Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2013

20/01/2013

Inspirational Sunday morning it is was...



It was the morning of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. While few hashers headed to the Holding area to begin their epic journey of the Full/Half marathon, few others got together and went to various locations in South Bombay to set up stalls and help the many thousands who would run the much awaited marathon.

For the 4th year in a row, a few hashers from the clan decided that they needed to contribute in the SCMM in more ways than just participating and running. Then it was noticed: SCMM has stalls to assist runners. These stall include water, first aid, wet sponge and water showers enroute the map. However, these stalls are functional only till 11am, the official time to finish the marathon, post which they don't care for sportsman spirit no more. The runners lagging behind are either asked to surrender or finish on their own.

That is where we come in the picture; we wait till mid-day and even more, if required, and help these heroes finish their movies. Until a couple of years back, we had no sponsors to provide us with anything and everything was shelled out from our pockets and bought. And we are talking huge quantities of:
1. Relispray
2. Energy drinks
3. Biscuits
4. Oranges
5. Bananas
6. Water
7. Ice
8. Bandages
9. Electoral
etc.

Until a couple of years back Relispray and FDC decided to chip in and sponsor the first 2 items on the list. A big thanks to them for that.

Now, to give you a little insight; we are located at 6 strategic locations during the D-day. We put up stalls at:
1. Mela Restaurant: This is just off the Worli Sea Face. This is the later half of the run when runners will really need to keep themselves hydrated and going as this is the peak and the center point of their quest.
2. Lala Lajpatrai College: A few kms down and you will find another BH3 stall ready with Relispray's in hand to help those who have cramped up.
3. Up Next is Peddar Road: This is the biggest stall we have. It has all the 9 items mentioned in the list. Yes, being in close proximity to Fartashaty's house, it is easier to carry things to this stall which is set on a beach bench with an umbrella.
4. The Orient Club: Just as you turn into Marine Drive, you see this stall a few meters down. The stalls from here on in are most crucial. This stall is just a stones throw away from the 17km mark (Half) and 39km mark (Full). Now imagine yourself in this situation; you have run, walk, crawled for 17/39 km straight and are physically exhausted. You have no water or any source to keep you going. You legs are giving up.

Just as you think you cannot take another step and feel the urge of giving up, you see us. We are blurry images in your subconscious and superbly tired mental frame. One close look and you see sports sprays, water, energy drinks and bananas... everything that can possible squeeze enough juice off you to get you across the finish line. Like it huh?

5. Parsee Gymkhana: This, until last year was our last stall for the marathoners. This is again a slightly larger version of the stall as Bonsai stuffs her Innova with goodies and parks it there the night before. Out here, alongwith supplies, you also get the motivation to cross the finish line from the ever enthusiatic mother of all. Whats even more noteworthy is the fact that Bonsai finishes her Half marathon and then waits at the stall helping other runners.

6. The Ambassador Hotel: This is the newest baby in the team. This stall is the last leg for the marathoner and from here, its hop-skip-jump to the chequered flag.

Now, it would be unfair if I do not mention the people who take the pains to make this a successful event. A big thanks to the following for doing this endless job year after year:
1. Wreckless and team (Mela Restaurant)
2. Sitting Duck, Running Fuck and team (Lala Lajpatrai)
3. Fartashaty, Neelima, Muskaan and team (Peddar Road)
4. Fubar, Shika, Cockney Wanker, Sandeep Prabhakar (The Orient Club)
5. Bonsai, Shining, Sole Seeker, Screwed Driver and team (Parsee Gymkhana)
6. Wailing Whackopedia, Temton, Zain, Najma and team.(The Ambassador)

We hope that we can more and more hashers volunteering for this every year and even more hashers running the marathon next year.

That reminds me. Also, kudos to all the hashers who participated in the marathon and finished with good grades. You efforst should not go unnoticed.

Half Marathon Hashers:
1. Ankit Aneja: 2.04
2. Anusuya: 3.05
3. Rohan: 2.05
4. Nilesh Nandoskar: 2.10
5. Omi Vivek: 2.25
6. Rajbir Rai: 2.31
7. Vikram: 2.31
8. Vishruta: 2.34
9. Cyrus Umrigar: Need time
10. Greg: To be updated

Full Marathon Hashers:
1. Prakash: To be updated
2. Yamit: 26km in 3.10 (well attempted)
3. Gurpreet Gill: To be updated

Kindly let me know the timings and also let me know if I missed a few names.

As for those manning the stalls; keep counting the blessings that you get every year.

P.S: Thanks Wreckless for giving us entry into our favorite Parsee Gymkhana for some chilled beer and Parsee food every year post SCMM.

Songs that played while writing this:
Every Day- Eric Prydz
Just one last time- David Guetta
Tim- Avicii
Get Wild- John Dahlback
Live while you're young- One Direction
Breathe(Zeds Dead rmx)- Prodigy
Like Home- Nicky Romero

Run # 443 Rao Bungalow

Sting Ray, one of the deadliest sea creatures known. Now imagine running right next to a huge ass Sting Ray, stopping to look at it and also taking your time to take pictures of the damn thing. Some even become dare devils and hold it by the tail and lift it up. That takes a lot of guts.

I wish I could say that us hashers have the guts to do that cos most of the hashers did most of the things I wrote in the previous paragraph. Its just that the Sting Ray was dead and was lying in a fisherman's basket. And right next to it on the ground was a snake, a dead snake. Need I say more about the run now?

Yes, all this was experienced in the first run of 2013. Rao Bungalow, a property, is usually WOWed upon by the hashers for its sea facing location, the lovely garden and lots of place to run around.

2013 is already turning out to be a busy time for the hashers. The first run is over... now everyone will relocate to Shimoga and call it home during the Nash Hash. Come back and you have a couple of more runs before BAM!!! Easter Weekend in March. A little birdie has told me that the easter weekend is not to be missed this year. It is gonna be legendary.

Ankit Aneja: This Delhi boy has made a special place in the Bh3 family lately. He does this thing on most of the runs... comes fashionably late, calls up Fubar asking him where the run is headed too... takes the shortest route to that point where the hashers have reached (preferably the last 1 km of the run) joins the gang and walks back to the venue to enjoy the beers. Creative! But this time he took it a step ahead and that directly led his foot into shit. He came late and decided to NOT do the run at all. Bugger was iced but we will come to that later.

The run: What a delight. This is why Cockney is known to be a true hasher. He can sniff nooks and corners and make us circle around the venue for a good amount of time. We always thought that there was no other way for us to take the run in this locality, seeing that it is surrounded by the sea and a dead end and a one way road. But Cockney Wanker and Nilesh Nandoskar pulled out a fantastic run through the fishing villages and the vast grounds where fist were laid to dry. Roughly around 8 kms, it took us from the village onto a fort (which is now a property of the Indian Air Force), back to the road and inside the bungalow.

Cumagain: Cumagain removed a giant bazooka of a camera at the fort and started clicking pics, well almost started. We saw a board there which clearly said that photography was prohibited. Just then, a man dressed in a uniform came riding on a military Bullet and stopped him to question. Cumagain had to show him the pictures on his DSLR to get rid of that jawan.

Most of the conversations in the lawn were about the SCMM or Nash Hash. Talks of Easter Weekend were also in the air.

Circle:
Yes, the first run of 2013 was a great success and the credit was generously given to Cockney Wanker and Nilesh for the wonderful effort and thought put behind this run.

Virgins were also iced. I had no interest in the virgins as all the virgins were guys. Maybe some girl found them hot enough and remembered their names. I will find it out and update this blog. However, the virgins said that they loved the experience and would keep coming back for more runs. Haa! if I had a penny for everytime somebody said that on the ice in the circle.

Sandeep, Pranita, Rohan, Yamit, Rajbir and Shreyashi also got iced for not wearing a hash t-shirt. They have been running for the long time now not to own one and wear one. They kept cribbing and we made their journey on the ice Longer...

Ankit was iced for the events narrated earlier.

With this ended the circle and started the hash anthem. Everyone was pretty drunk after that to remember anything. I do, however, remember coming to my senses in a diner in Versova.

On On




Songs that played in the background while writing this:
1. Make it bun dem skrillex & damian jr. gong marley
2. Grenade- Bruno Mars
3. She Doesn't Mind- Sean Paul
4. The Anthem- Pitbull
5. Guilty by Association- Pitbull

Happy Drinking in 2013

On! On!

Thats the best way to start the New Year, pop open a bottle of beer with the best people in your life around you. Well you may not exactly have a beer in your hand. For Hashers like Azeem, this year was all about holding his cute little daughter in his arms. 

You see how I put the 'H' in capital because that is a noun now. It is a person. It is a personality. 

So, a look back into 2012... hmmm... how do I put it? Well if I were Barney Stinson, I'd be saying, "LEGEN... wait for it... DARY." But I am not so I would just say that it was Legen-fucking-dary.

It is that time of the new year when a lot of cheques and other places which required the dates to be handwritten to read something like this...

2012 2013. So drill it into your mind that this is the year where all the digits are different. :P

Highlight events of 20twelve:

Well aren't they the best Sundays, the days when we are running. The run, the smell of chilled beer in the air, Hashers in shorts and sports bras. This year we also saw a significant increase in the number of crazy people in the city who wanted to be a part of something even crazier. A big credit for this goes to the sonofagun or daughterofagun who handles the facebook page and marketed the Hash very beautifully.

Also, addition of the bus rides to the run venues organised by Cumagain, Fartashaty and Fubar was a big hit. Not only are we running, we are also bus pooling and saving Hashers the trouble of driving, drunk driving and save a lot of fuel and go easy on the pocket and make new friends. 

2012 also saw one of the best organized Interhash at Java, Indonesia. A bunch of Hashers from Bombay piled onto a flight and witnessed the most amazing hashing event. 

Soon after, was the Monsoon Madness, hosted by Hyderabad was another wild hashing trip. It was 2 nights and three days of pure beer filled fun. 

And lets not forget the Halloween madness at the residence of Cockney Wanker. Fartashaty as always pulled the best HOMEMADE costume out and spread terror on the streets of Bandra East. This reminds me, On a sad note, it has been brought to our attention that David 'Cockney Wanker' Bradley is going to leave India in a couple of months and will not be hashing with us pretty soon. :((. But a farewell is in order...

All in all, a wonderful hashing experience in 2012 and we hope it keeps getting better with each passing year. The efforts put in by the mismanagement of Bombay Hash House Harriers really deserve a big round of applause. 

Happy 201213 to all Hashers around the world. 

Songs that played while writing this:

Sexy Bitch- David Guetta

Love is gone- David Guetta

She does'nt mind- Sean Paul

The Night Out- Martin Solveig