The origin of the Wadi Bih Run goes back to the RAK Hash House Harriers running club
Hashing originated in December 1938 in Selayang Quarry Malaysia, when a group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British paper chase or "hare and hounds", to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend.
After World War II, in an attempt to reorganize in the city of Kuala Lumpur, the Hashers were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a "group," they would require a constitution. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, harriers reaching the end of the trail would partake of beer, ginger beer and cigarettes.
The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950 were to:
The idea spread through the Far East and the South Pacific, Europe, and North America, expanding rapidly during the mid-1970s.
At present, there are almost two thousand chapters of the Hash House Harriers in all parts of the world, with members distributing newsletters, directories, and magazines and organizing regional and world hashing events.
More information
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The inaugural Wadi Bih Run held in 1993 was organized by John Gregory and Mike Turner of the RAK Hash House Harriers. John arranged a raucous night of barbecues and festivities at a remote Wadi in RAK late into the night and then roused everybody at the crack of dawn and issued them a clipboard with the 72 km route split into various stages of steepness and rough wadi bed. Mike was tasked with driving ahead and placing the signboards for the stage markers on the track. The relay run finished with a ceremonial dip in the Gulf of Oman before gathering in a Wadi for beverages and some ethnic Indian curry.
When the first Western expatriates arrived in the UAE to work there were a number of Hash House Harriers running club set up and the RAK Hash House Harriers was one of the first.
With the development of the region there are now a wide variety of different running clubs to suit all tastes but some of the Hash House Harriers running clubs are still going strong and are ardent supporters of the Wadi Bih Run:
Creek Hash House Harriers
The Creek Hash House Harriers running club is men only hash that meets every Wednesday at different locations in Dubai. They welcome all new runners/walkers/sitters and also visitors from other hashes!.
Website
For further details check out: The Creek Hash House Harriers website .
Desert Hash House Harriers
The Desert Hash House Harriers running club (DH3) is a family friendly hash located in Dubai who meet every week on a Sunday evening at different locations throughout the year. New runners and visitors are always welcome so check the details for the next run and come along and introduce yourself - we're very welcoming.
As well as meeting each Sunday, the DH3 has an active calendar of social events.
Website
For further details check out: The Desert Hash House Harriers website .
