Merdeka Day Run
by Raymond Lai:
It is a beautiful Saturday where Merdeka Day Run is held at Commonwealth Park (Rimba Komenwel) situated at 10th mile old Ipoh Road(KL to Ipoh trunk road).
This year Malaysia celebrates her 50th birthday, for every Malaysian hasher it's something meaningful as we realize our country has turned 50 years old.
Everyone has been waiting for this event months ago knowing there will be nice food at run site, freebies, free on-on, good run, jokes, relaxed atmosphere, etc.
Excitedly most hashers, 80%-85% of PH3 chapter turn up to give support. Not wrong to say this could be one of the highest turnout of the year.
The road from KL Jalan Kuching to run site is surprisingly smooth because it has been 90% widened especially along Templer Park's winding stretch. Hashers arrive early & more importantly not stressed up by traffic congestion.
The run starts at 4.30pm after GM (Huge Malay) gave a usual speech making sure the crowd were aware of hash rule: follow PH3 paper not people.
Run is about 90% jungle trekking & consists of three hills, two streams, thousands of leeches, five checks, plenty of thorns, muddy slopes, sliding trails, 8.9 KM in length, etc. But we love them all, don't we? That's what hashing is about.
Mike Hawkins comes in as first runner after one hour & 35 minutes of gruelling, sliding, roller-coster run(walk?) There are plenty of food & drinks waiting at run site. Thanks to Maya & Rooloff for supplying baguette(bagel), sambal, etc. Maya cooks some delicious sambal for us due to Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug 17, 07. For Rooloff, yours truly not sure what is the reason. There are also roast lamb, salad, pork's headskin(a Chinese, in particular, Hakka delicacy).
As usual, a free Merdeka Run T-shirt for everyone. It is one of the most attractive T-shirt ever given & designed by our honourable Joint GM Tommy Chin. Excellent choice of material of T-shirt as T-shirt is not only airy but also wrinkle-free. Unfortunately, free sling bag is not ready due to tight schedule. (It was supposed to be given on Sep 8, 07, but due to heavy rain it was postponed).
Guinness Khoo loses his most precious belonging, a Rolex watch during the run which causes him coming back late & made us worried. This watch meant so much to Guinness that he is determined to find it back & true enough Guinness finds it back days later with the help of a metal-detector.
Good Guinness has us all worried he would never find his watch. (On 29/08/07 at Batu Arang run, saw him wearing a Casio G-shock watch for a change. A wonderful & logical decision). Malaysia's national anthem is sung with high spirit to let our dear foreigner friends know that we are patriotic.
Tai-ko Don is not aware of the full length of the anthem and interrupted us.
On-on is a good 10-table in total at a Chinese restaurant situated at Batu 14 Jalan Ipoh about 4 KM before Rawang. Tommy Chin is very generous to donate few durians to 3 tables to savour, amazingly some Kwailohs/Mat Sallehs/White Ghosts enjoy this King of fruits.
Farewell song is given to Keith Burnly after workingout for few weeks with us. An old-timer of PH3, he will be missed & remembered for his thick eye-brows.
A virgin hasher, Geert is given a warm welcome. Returnees are Nigel, Yaso, May & Gigi. Expectedly, Abraham performs with us joining him as he sings his hilarious & action-packed number.
On-on-on is as expected to gather at Back Yard Pub, Sri Hartamas, KL.
Apologies for delaying this scribe.
On-on.
Raymond
Bukit Cahaya
Hares Raymond Lai, Jimmy Legover , Amelia ‘Velu’, Stephanie ‘Wong’
With a combined number of Hashing Years between them of about 100 years it would be logical to believe that the run would have been perfect in length, composition , quality, perfectly planed [with 4 recce’s having been done by the hairs ]etc.
What a fuck up it turned out to be as was demonstrated by the award of a Toilet Seat by the hash committee.
To believe that the Hares with maps of the area, a G.P.S. , Years and bloody years of experience and an area that has been run in a large number of times, it just goes to show that with all things being equal this was a cock up of monumental proportion. First runner home in 2 hours and last one home the GM in about 3hours 15mins.
Actual run started up the road past the Cow shed complete with the strong smell of Bovine crap.
Trail then cut right up hill and followed secondary jungle trails to eventually come out in the Oil Palm. A wandering trail through the palm led around in almost circles [giving the impression that the Hares were lost and their GPS and Maps had let them down] Several checks later we came out the Nursery area and continued across the cow paddock [complete with a number of dog sensitive cows] to the Subang Dam .Trail followed the edge of the dam to the spillway and dam wall. Here we came across a number of Malaysia’s finest fighting men and women feeding themselves on some top Malaysian cuisine of Maggi Mee. [No guns allowed] It was then a trot back thru the palm to the Beer about 4+ Kms away.. Not a lot of happy campers today I’m sad to say.
The instruction to the On On were poor to say the least and it just proves that the Hare cannot assume that the members all know where to go even if it was the same Restaurant as the previous week.
Hare appeared to be quite pleased with his efforts and figured a T-shirt minimum would be his reward …
The On On was at Loong Foong same location as last week, food was RM15 per head.
Scribed by Moppy
Hare's (Raymond) Report
My sincere apologies to anyone who is feeling muscular pain starting 20.08.07.
The run did not turn out as wanted; it went off course after coming out from first jungle.
When we reached open area just before second jungle, it was about 1.5 KM extra in length.
We were caught by surprise there was a military training going on at the dam, but Jimmy, Emilia
& Nan did an excellent job explaining to them and we got through.
At home trail, we were worried we might be caught by front runners so we went slightly further
to our left. That decision we took would mean extra 2.5 KM and more hills.
The final length came up to about 13 KM which is 4 KM longer than we thought.
You might ask: how come with 4 recces, GPS device, Google Map application, compass, etc.
the run ended up a toilet-seat run? Well, it is all my fault for being confused at certain
stage and not depending on own memory to the maximum.(without GPS). I take full
responsibility & am sorry.
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the following:
1. Mr David Hunter for helping me in 4 recces using GPS,
parang, compass, Google Map, providing rope, printing out maps & pictures (8),
bashing through jungles, etc. Unfortunately, Mr David could not come on Aug 18, 07.
2. Mr Jimmy Leggit for helping me in setting the run, providing
useful information, lending hash signs, etc. Just recovered from a dengue fever, Mr Leggit
was superb in health.
3. Mr Tee for helping in laying papers, setting checks & falsies, etc.
4. Ms Nan for convincing military men and informing GM about it before the run.
5. Ms Emilia for helping in giving rational advice, accompanying, etc.
6. Ms Stephanie for helping in caryying papers, food, drinks, etc.
To all who came for the run, attended the on-on, danced at Bojangle's, a BIG thank you.
Could we make it, on a voluntary basis, for hares to make a report so that there is less
misunderstanding? Since we have scribe report, why no hare's report?
On-on.....