Days of Unlimited Beer Are Over for 10K Race

For nearly two decades, those who reached the finish line at the Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10K have always looked forward to the all-you-can-drink beer that’s handed out at Seaside Lagoon, but when the 20th annual race takes place Sunday participants will be cut off after four beers.

The Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the event, had believed that they didn’t need a liquor license because participants were not paying for the beer, said Executive Director Marna Smeltzer. But the organization learned that the $20 registration fee that participants pay constitutes a fee that requires a license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

“It’s a change from the past, but it’s not unreasonable, you still get four drinks in 1 1/2 hours,” Smeltzer said. “All [the ABC is] trying to do is provide a safe and controlled environment.”

Under the conditions of the license, bartenders will keep track of every 12-ounce cup that race participants drink by writing the number of beers they have had on the paper entry number participants wear on their chests. People without entry numbers will not be served and no one under 21 will be permitted in the beer drinking area.

“This is very typical for any large one-day event,” said Ed Mimiaga, district coordinator for the ABC. “Any time there is alcohol at an event like this it requires safeguards.”