With Valentine’s Day around the corner, red dresses will be the order of the day. On Saturday evening the Barbados Hash House Harriers got the festivities started early with their annual Red Dress Run in which both women and men don the garment.
Though the Barbados Hash House Harriers started in 1985, this international network was established long before that. The non-competitive running social club is humorously known as ‘A Drinking Club with a Running Problem’. Ian Melville, the current Hash Master explained, “Hash House Harriers is a global thing started in Malaysia by British Army Officers in the 1930s and is now a worldwide activity.”
Melville said, “Today’s run is number 2128, so we are doing pretty well. On the Saturday closest to Valentine’s Day, we traditionally run in red dresses. Red Dress runs are a Hash thing generally, not just something that was dreamed up here in Barbados.”
For the 2023 edition the fun-loving group gathered in the car park of Jus Grillin’ restaurant for the start. Though traditionally these runs are more rustic in nature, this latest run traversed the environs of Holetown. The most recent location adds a different element to the event. Melville expressed, “Well this run is slightly different to most in that the charity collection is the focus, so the fun is a bit shorter than normal, and a bit more geographically constrained. Also, it’s a lot more road than many of our runs.” In addition to the $2 registration fee, hashers collected donations from individuals along the route.
The Red Dress Run attracts a wide cross section of people. Melville shared, “These days we generally attract between 60-80 runners and walkers of all ages and abilities.” Participation is open to the public. He noted,“We welcome everyone, those who have never hashed with us before are known as virgins.”
Having fun is integral, the one requirement for this initiative is a sense of humour. Their runs have taken them islandwide, across varied terrain. But the consistent component which will not be compromised is the fun element. After this run there was a lime and prize giving. Among the prizes distributed was one for Most Intriguingly Dressed.
The group has many fundraising initiatives throughout the year and there is a feeling of camaraderie among them. One of the highly anticipated events was the World Gather, which would have attracted groups from abroad. This inter-hash was scheduled to happen in Trinidad during the pandemic, but unfortunately circumstances caused its cancellation.
The recipient for the funds collected from this event will be the Paediatric Unit of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Melville indicated, “This was decided by our committee. We asked around for something to support, came up with a couple of options and voted.” The official presentation of the funds will be made next week to Dr Angela Jennings, head of the Paediatric Unit.
More information on the group and their upcoming events is available on their social media platforms. (STT)
