Damansara Hash House Harriers, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA

25th Anniversary Run, Bukit Lagong

January 22, 2010

I am a member of Damansara Hash House Harriers (DHHH), a group of crazy people who get a kick out of terrain running. Today was a big day for DHHH, being its 25th Anniversary run. HHH members from other chapters, as far as Indonesia, Sabah and Sarawak, were amongst 748 runners registered for the run.

The stage set for the big bash

Registration Counter

The stage was all set for the big run. The run site was at an abandoned parking lot, enough room for busloads of people coming from out of states and cars. RELA members were there to lend a helping hand. Most DHHH members were there early, before 2pm to help out with registration, drink huts, food huts or just being busy bodies.

Shoe stall doing brisk business

The hares having bath , hashers' style after laying paper trails for the run

Hares, co-Hares and sweepers

Just before the run at 4.30pm, there was a Bhangra performance by a group of Sikh artistes. It was supposed to be the warming up for the run. The show was lively but cut short due to time constraints.

Bhangra Group

Warming up to the Bhangra beat

So the run began

The long (normal) run started at 4.30pm and the short run followed 15 minutes later. Traffic came to a stop as we crossed the road and so the run began. From the run site, we followed the paved road by the stream that looked like a picnic spot. I had run this site a few times before and love every inch of it. From the road we veered left following a small path. Then, it took us deeper and deeper into the jungle. Just like in most hash runs, the punishment was severe. We climbed steep hills and descended even steeper slope. We crawled through gap under fallen tree trunks. That was one heck of a kick for runners aged mostly 50 and above.

On On. Hasher's familiar call

A Korean hasher emerging from a gap underneath a fallen tree trunk

Me, half way through the run inside Bukit Lagong jungle

I reached back at the run site after 3 hours of gruelling run. Most of the runners were readying for the big anniversary bash. After a quick bath and getting rid of leeches on my legs, I had my drink and meals. I did not wait for the party to start. I headed for home and off to bed.

There will be another run, another party another day.