Pattaya H3 #2119

I have had the good fortune to run with the hash club a few times now, and today was yet another awesome adventure through the local countryside. This hash was originally founded as the Pattaya Mixed H3. Trail today was yet another great shiggy trail, with plenty of dirt tracks through farmer’s fields, water crossings, and lots of just general shiggy. Another great day of hashing in Pattaya. (One quick note . . . it was 41 years ago today, that I ran my first hash trail, in Japan.)

Hashing spread to Pattaya, with the establishment of the Pattaya Mixed H3 on 7 Jan 1984. Founded by Molly Kirgis who had just been exposed to the Bangkok H3 on an outstation run, she was assisted by Bill 'BJ' Jones and her husband Hans. The written description of hash number one stated that the trail would start from Jomtien Beach, and included waterways, bushy nature, ponds covered with water lilies, and buffalos who fortunately were far enough away that they did not interfere with pursuit of the finish. After creating their thirst, they proceeded to the home of the GM to quench it with beer . . . and thus inaugurated the Pattaya Mixed H3.

Hashing biweekly for the first year, they celebrated their first anniversary in conjunction with the 25th run. One hundred hashers gathered in Rio Park for the event, and it was at this point that founder and GM at that time suggested that Frank ‘Whorerator’ Benfield become the next GM. Years later, assistant founder Bill 'BJ' Jones is quoted as saying “It was after that the hash began to change from the mixed hash, that had originated a year earlier, into a more macho type atmosphere.” This probably saw the elimination of ‘mixed’ from the name, resulting in simply the Pattaya H3 as they are known today.Read more