBC)
Team 3 – Beers & Running
Vic
Mickey
Kelly
Daz
Team 4 – North Side
Lauren
(free)
(free)
(free)
Team 5 – (free)
(free)
(free)
(free)
(free)
