Freezing Cold Hash - Edison, NJ

Ahhh the Freezing Cold Hash. I am not much of a hasher but I do like this one. Ken Vercammen is the organizer of this annual event and puts on a good show which he does much of it by himself. This year it was particularly difficult because he was coming off knee surgery and was limited to how much running around he could do. He got a lot help from fellow runners like Mike W, Dan Fabrizio, Jim, Chris (bartenders), Charlotte and SueAnn and Brian Borden.

If you are not familiar with a hash, it is not really a run but a gathering of folks. Some bullet points on hashing

• To promote physical fitness among our members
• To get rid of weekend hangovers
• To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
• To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

The Freezing Cold Hash starts at the Law Office of Ken Vercammen. There is lots of drinking before, during and afterwards. There is an official bartender and he was mixing margarita's in a blender that probably hasn't been cleaned out from the previous hash run.

The run also starts at a weird time, 10:17, which I am not sure the reason for that. Before heading out we all take a group photo in front of the office. This year Ken had the largest crowd by far. There had to be over 200 hashers.

Off we went through some one's backyard and into an open field. The course is laid out that morning and there are false turns to throw us hashers off. I was running with good friends Taugh Lynch, Tommy Ryan and Brennan Davis. I also knew the guys & gals from RVRR. Everyone seems to go there own way and when you find the right direction you yell, on-on to let people know you have found the way.

Taugh and I got split up from Tommy and Brennan and we ended up running with Janet (Taugh's friend) Lianne and a few others. We were confused and kept running into Pizza Box girl, who was dressed up like a pizza slice including an old pizza box attached to her. There were lots of folks dressed strangely.

After running up and down through some of the superfund sites of Edison we finally found the correct trail but we had to hop a 5 foot barbed wire fence. Not really my idea of fun, but luckily there was a snow pile on the other side.

I think we were the last 6 back to Ken's office. No food or beer left so we headed to the Green Derby. This is a dive bar across from Ken's office. Place is actually a lot of fun. The crowd in the bar was huge and festive.

Ken gives out awards and not the categories you would image. Best smile, Miss congeniality, banana eating and special talent.


I hope to do a few other hash runs this year to get a different take on it.