Oludeniz Hash House Harriers celebrated its first birthday on Sunday 3rd July 2011 with a great walk/run and a party.

[See pictures at the end of the article]

This popular walking and running group is fast becoming the biggest Hash in Turkey.

It was started just over a year ago by the current Grand Master and retired Army Officer Clive Ward, who had experienced other hashes in Turkey and Cyprus.

He along with a group of friends thought there was room for another hash group in the Muğla region.

The membership consists mainly of expatriates of all ages spanning many decades, along with a couple of Turkish nationals all of whom live in the local area.

Members are often joined by holiday makers during the summer months.

Amble, Ramble or Jog

Some of more athletic hashers run the route with the majority enjoying a brisk or leisurely walk.

The main aim of the Oludeniz Hash House Harriers is to meet like minded people in a family friendly environment and follow a flour trail around the tracks, trails and villages of the local area, enjoying the scenery and visiting many places mainly of the beaten track.

In order to make it a more memorable and special day the 1st Birthday run was a little different than usual.

Altitude

The location was 1,250m above sea level on a plateau between Babadağ and Mendos mountain range and it was a live hare run.

Hash Master, retired Fire Officer Eric Robson, explained that normally the trail is set by the Hares the day or morning before the run with flour marking the route for the other hashers to follow, however, as this was our first birthday we wanted to do something a little different, the hares on the day decided to set a live trail starting only 5 minutes before the rest of the pack followed.

This puts extra pressure on the hares not to be caught and is very seldom seen in hashing circles.

Over 60 Oludeniz hashers enjoy just over an hours walk in the cool mountain air before meeting up at the end for the traditional circle where the hares are toasted with a beer or soft drink, new or returning hashers are welcomed and birthdays are celebrated and a joke or funny story told.

After the walk to celebrate the first birthday nearly everyone moved on to the Oran Apart Hotel in Ovacık to enjoy a superb BBQ prepared by the family owners of this friendly establishment and enjoyed the peaceful gardens and large swimming pool.

Friendly

As summed up by Ayhan and Anna Ozberk,

“Oludeniz Hash is very friendly, well organised and a fantastic way of getting exercise, meeting like minded people, seeing parts of the countryside that you wouldn't otherwise have known about and sometimes eating out in places that you wouldn't normally have encountered but would like to go back to, so all in all it is win, win,win”!!!

For further information about Oludeniz Hash: please visit www.oludenizhashhouseharriers.com Tel: 05387 656680 or Facebook Oludeniz Hash House Harriers.

What, Why & When

Hashing originated in December 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, then in the Federated Malay States (now 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.

Pictures of the First Birthday Event

The Hares

Great Views

The walk/run

Happy Hashers

First Birthday Party

Party Time