|
Braemar Hill Canada Day run Hare - Comes up the Rear Octo, Hopeless, LIT, Indy, Brother Anus, Po, Wai Chee LIT FB photos It just goes to show that politeness does no favours. It started with the run notice despite CUTR’s early booking of the special date as one of the few Canadians in LSW to celebrate this special day of one of the world’s most inoffensive countries. The understated ‘we won’t blow our own horn’ like our arrogant neighbour led to it not even being mentioned in the run notice that this was the Canada Day run. Having notice that it would be a rainy day CUTR politely warned runners to be prepared and wear shoes that can get wet, however this could have been misinterpreted to mean that this would be a dangerous stream trek. He was out very early in the afternoon with 9 bags of flour and rolls toilet paper (so as not to offend the locals or the environment with hellbank money). While setting the run he was rained upon a few times, deluged in fact that his trail had to be re-designed on the spot to avoid flooded areas. Around 7pm a group of elite runners gathered and no hare as he was politely trying to ensure markings were still in place as it was a huge downpour around 6:50pm. Finally we see the hare running in around 7:05 with floppy hat and wet to the bone, rain soaking even his phone which was double bagged and therefore why he didn’t answer phone calls of ‘where are you?’ So then he did the briefing. Due to the new marking system of toilet paper and zero chance of chalk we would not have any directional markings but there would be a new system of two blobs of paper for checks and three blobs of paper to indicate a lollipop loop. There would be two lollipop loops. As long as we see the three blobs we can then go back to the trail we came in on. He said something about Rambos and wimps and then the riverbed and that in his consideration of us overheating that he had set runs in the riverbed to help us cool down. But instead of feeling comforted we all freaked out at the mention of riverbed, imagining the horrors of a slippery stream trekking in the dark during a deluge. Finally we set off in the torrential rain excited by the rain but our brains completely washed of any memory of the instructions that CUTR had painstakingly explained to us a few times. Just as well Hopeless was listening as by the time we had reached the top of the stairs onto the contour trail before even the first marking we had forgotten which direction he had told us to go. Hopeless remembered turn right... thankfully we had him around as Brother Anus who arrived late also lost his brain at this point and turned left, got confused, couldn’t find any markings and did a 2.9km loop and added a few metres heading to the 7 eleven for a beer. As for the rest of us we found trail and were off running on the contour trail until we saw the first of the three blobs and then we completely lost it freaking out... which way should we go... knees knocking stressed out as we didn’t want to end up on the riverbed... just as well the pack stayed relatively together and Hopeless our therapist, calmly explained Chris’ logic and led us on the trail of least resistance. Then we reached an interesting shiggy section that went into the hills. We saw trail leading up but then it disappeared (CUTR in his politeness forgot to let us know that he had put some white string in the shiggy to mark the turn relatively early into the shiggy) Wai Chee Kok and Poon Tang had already disappeared up the hills and Hopeless was warning us of the arduous climb if we continued to follow non trail up... so we opted to return to the main trail. WCK and PT realising they would be running in the wild on their own came back to join us back to the main trail. Then we reached the next set of three blobs and once again we were everywhere freaking out as we didn’t know what to do, this circular route option was too hard for us. The inoffensive Canadian way of allowing us to choose any direction as Long as it comes back to the three dots was too hard to cope with. We needed a strong leader, we needed to be told what to do, told that we are idiots if we take that trail, we needed to be guided like children and protected from any potential danger because we really didn’t know any better... so step in Hopeless who was willing to make a decision and cop the consequences who was willing to say, you’d be crazy to go that way. You should follow my way or the high...oops the riverbed way!! Yikes we all happily followed Hopeless’ way. We still followed trail around a few loops we later found out that we had chosen the wimps not Rambo loops and that there was a ghost trail out there that had not been run. On the way back we bumped into Indy who was looking confused at the three dots and also anxiously needing some strong direction. So we firmly commanded her to come back with us despite her protests we said no you must go this way. So she joined us and we all returned to A safe and sound. At A we saw the Hare and Brother Anus already back and calmly on a conference call having drank a few too many beers already and trying to decide what to do as he was on a call and needed to pee.. Thanks to the hare for a fun run in the rain. We had a good time, lots of laughs and we learned how difficult it is to be a Canadian when you have to try to please everyone, repressing all your demands and emotions and in the end get rained upon and end up going around in circles and getting ignored just like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G20 summit: You can watch the full video on this website Happy Canada Day everyone! Down downs by Indy The Hare - Comes Up The Rear...Well done setting the run in such torrential conditions!! Twas Pishing down all arvo....with thunder ... lightning!!...'Rock on you!!' CUTR - no signs of stress in setting this wet wet run in wet wet conditions with dryish toilet paper!!!...except for saying.. 'the pack left 10 mins ago and not come back yet.....so that's a good sign!????' CUTR - Happy Canadian Day (Run)!...but where is your Canadian maple leaf shirt? Hopeless - naturally had one in the cupboard...and then wearing it!!!! CUTR - I shall give you a Mr Trudeau handshake instead?? Que? Octo / CUTR / Brother An*s - demo...how to be ignored when hand extended for a handshake????!...Had to be there...... Brother An*s - arrives 10 mins late as decided to run up from Tin Hau to Braemar Hill.....!!! (Could not find the right minibus!!) Yours truly Indy - late ish.. 'would you believe I missed the bus and ran up the hill from Tin Hau ??????' BA - before the run...."Indy ...have you got a power pack?"...'Right ...now will leave phone charging whilst away on run..'!! .....Well for 20 mins!!.....not finding true trail BA was back early and ran to 711 to get his own preferred beer!!...and then the conference call..... CUTR - the markings..on toilet paper...'Follow the 'blobs' until you get to 3 circular blobs..then follow to the right.......there is a circular W and the R off the Wimps..... Lost In Translation / Hopeless / Octo / Wai Chee / Poon Tang - Did the circular W and tried to find the Rambo trail....but could not follow those 'blobs'! Yours Truly Indy - got to first set of 3 blobs ....confused...then did little little circles checking out the rocks maybe??....finally rescued by 'the gang' back tracking....... Yours Truly - said to 'gang'....'BA is out there (or so I thought!') Octo / Hopeless - one of them hesitated and slowed down...concerned... thinking what to do?...the other yelled! 'Who? ' and just kept running....Who did which?? BA - says...'Why don't we have an English Day run?......and btw when is our English Day?' Hopeless - that would be St George's Day...in April! !! BA - 'Ok put me down for setting that St Andrews Day Run then!!!'????... LIT - Twas all over it!!...(in hysteria!!)!! All English present - BA / Poon Tang CUTR - So Mr Canada....'Parlez vous francais?'...What?? Fluent Bilingual /Trilingual speakers - Octo / Wai Chee...and the native English speakers??...smatterings of....er er er !! Hopeless - ab fab shirts... with British and HK flags on sleeves!! So timely!! How did you know?? Hopeless - very thoughtfully put the LSW song on the back....no excuse now Oh Sh*t and.... So to sing the hash song with words......CUTR!!! ...hash song modelled by BA!! Thanks CUTR for fun run and bash!!!!.....great effort!! really enjoyable!! 6.68km 78mins
|
|
