25^th anniversary run – Some of us were more wasted than usual this Sunday, as we assembled at the Maya.  Essentially, the farewell drinks for Cigar started on a Friday night at the 1828 bar on Nanshan road and didn’t end until early Sunday morning at the Maya bar, where a few hashers were spotted boogeying after some heavy-duty beer challenges and tequila shots.  Cigar’s famous words before departing were “Don’t cry girls, you are all sooo dehydrated

There was so much detail to this very long weekend that it will test scribe’s capacity to report, but we’ll start at the Paradise. Firstly Acro was so keen to bring on the weekend she fronted theParadise on Friday evening at 6.00 rather than the scheduled 7.00, easily convincing an unnamed hasher to join at this early hour, that victim departing finally some 6 hours and an inappropriate number of pints later facing a 6.00am start for the Vasque relay start. The Friday night carb load meals were tasty enough, but may have lacked in the volume department, more than made up by the Carlsberg accompaniment. Cigar sadly broke the good / bad news of a new job inRotterdam. Some of the good crowd that turned out seemed to be unaware of their responsibilities the following days, only Gerry doing the right thing and turning in early, mind you whilst still at the Paradise. Doggie’s concerns notwithstanding, scribe did make it to the start of the Vasque mountain race, dismayed at the sight of so many hard looking characters. The start was a sprint to the university followed by the 700 steps to the top of the range, then a bash along the top of a few peaks. At one point, Luo called from behind that all those in front were shortcutting the summit of one peak by contouring on an earthen track, forcing scribe to take the depressingly pure route over the top. Anyway, Acro was on time and in place at the top of Northern Peak to effect the number changeover, so scribe’s last act was to fork out 5 and make a special prayer for the relay team at the peak temple. The prayer was returned, recipients unknown. Acro had to fly across a couple of peaks to descend to cross Meiling Rd and ascend to the top of the next range, mostly on broken and earthen tracks, a tough little project. Doggie in the meantime had toiled up from Longjing to make the next change and enjoyed a scenic undulating ridge top run with a pleasant descent to Nine Creeks, still smiling to himself about the way he rigged the draw. Pelagic was in place for the next change, and had a bit of work to do to make it up the next couple of rises, passing and being passed. Bottom Feeder in the meantime impatiently went backwards on the trail to meet Pelagic, and then took off on a helter skelter stone path descent down many stairs, which he long-jumped to luckily locate Tonsils who was re-parking her bike for later retrieval. Tonsils is no slouch and took us home in 4.27, 30^th overall. The second half was over in a flash, Tonsils finishing while Acro, Doggie and scribe were still in MacDonalds; sorry about that Tonsils. After quite a bit of slouching around after the finish, it was over to the Kebaberry on Yugo Lu, and after that to the Maya. It was well and truly dark before each parted on their separate ways, some for restoration, others for less certain outcomes. Bright and early for the Sunday morning half marathon were Cigar, Tonsils, Acro, Doggie, Yuyu (Tuesday runner) Karin, scribe and Ernie for the lake circuit. The masses hit the track filling Shuguang Lu, and then Baochu Lu, before halving in number as the Beishan Lu circuiters peeled off, but that’s all scribe can report because of an equipment failure. Those ks were 33 kwai each! Ernie was the first hasher in sight with a lake circuit in 1.34.53 while Cigar tidied up her sojourn in HZ with a 1.52.42 time for the half, 6^th woman home, with Caris not far behind in 10^th place. Doggie came home with Karin in about 2.12.20 while Acronymph completed her first half in 2.33.04 The first home overall was the first of 5 Africans in 2.18.02 and the first woman, a Chinese athlete in 2.33.10, all pretty impressive stuff. After the obligatory photo snappery, it was over to the Maya for the Bottom Feeder and Pelagic BBQ. Thanks to the Maya for the BBQ and use of the bar as a servery, because it was a beaut; Pelagic alson a culinary find of the first order. The troops trailed in, numbers swelling by Simon Deep Throat Grimmer Vasque 3^rd in 2.54 followed by Sunday’s 42k, Amy Guard Vasque 1^st Woman in 4.06, Rankas and Bonny, all down from Shanghai for the weekend. Pelagic and Bottom Feeder, hares for the Armistice Day run had a few tricks up their sleeve. Firstly, the pack missed the eleventh hour minute’s silence, but a new found formula whereby the celebration of any anniversary be held in the time zone of original occurrence, the minutes silence was put off until 5.00pm China time. In the event this was also missed. The run was a demanding kind of thing to the shop and back, which Phone Box missed by a minute, and under pressure from the pack took off to complete the trail but completely disappeared, then followed by guilt ridden Acro, who then also disappeared; who would know? The circle, under the guidance of BF, took off on a life of it’s own, and numerous sorties to the shop kept the beer up to the down downs. Details are scant of the many transgressions that were punished, but Tonsil Hockey was finally christened in a ceremony by the RA. Either it was a very quiet afternoon at the Maya or the rowdy crowd in the forecourt chased any new customers away, but the pack had the place to itself. After the temperature fell the pack moved indoors, where the on on continued unabated. Scribe has no knowledge of theShanghai crowd actually leaving, so maybe they didn’t, but it is recorded that Pelagic base jumped from the door of the Maya without a chute, and woke to discover appropriate bruising and contusions the cause of which couldn’t immediately be remembered. Now don’t forget that the 25^th anniversary of hashing in Hangzhou is being held again this Sunday at the Maya, but there’s no guarantee it will be quieter.

Jiuxi, down by the Qiantang River, was a virgin location for this week’s hares Skidmarks and Phone Box. Such confidence exuding from Skidmarks, “I’ve never been down there before, but we’ll be right