The Hash and The Beast

Last weekend was a great weekend for nutjob runners.

Our first trip was to Widewaters in Lockport, NY where the Beast of Burden 100 was coming to a close. It's amazing to see the transformation at Widewaters along the Erie Canal as the spirit of the beast takes over.

 For those of you who don't know, the Beast of Burden 100 is a 100 mile race along the historic Erie Canal. It is run once in the summer and once in the winter. You can also choose to run the 50 miler or the 24 hour race.  Not your ordinary run in the park.

When we got to the Widewaters Marina the race had already been going on for 25 hours. One of the directors, Jim Pease told us there were still 10 people out there. The 100 milers had to finish the race within 30 hours.

We watched as Milko Mejia from Fresh Meadows, NY came in at 25:31. He was welcomed home with cheers, cowbells and the Rolling Stone's Beast of Burden blasting out of the loud speakers.

The race started 10:00 Saturday morning. It was now 12:30 Sunday afternoon. That is a long time to be on your feet.

Edward Broadmax from Ft. Bragg, NC ran a 12:35:40 and Kerri Haskins from Danville, NY ran a 14:22:55. Both were still there cheering in the rest of the runners. Jim Pease did fifty miles as a practice run!

Dominic Pasceri the youngest of the runners, just 13 years old ran 50 miles in 17:13:38! His proud father, Sam, looked on with pride. The day before the race Sam fell from the first floor to the basement and broke 11 vertebrae, herniated 5 other discs, broke his left shoulder and most of the ribs on his right side. Originally he was going to pace his son. Obviously he was no longer able to run in the race but nothing was going to stop him from being there when Dom crossed the finish line.

The winner of the race, Joseph Czabaranek from Dayton, Ohio came in at 14:47:30 beating the course record of 14:56:50 set by Valmir Nunes from Brazil at the Summer Beast.  Click here for the rest of the results.

Next we headed out to Gonzos Bar in Lockport NY where the Buffalo Hash House Harriers were meeting for Hash #704 - NUTS, it's Cold Out! The Hashers are billed as a drinking club with a running problem.

Barebackbullseye and Cowgirl (the man on the right is Cowgirl) were setting the trail. I'm not sure how he got the name Cowgirl but I'll bet it's a great story.

When we entered the bar I felt like we were being let into a secret society.

Having heard all kinds of strange stories about the Hashers we were expecting a bunch of crazy, drunken redneckers. Instead what we found were the nicest bunch of well read, personable runners you'd ever want to meet.

BangsforABuck and SudsandJugs were kind enough to let us in on some of the finer aspects of hashing. HeadDispenser also added some input.

Disorganization is the rule of the day. The hash officially starts at 12:69 (1:09) but in reality it actually starts around 2:30 because everybody first meets inside the bar for a beer or two and socializes before the run.

As it was explained to me, every hash is different, nobody but the hares know where the trail will lead them. You just follow the hash marks. All hashers wear a whistle (if you forget your whistle that is a penalty - more on that later). If someone is off the trail they will blow the whistle to keep everyone on track. There are no winners or losers here.

At every mile marker you drink a beer and sing.  The fastest runners wait for the slowest runners. Nobody is left behind. I hope I am getting all of the details and names right. There is a lot to learn.

Other penalties include no peeing on the trail, no hats in the circle and other violations that are made up along the way.  Any hasher can call a penalty on their fellow hashers during the run. When the hash is over everybody gathers in a circle and the penalties are doled out, one cup of beer at a time.

Being injured and on meds I decided to send a scout out on the trail with the hashers to see what it was all about. I needed someone ready to run anywhere, anytime for any reason, someone not quite right in the head.  The choice was obvious. The Cannibal quickly changed into his running clothes at the bar.

After the run he reported back to us. Having heard some of the details I wasn't sure if he was reporting accurately or just delusional from the beer and snow. It was obvious I was going to have to run this thing myself next time.

When I do my first hash I will report back with the details.

* * * * *

So what's next? Rumor has it there is a race coming up in February where the guys run in heels and red dresses. You'd have to be a real nut job to do that one.  See you there.

The Summer Beast Report

What started out as an overcast day with a pleasant breeze quickly turned hot and humid, then as night fell, mother nature decided to turn on the "cold driving rain" switch. 

Let me say this about running my first ultra.  I REALLY appreciated the volunteers at the aid stations every six miles.  They were the best.  They helped so much when the going got tough and ugly.  And boy did it get ugly.

Toward the end, every mile lasted forever and I may have been delusional but I swear as Widewaters finally came into sight, the geese stood down by the water on the other side of the canal and laughed at us.

Then the bushes turned into monsters.  I couldn't believe it.  I've run that towpath a thousand times but I never noticed the monsters on the side of the path before.  Maybe they only come out after midnight.

And the rain just kept pouring down. 

Finally we crossed the bridge to run the final stretch in and I thought all would be well very soon.  But somehow while we were running our last loop, somebody added extra mileage onto the winding path that leads to the finish line.  I don't know who did it or how or why, but that last mile in had to be 5 miles long.   Really nasty trick to play on a bunch of good hearted runners.

The most amazing thing I saw though, as we finished the second of our two 25 mile loops in the darkness, was watching the 100 milers heading back out into the wind and the driving rain to do their 3rd and 4th loops!

Mental toughness at its finest.

Here are a few pictures early on in the race while the running was still smooth and easy.

Great run with a great bunch of people.

Upcoming Races:

Run For Hope 5k - Saturday, Sept 4th, 9:30 AM , Tonawanda NY
Fleet Feet 15k - Monday Sept. 6th 8 AM, Buffalo NY
Harvest Moon Run - Wednesday Sept. 8th 6:30 PM, Pendleton NY

Next Ultra Up:

Oil Creek 100 Trail Runs- Saturday Oct. 16th, Oil Creek State Park PA

Canal Fever

"Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it."
— Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

The signs were there. It was so obvious once you knew what to look for.

It explained why Cliff insisted on marking the trail beforehand with 40 lb cannonballs. And why Rajiv felt it was okay to run a 100 miler in a  tutu.

They had Canal Fever- the disturbing mental state from running too many winter miles along the Erie Canal.

Some say the ghosts come right out of the water to greet you as you pass mile 50.

Baba watched the meltdown of his life long running buddies and smiled.

Perhaps this race was winnable after all.

“Baba, I need your opinion,” Cliff said, wild eyed, at mile 53. “I’ve been seeing ghosts for the last couple of miles. They want me to swim in the canal with them. Do you think I should?”

“Sure,” said Baba “If you can’t trust a ghost, who can you trust?“

He watched Cliff do an Olympic somersault dive into the icy canal and float away.

As Rajiv and Baba continued down the trail, Rajiv looked worried. “Hey Baba," he whispered. "Can I ask you something?”

“Sure Raj.  What's up?”

Rajiv ducked from a forty foot imaginary bird flying overhead. “It’s that damn pterodactyl,” he said. “I can’t seem to shake him."

Baba nodded knowingly. He pointed to a few cannonballs Cliff had planted at mile 54.  “Why don’t you run with one of those. You can throw it at the bird if it gets too aggressive."

Rajiv looked at Baba as if he were a genius.

“Thanks,” said Rajiv, adjusting his tutu as he picked up one of the cannonballs. The weight of it gave him a feeling of safety. “Maybe I should take two. Just in case.”

“Good thinking,” said Baba as he ran ahead, leaving Rajiv to struggle with his balls.

There was a gurgling sound from the water. “Hey Cliff,” Baba shouted as he ran by. “This isn’t a triathlon, you know. but have a good swim anyway.”

"Gurgle, gurgle, aaaaahhhh," said Cliff with a great deal of emotion.

“Only 42 more miles to go,” Baba thought, laughing aloud. “And I still feel pretty damn good.”

Up ahead a giant drooling mule waited for him, gnashing her sharp, jagged teeth.

The clouds seemed to be forming words -

“Beware the Canal Fever.”


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