by Shauna K
Originally published in Currents August/September 2004|
Copyright © 2004-2005 AWC Hamburg

One of the things I have come to love most in my first year in Hamburg is running. With its beautiful dirt trails in the many green zones, which are ideal for running, as well as events and clubs for runners of all abilities, Hamburg is definitely a runner’s city.

Let’s start with my personal favorite, the Außenalster. One lap is about seven kilometers. Add a loop through Planten un Blomen, and you have close to 13. The Stadtpark and along the Elbe are also wonderful places to run. But most of you probably already know these places. It seems sometimes on the weekends, when the weather is good, that everyone who lives in Hamburg heads there. For a plethora of great running trails pick up a copy of Laufen in Hamburg, Der Streckenfuehrer by Til Steinmeier. This book lists over 25 trails in and around Hamburg that are ideal for runners. Some of the trails are also great for cyclists, as well as walkers and those simply looking for a great picnic spot. Anyone who wants to get the most out of Hamburg’s many green spaces can benefit from it. Even if you can’t read German, the many maps in this book can guide you along most of the trails.

Those who like to run competitively or in the com-pany of at least a thousand other runners will not be disappointed by the race opportunities in Hamburg. There are many events of all different lengths throughout the year. It seems that there is not a weekend in summer in Hamburg without a race of some sort. Upcoming races I personally recommend in-clude the 10 mile Internationales Airport Race on September 5, which unfortunately is already full, and the Blankenese 11 km half-marathon and 21.5 km marathon on August 22, which may or may not be full by the time this article is published. If you like to run really long distances and don’t mind traveling a bit, join me in the Berlin Marathon on September 26. And from experience, I also recommend the Olympus Marathon Hamburg which will be held on April 24, 2005, and the Hella half-marathon in June of 2005. But don’t let all that marathon talk scare you. There are plenty of shorter races as well. You can find out about them all at the website www.laufen-in-hamburg.de. If you don’t race, but have friends that do, get out there and support them when they race. We runners love that. Just tell us exactly where you’ll be so we can spot you among the hundreds or thousands of others who might be lining the length of the course.

And if you are looking for a running group that likes to follow every run with a few beers and a bit of a party, try running with the Hash House Harriers. The “Hash” in the name has nothing to do with marijuana! Started in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by a British ex-patriate named Gispert, the original hash run was a paper chase (also a game called Hare and Hounds or Schnitzeljagd in German) which was always followed by a meal at the Selangor Club, also called the “Hash House,” hence the name “Hash House Harriers.” Now there are thousands of clubs all over the world.

The typical “Hash” consists of a trail laid in flour anywhere from 3 km to 10 km long, though there have been trails that have been longer. Most people run the trail, but there are those who only walk as well. The trail may be laid in the city or in the countryside. There is a game to the trail. It twists and turns, and there are markers deliberately placed to get you temporarily lost. This is designed to give the slower runners a chance to catch up with the faster ones. At the end of the run, the group forms a circle to sing a few bawdy songs and drink a few beers. The circle is sometimes followed with dinner in a restaurant or a few more beers in a bar. All Hash clubs have traditions that have been passed down from the “Mother Hash” in Kuala Lumpur, as well as traditions of their own. Some clubs are quite tame in nature, and some are quite decadent. Hamburg’s Hash falls somewhere between the two.

Started in July of 1993 by a man from Denmark, the Hamburg Hash, really called Hansestadt Hamburg Hash House Harriers Hummel Hummel, or H7 for short, runs every other Saturday at 14:00. Warning: this group can often be very politically incorrect. But they can also be a lot of fun. I started running with the Hashers in Korea, ran with them in Texas, and now run with them in Hamburg. I have run with the Hash House Harriers in 13 different countries, and though I have enjoyed most of the groups, there were definitely a few that were too much for me. For more information, check out their website at www.hamburghash.de/anglo/home.html.