Hares: Octopussy and Freewheel

New runners: Danny from London (an uncanny likeness to 1969's Alfie staring Michael Caine), at the behest of Poll Dancer. And an American robot maker who didn't stick around long enough to tell her interesting story of romance in the Himalayas.

Runners gather at the foot of the 65 storey,1977-era Hopewell Centre, set along Queen's road

The theme: It's a miracle this run ever happened.

The story: "It's a long one" says lone hare Octo.

The savior: Freewheel, who stepped up to the plate in a time of need.

The mission: Get these runners the 8 km to Aberdeen, get them fed, and get on with 2012.

Octo was busy stepping along Queen's road in the early evening darkness telling herself "I'm in control, I'm on top of the situation, whatever comes..." Setting trail earlier that day there was a grinding apprehension. Chalk was everywhere and it was fresh, and there was so much of it, how was trail ever to be found? The god's complied sending crisp winter air, mostly pollution free and a winter sprinkle of rain to add that extra edge of anxiety in the early going.

Runners suited up in a well chosen concrete parkway, sheepishly retelling their holiday tales, still groggy from jetlag and having over done it during the festival season. Freewheel especially groggy thinking "why does everyone count on me to be savior?"

"There's so much chalk everywhere that I marked the trail using purple coloured markings" said Octo.

"Yeah, but coloured markings don't show up at night," said one uppity hasher.

Doug for once not the difficult one, nodded with a kind of happy hen-like pecking from inside the crowd of gathered runners.

Motor mouth brought a whimsical warmth as Octo and Freewheel stuffed a record amount of bags, booze and melting ice into a lone taxi.

Things went bad right from the start as runners set off down Queen's road only to lose the markings in the turn up Ship Street. Hopeless, fuming, reappears on Queen's road "Where are they? Have they gone? We can't find the markings," in a barely contained huff.

IvannaNucock sorts the situation, proudly using her new smartphone to call the hare for directions.

Trail continued up Ship street leading runner in grinding uphill to Bowen road. Past the rest area, trail continued up concrete steps eventually turning into dirt path and a split that lost a host of runners. Hopeless and a pack of leaders feel something intuitively amiss when the site of the HSBC headquarters comes into view. Trail continues back towards Black links, through Wan Chai gap and tips suddenly in decent to Aberdeen. Borrowing a piece of the cross island trail in a seeming and cleverly long and winding diversion, it once again drops runners back onto reservoir path and eventually the stream below. The river valley yawned into a lonely abyss sinking footprints deep into mud. Back on path, then wimps rambo split that send the brave onto another technical rock section of stream. Back on an unusual trail which finally yields near an over motor causeway and a cheerful little Christmas light display.

On On Myanmar Thai Palace

Indy master of ceremonies and a long series of down downs, preceded by restaurant staff urgently mopping up pools of water leaking from black garbage bags.

Cheesyflyingfuck (Breon) -- For showing up, and for being showed up as a front runner

IvannaNucock -- small beer allocations

Octo -- for getting up the courage to host this run after repeated difficulties

Macau drunk - (to prevent this space from being blank, insert your own thought here)

C -- for great write up

C -- for showing up

Freewheel - not drinking while showing up

Indy -- messing up CFFs name

Hopeless, Captain Pubic Hair, Higgy, CFF in absentia -- for being front runners

Lost at Sea -- not being a front runner

Hopeless -- feeling old Lost at sea-- also felling old

Thermal dick -- showing up

Hopless -- not being on trail

Higgy -- 'Up ship's street without chalk'

Thermal dick -- not being on chalk

Captain public hair -- not being on trail

Lost at sea -- not on trail Olya -- for carrying a phone

Octo - revealing trail

Higgy, Hopeless -- seeing hsbc buidling and having realization not on trail

Indy - front runner

HPSalsa -- being alive

Tight lips -- cheating

Easyover, Bangkok -- taking a taxi

C -- keeping a secret of the trail

Captain pubic hair -- avoiding the knife

Bondi -- not slicing anyone

Poll dancer Swedish woman -- being free of ill husband

Poll dancer Swedish woman -- here's to leaving the husband home alone again

Danny from London -- first timer and being so Michael Caine-ish

Bobbledick -- for being such an expat know it all

Higgy, Bobbledick -- separated at birth?

Captain PH -- Getting engaged to Easyover

CPH -- engaged on the hash

CPH -- she like the ring

CPH -- ring not big enough

CPH -- 'no problem dear, I'll take you and you can pick it out'

CPH -- 'important for her to be happy'

Hopeless -- No tripleFM

CPH -- Not being able to have children

HPSalsa -- could be last run, Canberra worse than death

IvannaNucock -- For making it to South korea on skiing trip; 'does she ever work?' asks Indy

Lost at Sea - Wearing a green hat which symbolizes his Cuckold status in chinese culture, says IvannaNucock

Freewheel - dressing like a highway flagman

Octo - small arrows

Indy -- interference

Indy - hesitation, forgetfulness

Hopeless - mellowing with age

Octo, Freewheel - hosting this run

Bobbledick - Wearing Christmas colours

Comes in my tunnel - making 50 runs

C - making midnight runs