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A to B run On-On: On site pizza Hares: F3M and Any Fanny will Do The hares had chosen to start the run from a small park next to that well known 1980's architectural icon, the Hopewell centre. This handy location was both easy to reach from work (unless your name is Hopeless), and offered plenty of possibilities for access to the trails. The B, "Deep Water Bay" seemed to be common knowledge. I arrived just as F3M was reaching a crescendo on the technicalities of her run. I vaguely caught the words "very important to know about the run" wafting over the heads of the newbie's as they exchanged confused looks. While F3M was basking in the limelight, Any Fanny will Do seemed to be doing all the work, taking down names, and generally trying to get things into some sort of order. For a moment I though he was pretending to be the Grand Old duke of York, as he had us marching up and down with our bags. Eventually F3M gave us our starters orders, and the pack set off along Queen's Rd on an Easterly course more or less on time. An easy check at the bottom of Wan Chai Gap Rd, sent us left into some small lanes, and round to a W/R split at the Pak Tai Temple. The Wimps were sent straight up to Kennedy Rd via Stone Nullah Lane Garden, while the Rambo's were sent a couple of blocks further East, to a check on Kennedy Rd. At this point the FRB's, having ignored the briefing, started to behave like proverbial decapitated chickens. Tentative groupings of hashers made various excursions in both directions, only to come trolling sheepishly back, no doubt fearful of separation from the pack. It was obvious strong measures were needed, Inflate a date, always a man of initiative, set sail valiantly down Kennedy road in search of answers. Unfortunately for him, no answers were forthcoming in that direction. Meanwhile Ivana nu kok, had sneaked off the other way, correctly rejoining the Wimps after a couple of hundred yards. However she failed to share news of her discovery with anyone else. So after running all the way along Kennedy Road as far as the petrol station at Bowen Drive, she not only passed all the Wimps, but found herself very much alone. As a penitence, she returned nearly a kilometer, to come to the rescue of the rest of the distressed Rambo's. Not that they really deserved rescuing, after their shabby check solving display. So up Bowen Drive it was, Ivana NK dispatched the check at Bowen Rd in short order, leading the way up the steps behind Bowen Rd Park. She was not so fortuitous on the next check, at the top of the steps. Instead fortune smiled on Crash Test Dummy (me) to make the correct left turn on to the contour trail. An obvious red herring check followed next, at the point where the path changes into a concrete lane. This check was duly ignored, with the on on being straight ahead along the lane, eventually emerging at Wan Chai Gap Rd. Taking a clockwise approach to check solving at Stubbs Rd, didn't work too well for me tho, with forays into both Blacks link and Middle Gap Rd proving useless. Go-Be-Lo or was it Ivana NK then made a wrong turn down Aberdeen Reservior Rd, allowing time for most of FRB's to re-group and set off along Mount Cameron Rd. There is only one possible way to go at the end of Cameron Rd. and that is up a short trail to rejoin Middle Gap Rd. So after passing the barrier gate, a now competitive pack featuring Ivana NK, Ruggero, Go-Be-Lo, Creme Brulee, Come into my tunnel, and Winnebago resulted in some jockeying for position and confusion at the junction with the Hong Kong Trail. Of course the FRB's went wrong in the process. However the on on was soon found again by Ivana NK bringing the pack all the way down to the end of Middle gap rd, and then down the steps to the junction with Aberdeen reservoir catch water. There may have been a check here, but by now everybody knew where it was all heading, and a mad dash was on along the catchwater. Go-Be-Lo accelerated off into the darkness before my very eyes, Inflate a date came zipping past on after burners. Latecomer Cheesy Flying Fox passed me like like I was a snail in a greyhound track. Picking my way along the catchwater, I felt uncommonly nervous, it being just a few weeks since my last plunge off a catchwater. Hopeless then materialized out of the darkness like the grim reaper, causing me to nearly fell off again. Apparently I was not alone to have problems here as Rugero landed badly after leaping off one of those stupid little bridge things. And so it was with much relief that Deep Water Bay Rd finally hove into sight. A 2nd Wimp Rambo split at the junction of Deep water Bay rd and Nam Fung rd. had the Rambo's doing the trail behind the HK Golf Club, and the Wimps finishing down Deep Water Bay Rd. Arriving at Deep Water Bay Beach, Yummy Mummy was standing guard duty over the bags. The FRB's were enjoying a dip in the crystal black waters, while the majority of the pack were soon flocking in. Last in was Toilet Spray, just at the point where questions as to her whereabouts were raised. Step it up Toilet Spray! All in all a decent run, which due to lack alacrity from some of the FRB's at the 1st check, kept the wimps and rambo's finishing close together. The discussion went like this, Ruggero "Deep water bay is deep" to which I countered "no its not" Ruggero "Yes it is, why else would they call it deep water bay". In order to scientifically settle the matter I rushed off home to study the GIS data and can scientifically conclude that its not deep at all. So there. Cost effective and plentiful Pizza was served and as F3M pointed out no bloody vegetarian crap, or words to that effect. Meat eaters of the world unite! DD's were performed by Hopeless and as follows: Hares (actually just hare, as Any Fanny will Do had gone AWOL or MIA not use which) The song was sung by Marmalade Head and I forgot who else!
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