Got a quick pint time? Here’s how you can win £50 in Durham in a viral social media challenge

A store in County Durham has attracted attention on social media for its ‘fizzy chug challenge’. In this challenge, hopeful contestants are tasked with chugging a two litre bottle of fizzy drink in under one minute. The challenge is taking place at Shildon Stores in County Durham. Shildon is a nearby town located 12 miles south-west of Durham, easily accessible by train.

The challenge has taken place across the country. Vickram Singh, owner of Shildon Stores, told The Tab “it started down south, originally, and we picked it up from social media as we are quite up to date with the local trends. Some of the younger customers were asking, when are you going to do that fizzy chug challenge?”. Always ready to set the standard, Vickram took the challenge into the north east of England.

If the contestant is successful, they win a prize sum of £50. If they fail, they win some attention on social media with attempts that range from respectable to embarrassing being available for the world to see. A truly awful day to have a slow chop time.

To date, just two people have successfully completed the challenge. The record time stands at 54 seconds. Many have tried, and most have failed.

If anyone can change this, it is Durham students. DH1 must have the highest proportion of people in the 18-24 age bracket with a pint time below six seconds. Surely.

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If you have a quick pint time, get yourself involved immediately. With the full amount to consume being marginally over three and a half pints, an average pint time of about 14 seconds would see you take home £50 and the legacy of the record.

Trainline shows that with a 16-25 Railcard, a train ticket from Durham to Shildon would set you back just £4.85 at off-peak times. The opportunity to win £50 for an investment less than the price of a Woodgate? Bargain. Take a train from Durham to Darlington, change at Darlington and go on to the promised land of Shildon. Both train journeys are estimated to take 16 minutes. Then, take a short 12-minute walk to Shildon Stores from Shildon train station.

Not a bad way to make a net profit of £40.15 for a couple of hours of your time, if you fancy your chances.

However, there is reason why the success rate is low. Vickram commented that “a lot of people have come in with a lot of confidence, people have been keen, but it has been a lot harder than they expected it to be. It’s harder to down a fizzy drink than a beer because it is more carbonated. I think the secret to it is having a warm bottle, rather than a cold one”.

Shildon Stores have also played an active role in the community in recent times, giving away over 5,000 burgers in the last four years. If you think that your drinking ability is sufficient, go and give it a crack to try and win yourself £50 and a whole load of aura.

Images via Vickram Singh (Shildon Stores)

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