Will Run for Beer

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The Other Mumbai Marathon
If the upcoming Mumbai Marathon seems a little too hardcore for you, we’ve found a frothier (and more frivolous) alternative, a race where beer replaces Gatorade and formal closing ceremonies are bumped off for frat-house hazing rituals.

Street Starts

The Bombay Hash House Harriers, founded in Malaysia in the 1930s and named after a convoluted WWI story, have been organising these marathons in Mumbai for almost three decades now, where between 40 and 150 members (ranging from the age of 8 to 80 years) gather at a pre-decided starting point on the last Sunday of every month to run an 8 to 10 km race. Past venues have included Malabar Hill, Elephanta Caves and Bandra. The next one, on January 31, will begin at Kandivali.

Will Run for Beer

Now for the good part – the Hash races are sponsored by Kingfisher, and hence, are awash in beer. Keep the brews waiting at the end of the two-hour run in mind, and you’ll definitely reach the finish line. You can nurse your hard-won beers and hang with other runners before closing ceremony or “The Circle”, which organiser Chirag Rupani claims is “the best part.” It is also one of the most bizarre rituals we’ve come across – reader, brace yourself.

Hops, Skip and Jump

After every race, a handful of people – Hashers who did something stupid during the race, participants that helped mark the trail, members celebrating one year with the club – are made to sit on huge blocks of ice, and chug from piss pots filled with beer.
If the experience doesn’t scar you for life, it’ll definitely leave you panting for more.

Getting there: Next race at Kandivali on Sunday, January 31. For exact address and other details, call Chirag Rupani on 9820724721, and visit www.bombayhash.org. To register, show up at the venue a half hour before the race on January, approximately Rs 150 per race, including beer and lunch.