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What Are the Effects of One Drink?

The Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on Performance

When Should You Absolutely Abstain to Protect Performance?

How to Minimize the Negative Effects of Alcohol

Recent research tells us that runners and alcohol don’t make ideal training partners. And yet, they sure do meet up a lot: Run clubs start and end at breweries, marathons offer wine tastings, and competitors break records annually at the Beer Mile World Classic .

For that reason, some runners may resist cutting alcohol from their training entirely—especially if a postrun beer provides an opportunity to spend some extra time with their running buddies. So the question becomes: “As a runner, what amount of alcohol can I consume before it starts to meaningfully affect my fitness and performance?”

The answer isn’t completely clear, Ron Maughan , PhD, honorary professor at the University of St.…