Today's HH3 run and next weekend's runs.

Today's HH3 runsite directions as best as can be managed are: 

From the Klong Wa intersection (Phetkasem road/Route 43) go south on the road towards Sadao for 4k and turn left at a set of traffic lights into Klongyatai Rd. Follow that road for 5k (6.929553° 100.513064°) and turn left at the hash sign until you see indications of a run site. The coordinates may not be completely accurate as they just refer to a point 5k along Klongyatai road, so start looking for the hash sign from about 4k onwards as the most likely left turn appears to be at about 4.5k based on a Google Earth survey! 

One more thing, based on discussions between committee members in residence, the intention today is to cede next Sunday's run back to HH3 rather than attempt to hold an SH3 run on Sunday, which means that there would be no actual SH3 run next weekend, even though the location and hare for the run on Sunday would still be the same (i.e. the football pitch past Wat Nern Pijit and Egghead). The decision is partly diplomatic but also takes into consideration the fact that last time SH3 took over HH3's slot we were forced to ask them to help us to run the beer truck and to provide enough food, and it was not exactly easy for our beloved GM to run the circle in English when 90% of the people there only spoke Thai! If anyone has any objections to this plan please register them below or on the SH3 thread on fb messenger.

1943: the renaissance continues

The 2018 pussy birthday run presented a strange combination of statistics with the long run only exceeding 70m if you were unlucky enough to find some of the more extravagant Fs and Xs and the short run doing the hill thing and getting up to about 145m, while not breaking the 3k barrier horizontally. The long run was about 6.8k without the checks and for most of the run the whole pack were within hailing distance of each other although that all seemed to change after the fifth check and the first check-back. Good turnout again though despite a few notable absences with everyone bar the beer truck driver either setting or running one or other of the runs and some great food from our celebrity chefs including the newly named "Jim not Jim" or however we are going to spell that one!

Probably pussies!

Like the picture above, Saturday's hares are probably pussies, although at time of writing their identity is not clear. Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run# 1943, Saturday, September 29, 2018, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Various pussies to be declared
Misdirections: From the Kao Seng intersection take the old Yala road for 8.1k and do a U turn. Come back 100m and turn left immediately after Ban Dan school. Go 2k to the run site on the right at  7.105447° 100.616206°. Park in the rubber or on the road if necessary. From Hatyai, coming from Nam Noi, the best way is to take the old road to the Kuan Hin traffic lights then turn right and head for the new Yala road (straight ahead at 4k then follow the road for about 2k). Do a U turn then head south and turn left towards Ko Tau at  7.087201° 100.616400° and follow the road through the village to arrive at Ban Dan, 300m south of the school at  7.104409° 100.633113°. Then follow the directions above. Alternatively coming via Poonakan/Tha Kham, head East towards the big tree and make it across to the old Yala road that way then go North until you reach Ban Dan school and turn left.

Sunday's HH3 run is down beyond the Klong Wa intersection on the road heading south towards Sadao in the general area of Ban Pru. More details, a map and hopefully some coordinates to follow later. The hare is believed to be Sax Sanan.

1942: Not the pussy run!

Generally around this time of year we are treated to a pussy run by our ladies section who mostly seem to celebrate their birthdays in September. But this year due to unforeseen circumstances that's been postponed, possibly for a week maybe for longer.

So into the breach steps In-U-Endo who though no pussy will be attempting to set a run with just a hint of femine touch (i.e. he should have had a female co-hare but that fell through as well!)
Details are:
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run # 1942, Saturday September 22, 2018, 4:30 p.m.
Hare: In-U-Endo
Misdirections: From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left for 8k to Wat Keow Kloy then turn right into Poonakan. Go 1.2k and turn left for 300m opposite the sacred ju-ju tree (aka the spirit house scrap-yard) to the run site on the left. From Hatyai the turning is 9.8k up from the junction with Kanjanawanit road on the right.

Sunday's HH3 run is being set from near the elephant camp on the old Hatyai road, about 1k beyond Nam Noi, on the left if you are coming from Songkhla. If you are coming from Hatyai you will need to go about 500m beyond the run site and do a U turn. The hare is... Vaseline!

HH3 today: On the road again, again!

From Songkhla: From the Ko Yo intersection take the new Yala road for 6.5k and cross the carriageway onto the unused section of road then follow it for 500m to the run site at the top of the hill (7.086898° N 100.610967°E). From Hatyai the suggested route is to take the old Hatyai road to the Kuan Hin traffic lights then turn right and go 4k, then follow the road straight ahead (i.e. left, as the road bends right). Go 1k then follow the hard top road left at the 4-way intersection for 500m and at the junction with the NYR, turn right along the hard shoulder onto the unused section. The hares are IT UT and Sex Sprinter

Recce in haste lay at leisure

Run 1941 was the product of a postponed recce which should have taken place on Wednesday as the antidote to the post-rumble hangover, but got put off to Thursday afternoon when the hares could only spare an hour or two with the result this Saturday morning's lay required rather more time to complete than usual. Was the result worth it? Possibly as the only real complaint was from the FRB's who found that they got confused by some of the checks...Er, yes! That's the whole point!
For the record, stripped of its Fs and Xs, the long run was about 6k, a mere 2k longer than the short run, and the total ascents were about 200m and a bit more than 100m respectively. The long run got up to 140m while the short run made it to 112. The first long runner was home in around 1 hr 9 mins, by which time the short run were already organizing the food and tucking into the beer. Another good turnout, partly because Phayok (formerly known as Nay, Conebrain's personal trainer) keeps bringing along all those lovely people who seem to be really enjoying the hash experience, so much so that some of them seem unwilling to get back to the runsite! But no search parties were necessary this week and the hare was not required to add searching to recceing, laying and sweeping!

The return of the yellow shirts!

No, they're not on their way to stop Bangkok this time, but were just a part of the HH3 team who turned out at Hatyai Station on Tuesday morning to welcome our guests from around the world who joined us for a remarkably well-organised and much enjoyed "rumble". Not sure how SH3 can follow that but we will try!

So Saturday's run is Egghead's attempt to make up for the short-comings of his last run and is being set in country where it is highly unlikely that any one else would dare to go to move the paper!
Details are;
Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1941, Saturday, September 15, 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Egghead and Harram
Misdirections. From the Ko Yo intersection take the old Hatyai road for 4.7k and turn left. Go through the traffic lights at Tha Kham (6k) and at Wat Keow Kloy (8k) go ahead for a further 2.3k then turn left and after 200m turn right (it used to be straight ahead but it's now definitely a right turn!) Follow the road and track for 1.2k to the run site on the left at N7 00.641 E100 35.691.  If you are coming from Hatyai, either get to the Nam Noi traffic lights and head for Tha Kham then turn right for 4.3k, or get to the top of Poonakan (Wat Keow Kloy) and turn right for 2.3k, then turn left etc.

Sunday's HH3 run is unannounced as of yet so details will be added in appropriate places later.

Separated at birth

These warm wonderful human beings have planned, sweated, recce’d and rehearsed to bring you the following:

Songkhla Hash House Harriers' run #1940, Saturday September 8th 2018. 4:30 p.m.
Hares: Eightball & Gan Yao

Misdirections: From the Koh Yoh intersection take the new Yala Road for 900 meters. Turn left at the sign as if going to Pa Prem’s Place. Go for 300 meters and turn left for 50 meters to the carefully sited car park. For those with access to technology (and children to show us how to use it!) co-ordinates are: 7°07’39.83”N 100°35’15.17”E

This Sunday there is no HH3 run as everyone involved will be working at the big sala behind the CP factory to get ready for the Train rumble run on Tuesday 11th September. Any extra hands welcome!

250 Lays? Back to the drawing board!

You would think that after 249 previous lays,  Egghead (ably assisted by Little Tool) would have been able to lay a decent run yesterday, particularly since this one was in his own backyard and didn't exactly break new ground either territory- or track-wise. But no! ignoring one of the Yardstick golden rules (Don't set checks where the long and short runs depart/join) the run managed to lose half the short run (including OaY who also should have known better!) seriously delay Lot Rakaa and family, and confuse the hell out of the long run. Ok, so the situation was not helped by the apparent intervention of some knowledgeable locals (we know who you are!) who not only relaid a section of the run at the beginning and picked up a whole section after the first 360, but also laid a completely new 360 between Fs 5 and 6, thus totally screwing up the long and short run junction which also suffered from some rain damage rendering the short-run paper invisible.

The upshot was that All Black, Eightball and R2D2 came back via the road and the first person to arrive beyond the final check, which by then Egghead had by-passed, was Super Pig followed by most of the short runners who had been herded through the confusion by Little Tool. OaY's group arrived from the wrong direction having used local knowledge to no good effect, and the long run were eventually found at the back of the village and called onto the paper.

But eventually everyone arrived at the run site where there was some great food courtesy of SH3's expanded culinary section to combat the inclement weather, which sadly had one final go at damping down the proceedings before the circle ensued. Winner of the poker game was (ahem!) All Black who by dint of swapping her two jokers, (each of which qualified for a beer) for two queens, ended up with five ladies, beating Sex Sprinter's 5 Jacks which had been more honestly collected on the run.

For the record, the long run all in was 6.8k and the short run, 5.1k with negligible ascent and a high point of about 55m at the first road crossing. The good news? Well that was the turn-out, which despite the weather and the absence of a number of regulars, was in excess of 40 with no less than 6 new runners and barely a hound left at the run site, so 40 people actually out on the runs. The moral to be drawn from the confusion? Recce, recce recce! With the run being set at short notice and the checks being laid on the fly, there was always the potential for disaster although circumstances combined to cause the problem and at the end of the day most people had fun and we will certainly be repeating the poker tournament idea ... as long as we can find somewhere to buy the cards!