The "Cherry Breaker" run: not for the weak and/or sober!

If you don't know anything about the Hash House Harriers let me fill you in. We are "drinkers with a running problem" and are a social group first, an exercise group second. At over 5000 groups around the world we meet as often as possible in order to go for a run, normally in some sort of nature environment, make fun of one another (in a friendly way) and then drink beer at the end.

Our group here in Chiang Mai meets at least 3 times a week for these and the members can't get enough of it. Unfortunately for now, we can't have any meetups due to Covid regulations, but as soon as we are able to get it started again, we will definitely do so.

In the meantime I want to talk about an annual event that only happens once a year and it is the most grueling of all events that take place.

The men have the same event each year (what can i say, we are traditional) and it is called the "Ballbreaker" so it is only suitable that the same opportunity exist for the women in the Hash and I am sure you can put the pieces together about why the names of the events are what they are.

The idea behind the "Cherry Breaker" is that only the best of the group will be capable of completing it and even out of those you only get top marks if you complete all the objectives along the way.

Most of our jungle runs are 6 or 7 kilometers long but the "Breaker" events are half marathons. A half marathon on flat ground is difficult enough, but our events take place in trail or even off-trail environments. This can include grueling hills, and even at times the need to climb over obstacles. Also, the trail isn't always defined and the team involved needs to find out where the trail goes as they complete the circuit.

For example when you encounter one of these it is called a "circle check" and this means that the real trail continues SOMEWHERE within 100 meters of the circle itself. The team must hunt around to find a marker that indicates that the trail continues in that direction. At this point whoever finds the "true trail" needs to shout "ON ON" to the rest of the pack and they will kick out a portion of the circle that indicates to those lagging behind which direction they are meant to carry on in.

Therefore, if you are up front and you choose the wrong direction to hunt in, you could be adding several hundred extra meters to your overall run and on a 6k run this isn't such a big deal but in a 22k run this is bad news.

22 kilometers is a long way to run/ jog / walk and this is especially true in hot and humid environments such as where I live in Thailand. There are 3 safety checks and most members have their phones with them so that is safety net. However, the "safety stops", depending on how hardcore you are, aren't exactly as safe as you might think. Sure you have the opportunity to pick up more water and rest (not a good idea to rest on a run this long) but if you want top marks and the top award, you have to drink a full beer at each one of these "beer stops."

Obviously, this is the opposite of how athletics should be done but we are a silly bunch and nobody is actually required to drink - we don't force anyone to do anything. Each of these safety stops, which are spaced around 5-7 km apart, have a rescue vehicle at them so anyone who feels as though they can not continue has the ability to bow out if they want to.

In our last Cherry Buster, the starting pack was nearly 50 people, only 11 made it all the way through and only 6 of that 11 got top marks for drinking a full beer at each break (you can't just pour it on yourself.)

At the end of this grueling test of endurance we all sit around and make fun of one another and drink tons of beer, as is tradition.

This event it technically meant to be a women only event because it is part of the women only "Bunny Hash" but due to decreased levels of female participation in our area, the men are allowed to take part but only if they dress in a ridiculous fashion. This is the Hash House Harriers though, so we don't really mind.

The last time we had one of these events was last October, when we were not in lockdown. We HOPE that by the time October rolls around this year that the situation as far as Covid is concerned will have died down, but then again, we said the same thing last year. We'll have to wait and see.

If you think you have what it takes to do a half marathon while drinking beer or would like to give it a try, you are in good company with the Hash House Harriers. Come join us in Chiang Mai, Thailand anytime you want. While we are on Covid-break right now, we will resume operations as soon as we are given the green light by the local authorities.

You can find full details here at our official website