In a dark corner of the 2nd Street Brew House in South Philadelphia, where the food menus are laminated and the chalkboard draft list lit by white Christmas lights, David April stood on a bar stool and called for attention. After thanking the 70 or so runners for joining him that night, he lifted a full pint above his head and gave a hearty yell: “To the Professor!”
Mr. April is a co-founder of the Fishtown Beer Runners, one in a long line of clubs that celebrate the joys of running and beer drinking. Others include the Hash House Harriers (started by British soldiers stationed in Malaysia in 1938, with many chapters now around the world) and the Beer Milers (four beers in four laps on the track — vomit and you’re penalized).