One of the unique aspects about Chiang Mai and possibly why we have the most active Hash House Harriers chapter in all of Thailand and one of the most active in all of SE Asia is likely because of our unique terrain. While we don't have any beaches, we do have lakes, plains, hills, and mountains. We also have plenty of countryside despite being one of the more heavily populated cities in the country.

one aspect that some Hares (the people who make the trails) frequently feature in our runs are giant hill climbs. Since most of us are 45 years of age or older, this can bring about some intense groaning from the masses.

Used sparingly, I enjoy the hills because it works out a different part of my body that I probably don't focus on as much as I should. It also gives us a break from the speed since none of us are in good enough shape to run up steep inclines, as much as we wish we could.

Most of the hills we encounter are covered with wild jungle still so we have plenty to grab onto during the ascent. The descent is where things can get a bit dicey, especially if it is at all wet. Wet ground on a hill that is in the shade can be bad news!

This photo was staged so don't worry about the old fella there, he is fine.

There was an instance in the past couple of years though where during a decline one of our longest-running and quite fast participants stepped on a rock, slipped, and cut his head open pretty badly. We were concerned but he is a trooper. There was plenty of blood but we have lots of first aid stuff that we bring along with us and we have many retired military in our ranks, a medical doctor, and two actively working nurses. You are gonna be ok with us!

One aspect about the "hill runs" is that they tend to be shorter than our flat ones. They have to be or all of us would die from heat exhaustion. The reference to how fantastic the cardio of the farmers that work up here and walk around like it's nothing to them comes up frequently and on the rare occasion that we encounter a farmer on our runs they will normally get a real laugh out of how much we are struggling.

If hills are not for you don't worry, we will always have a "wimp" alternate trail if the hilly bits are anything that someone would consider too dangerous. If you can hack it though, there can be some amazing views from the top once you get up there.

All details are released before the runs so our hilly ones are labeled as such. There are no surprises. If you want to come and join us in Chiang Mai feel free: full details about our at least 3 runs per week are featured on our official website