Santa gives reindeer a break with charity hash run

With his paunch and appetite for mince pies, Santa Claus may be an unlikely candidate for vigorous exercise.

But that didn't stop some of the city's most enthusiastic runners dressing in his familiar red garb as they raised thousands of dollars for charity.

Some 200 members of the city's 13 Hash House Harriers clubs headed to the hills on Sunday dressed as Santa, his wife or his little helpers in the annual festive hash for Operation Santa Claus.

Led by the Wan Chai club, this year's event raised some HK$75,000 for Operation Santa, the annual festive fundraising drive run by the South China Morning Post and RTHK. That included HK$25,000 raised by a "12 Hashes of Christmas" group who ran 11 trails in 11 days before joining Sunday's run, and received support from Bekk, an international diving company.

Hashing is based on the old English game of paper chase, or hare and hounds. One runner, the "hare", heads out first to mark a trail to be followed by the pack of "hounds". Typically, the runs serve to work up a thirst for the hashers, for whom the fun is as much in socialising over a beer as in running.

Three trails of varying difficulties were set to suit runners of all abilities. Experienced athletes chased a brisk 6km or a harder 7km trail from Quarry Bay Park up to Braemar Hill and back, with the toughest heading to a triangulation station beyond. Other runners headed along the promenade to Shau Kei Wan for 4km.