1000th RUN FOR THE BATAVIA HASH

The Batavia Hash completed their 1000th run on June 5th. That’s an outstanding milestone – signifying a 20-year presence in Jakarta and underlining the remarkable durability of the Hash Harriers both here and around the world.

The Hash is not for everyone and it does have its critics – they’ve been called everything from “ribald cowboys” to – as the Hashers themselves will often proudly admit – “drinkers with a running problem”. Yes, in some hash groups, you not only have to be fit enough to complete the run but you also need to be pretty deft at handling jugs of beer and plenty of good-natured ribbing from your fellow hashers. But to write the Hashers off as just a bunch of boisterous yahoos looking for any excuse to get on the booze would be, in most – well some – cases, plain wrong.

For starters there are many Hash Harrier groups – six in and around Jakarta – and they’re not all the same. The secret is to find a hash that suits your needs and disposition. Some are men only, some are women only and some a bit of both. Some get into the boozy thing, others don’t. And the members are from a diverse range of nationalities and backgrounds – at the 999th Batavia there were Belgiums, Germans, Swedes, Indonesians, Chinese, Americans, Brits, Australians and more. A few even returned from their home countries to celebrate this milestone, one from as far away as Scotland. The oldest and longest serving Batavia Hasher – a 73-year-old Chinese Indonesian – was also present. So the Hash, as they say, takes all kinds.
But perhaps the best thing about the hash, often overlooked in the flurry of post-run down downs, is the run itself. If the hash is a Jakarta based like the Batavia, there are two types of runs – city runs and rural runs. The 999th run was a city run and the Hashers, about 40 plus, followed the paper trails through the streets, lanes and small crooked alleyways of Glodok in Jakarta’s old city area. On runs like this, the participants see and experience things that most expats don’t even know exist – it is a world far removed from our own. These runs are not just about fitness or being in a hurry to get to the Bintang booze bus first – a real element of education, enlightenment even, exists here.
The rural runs, for those expats who live and work in Jakarta’s crowded confines, can be especially uplifting. Running through small kampungs, crossing lush padi fields or winding your way through semi-virgin jungle all the while drawing fresh cool air into your smog-choked lungs – enough said. And the locals – whether from the rural kampungs or the city kampungs – also get involved. They line the pathways, clapping and cheering these crazy bules with cries of lari lari. So what if it costs you a few hangovers, it could well be worth it
The Batavia Hashers celebrated their longevity at the Kemang Hotel with a mixture of music, dancing, Bintangs and a bit of Vaudevillian ribaldry. It could be that the Batavians are one of those more boisterous groups. But after 20 years of hashing, they should be forgiven for letting their hair down a little – for the 1000th time.