A drinking club with a running problem

Saturday, October 22nd 2005 will now be forever remembered as the day that the Hash House Harriers came to Campustown (aka Tartu).

The gentleman on your left is Mutton, the one who introduced us to this lovely activity. (The guy in the background is Purple Header). The reason Mutton's knee is bandaged up is because he hurt it giving two people at the same time a piggyback ride.

The course twisted all around town, starting and finishing at what is rumoured to be the pub with the highest ceiling in the world (it's proper high!). Despite Mutton's heavy advertising, only nine people took part, and out of those I was the only local resident. Still, I'm told it was bigger than the Capital City runs usually are.

The participants included:

Mutton (London, hare)
Purple Header (London, hare)
Naked Gun in a Bush (USA by way of St Petersburg, acting Grand Master)
Nookie (Finland by way of St Petersburg, religious adviser)
Stains the Couch (Tallinn)
Short&Curly (Tallinn)
Slippery When Wet (London)
Giacomo (London, virgin)
And finally, me.

I wasn't even going to run! I just decided to check it out under the principle of "this I gotta see". Still, it was a pretty miserable bunch so I was forced to join in. Now, let me explain something: I am not athletic. At all. I am the antithesis of athleticism, you might say. Naturally I didn't do too well, especially since that wanker Mutton laid down the course through the hills. On several occasions he lied to our red, sweaty faces that this was as high as the course was going to get, and it'd be all downhill from there. Half way up the ruins of a church tower, I felt that I'd drained all my life juices and crashed back down to the pub, where I sobbed quietly into my cup of tea while the rest of them continued. I have to say, it took the hares an hour and a quarter to finish, which is somewhat shameful - you can walk four miles in that time!

We then continued on to the pub crawling half of the event, which was eminently enjoyable. I certainly intend to catch the next events, although Mutton, if you're reading this, no more hills!

Slippery When Wet and Naked Gun took a lot more pictures in much better quality than I can boast, so I'll try and post them later on.