WHILE most of us like nothing better than rest and relaxation on a Saturday afternoon, there are some individuals who choose to pull on their running shoes and head off into the hills, all in the name of the Hash House Harriers (HHH) and some serious fun.

Formed in the 1960s, at the “Hash House” restaurant, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the HHH has a proud tradition of running across arduous terrain the world over. And this tradition is no less strong here in Seychelles where once a fortnight since April 1986, the dedicated- or foolhardy- have turned out to pit themselves against all that Seychelles has to offer.

The Seychelles chapter of HHH was started by Britons John Purvis and Edward Tarkowski and Malaysian Albert Leong and has run almost 450 times since its inception.

Throughout its 15-year history, the Seychelles HHH has never once missed its fortnightly meeting.

Today, only Ms Marie-Thérèse Purvis, out of the original Seychelles hash run, is still running with the local chapter, but the Harriers continue to attract the same diverse cross section of Seychelles society as ever.

With members aged from five to 74 and everything in between, all levels of ability are catered for and while everyone sets out on the same three to five-kilometre course the degree of competitiveness is far from uniform.

In order to prevent the over-zealous from finishing too far ahead, the volunteers, who set the trail the day before, are careful to include one or two dead-ends forcing the leaders to turn back, so that run, walk or scramble the gap from first to last is never too great.

And with the finish line comes the all-important cold drink and long chat that reinvigorates tired legs and makes it all seem worthwhile.

A loosely regulated group, presided over by the Mismanagement Committee, the only thing that the HHH are serious about is protecting the environment that they run through and take every precaution not to harm it with their activity. They permit no littering and no damage to the forests in which they run.

Having held meetings on Mahe, Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette and even Mauritius, the Harriers are a well-travelled group who are always ready to welcome any new runners. So if you’re interested in joining in, look out for the adverts posted once every two weeks on these pages.