Compiled by Hugh Heifer with special thanks to the members of the Manila Mixed Old Timers Facebook group.
The M2H3 was founded February 14, 1982 by Malcolm 'Thirsty, Lamb-Butt' Lambert.
Thirsty clowning while the late Mike Gawthrop looks on - Circa late 1980s
(Photo courtesy of Jujo Conol)
Like many hashes formed before US Vice President Al Gore invented the interwebs, the hashtory of the Manila Mixed Hash House Harriers is cloaked in mystery. After much exhaustive research, an enormous investigative team has been able to lift the cloak, reach behind the curtain and bring to light what has been lost through the years of swill, smog and shiggy.
The Philippines has a rich tradition in hashing with many, many kennels springing up hither and yon over the years but all of these kennels must give the credit of their origins to the first known kennel in the Philippines: The Manila Hash House Harriers.
Born of the Jakarta H3 by James "Ratcatcher" Howard, the first running of the Manila H3 (or as some refer to it today "Manila Men's") was December 31, 1973. The M2H3 was the fourth (known) kennel to call the Philippines home. The Manila Men's has had many descendants. Of note are Angeles City H3 [1978]; Yangon H3 [1980]; Lima 1 H3 [1980]; Manila Harriettes [1980]; Puerto Galera 2 H3 [1986]; Hyderabad H3 [1990]; Zululand H3 [1994]; Chengdu Panda H3 [1997]; and Shepshed H3 [Unknown]. But than this is not a history of the Manila Men's is it? For that nonsense I point you to Tom "Squatta" Crouch's prose that can be found on the MH3 website.
It was not until the ladies of Manila realized that they could have as much fun as the men that the Manila Mixed H3 was even a thought. Beginning December 31, 1980, the Manila Hash House Harriettes (now known simply as the Manila Harriettes) started going off on their own on Monday evenings. (You can read that history on the M1H1's current site.)
The ladies made a go of it but suffered hashus interuptus when Malcolm "Thirsty Lamb-Butt" Lambert (known now to his friends just as Thirsty) decided that he would much prefer a second outing each week and rather than learn from others what his wife was doing while the men were at play he started the M2H3. According to one of the original Harriettes, Liv "TENSPEED" Gawthrop, it was not long before the newly founded M2H3 interrupted the ladies' Monday evenings as many chose to attend the Thursday night debauchery. The Harriettes were put on hiatus by unanimous decision sometime post 1983 after a little over 125 or so trails as "two nights out per week was just too much."
On July 24, 2016, I sat down with Thirsty and was able to convince him to share a bit about the early days of the M2H3. (Of course this did not happen without a few cold ones so let me see if I can get it posted here amidst the fog.) He explained that the ladies of Manila, in a fit of rage over their men's Monday night activities, started their own kennel and, like the men, also ran on Mondays. This was in 1980 or so. But (according to Thirsty) the ladies were often a bit nervous following trail into the depths of Manila. Their response was to ask a gentleman hasher to break trail with them. Although men occasionally gave in to the request to be a knight in shining armor, many men shunned the ladies' hash and would have nothing to do with it. [As we all know, some believe the hash is a men's only club and should remain so in the oldest tradition of the Hash.] After a couple of years, Thirsty thought it would be sensible to simply start a mixed group and put it on a day other than Monday to encourage all comers - even the men who shunned the ladies' idea of fun. With the help of Mike Gawthrop (RIP), the Thursday hash was born as the Manila Mixed Hash House Harriers or M2H3. Thirsty went on to say it was because of the Thursday iteration he eventually was named. Due to his constant announcements of the M2H3 regarding the up coming Thursday at the MH3, he started to be called "Thursday" which eventually was mispronounced enough to "Thirsty." As to the name "Lamb Butt?" He calls that a gawd awful name! We discussed some of the original Grandmasters (or Mix Masters as originally called by the Mixed Hash) and Thirsty recalled many by name but few by hash handle. Thirsty said in the early days they did not use many hash names but the ladies who came over had them and it eventually took hold. "It became a bloody obsession!" he said. It was not until very recently that Thirsty tossed his collection of Hash Trashes. "The office moved and I finally tossed them in the bin. It's easier now, I just keep them on the hard drive." Thirsty told me the hash was good to him. It was a popular thing to do and people were motivated. Traffic was different back then and it was far easier to get to trails and events. There were frequent weekend events including camping. Thirsty recalled traveling to the hot springs south of Manila in just an hour and a half without the new freeway. It was not unusual in those days to have thirty or forty hashers show up for trail and they never lacked hares or shenanigans. And like all hashes, even in the early days of the hash it had its drama. "It occasionally had its crises," he said with a quirky smile before he quaffed his San Mig Light.
Some of the original pack from left:
Grumbles, Thirsty (M2H3 Founder), Ratcatcher (MH3 Founder), & Squatta
(Photo shamelessly pilfered from the MH3 Page.)
Some M2H3 Hashers of the 80s and 90s (Even on trail!!)
(Photo courtesy of Jujo Conol)
As luck would have it, digital copies of a couple of Trail Trashes have reappeared after many years in storage thanks to Adrian "Curls" Ogle giving us a glimpse into what the M2H3 was like in those early years.
Trail Trash for M2H3 Trail #6 - October 21, 1982
As you can see (and inexplicably at the time of these prose), although the hash allegedly hosted its inaugural run in February 1982, it appears it was not until October that it became a relatively regular thing. Mismanagement was made up of seven brave souls at the time and we must recognized "Curls" as she used, that's right kids, a typewriter in the 80's to document the misadventures. A typewriter, you see, was a mechanical device in which paper was inserted and keys were then pushed, mechanically pressing letter to paper through an inked ribbon. It was noisy and had no apps. And how were these magical trashes duplicated? Well that is anyone's guess as I do not see monks listed as a position in the mismanagement during this era and even now a Xerox seems an unusual device in the Philippines only easily accessible inside foreign run offices or along the side walks of Kalayaan Avenue where the sari-sari owner will make you copies for about 15php each.
Trail Trash for M2H3 Trail #8 - November 11, 1982
It seems that since even its first year the M2H3 has been doing something interesting for Christmas. That year, a mysterious group of visitors appeared from nowhere dressed in all manner of costume to lead the pack from the Nomad Sports Club through shiggy (if you can imagine this city with mud and flora) to the on-in via the squash court for an après complete with kabobs.
Trail Trash for M2H3 Trail #12 - December 9, 1982
In 1990 the MH3 hosted the 7th ever World Interhash in Manila, Philippines. For those in the know, the World Interhash is held somewhere in the world every other year. It was first held in Hong Kong in 1978 and was attended by about 800 hashers. In 2016 it was held in Bali, Indonesia and attended by around 4500 hashers (the best attnded Interhash was reportedly in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with around 5800 in attendance). March 16 through March 18, 1990 the MH3 hosted and about 1600 hashers from around the world showed. Although it was the MH3 who were the official hosts, it would have been inappropriate if members from the M2H3 did not lend a hand, after all, many MH3 hashers were also members of the M2H3. As T-shirts had become a staple at the hash the M2H3 came up with a design to commemorate the festivities and their 375th trail which was held Thursday March 15, 1990, the day before the official opening of the 7th Interhash.
1990 Interhash T-shirt Front and Back
(Courtesy of "Quick Drawers" and the GoToTheHash.net T-shirt Museum)
Occasionally, hares have provided shirts to commemorate special events. Some include Malcolm "Long John" Pick's birthday shirts, AGM shirts and some to commemorate the departure of a hasher like this one from Tom "Mr. Whippy" Lovehagen (a former Mixed Master) to commemorate his departure to India in 1998. Although this design was for the M2H3, he did several of these for the area hashes including the MH3, South of EDSA H3 (RIP) and Angeles City H3.
I did not arrive to join the M2H3 until 2014. My wife and I had been hashing in the United States and some other foreign lands for about 16 years and so we had learned to expect different cultures and traditions within the various kennels. To our delight, the M2H3 felt much like home. Although trails were not live, traffic was horrible and the pavement made our knees ache, our first experience was memorable. We arrived at the run site beneath the Mandaluyong Bridge after walking from the Ascott Hotel (formerly the Oakwood and home to one of the Philippines military coup attempts) where we met Thirsty standing alone beside his well worn black Isuzu pickup truck. He advised us the pack was already off and allowed us to stow our dry bag in his chariot. We had not been to Asia before and had only been in country a few days but found ourselves off on our own to find marks. We crossed into Mandaluyong and eventually caught up to Malcolm "Long John" Pick who was ambling by himself up the old national railroad, now mostly covered by concrete and surrounded by row houses. I felt a sense of relief that I had actually seen a hasher as my wife and I swerved through the alleyways and among the children and adults all greeting us with the familiar, "Hi Joe! You jogging Joe?" Eventually, with the usual back tracking and aimless wandering we were used to at a hash, we found our way on-home. Cold beer awaited as did a few familiar faces we had met during the previous days in my new job at the US Embassy. We sung a few songs, paid our penance as visitors and swung low before retiring to a local pub for a few beverages and some traditional Fil grub.
Since that day the M2H3 has continued on its merry way, joining forces with the Makati Metro Manila Hash House Harriers for a traditional "Christmas Lights R*n" each year and a Christmas Day Jog from Nomads each December 25th (for nearly eight years now, a tradition started by David "Butcher" Reynolds until the untimely and corrupt closure of Nomads in 2016). The mismanagement remains steadfast in maintaining the traditions of the hash as we close in on 1700 trails. Sadly, the trail trashes have fallen by the wayside and the pack size has dwindled as the traffic worsens. But the digital age has made it easier to share our antics with the masses. It was recently brought to my attention on the Manila Mixed Hash House Harriers, Circa 80s-90s, The Founders & The Oldies' page on Facebook that the early hashers in Manila were a mighty bunch and their friendships have truly lasted the test of time. As recently as 2015 a group of early Manila hashers met together in Italy. I am certain the tales that were told and boastings of those hashers' shenanigans from the beginning of this kennel to the end of the 20th century could have filled volumes. I will leave that up to Squatta to "hash out." In the mean time, I will keep doing my part in spreading the word of the hash until my travels send me home to the United States and my next kennel.
Some "old" M2H3 hashers meet up in Otrano, Italy (Circa 2015)
Addendum:On February 3,4 and 5, 2017. the M2H3 held likely one of the most productive AGPU's in the history of hashing. Twenty hashers met in Tarlac at the Voice of America radio station and after much shenanigans, two rounds of Yucca, a hundred pounds of meat and the destruction of three camp chairs, it was decided that the Manila traffic had finally beaten the mismanagement. As a concession and in the interest of saving the M2H3, the group collectively decided to change the M2H3 (which had historically run on Thursdays) to the first Saturday of each month. The enthusiasm was so great, nearly the entire hare calendar was filled right away. Time will tell if this becomes successful and as I prepare to rotate back to the United States where I hope to revive the TriCities H3 in Virginia I wish the best for the M2H3! Like Thirsty, the hash has been good to me too.
Manila Mixed H3 Anthem
Partially plagiarized by Cock, Block & Tackle circa 2015 (to the Flintstones TV show tune):
Mixed Hash, Manila Mixed Hash
The hash that's laid with misery!
From the, very first check
To the smog that makes your lungs wheeze!
On-In, where we bitch about the trail!
On-On, where we get to see who bailed!
If you, don't like the Mixed Hash
You can always hash on Monday
With the Men's Hash
And have a gay old time!!!
FY 2016 Mismanagement
Joint Mix Mistress: Cock Phobia and Cock, Block & Tackle
RA: Hugh Heifer
Hare Raiser: Cock Phobia
Webmeister: Hugh Heifer
Hash Cash & Stats: CBT
Mix Mistress: Cock, Block & Tackle
RA: Blah Blah
Hare Raiser: Cock Phobia
Piss: Pookie Whipped
Webmeister: Hugh Heifer
Hash Cash & Stats: CBT
Mix Master: Feel My Penis
RA: Arsehole & Blah Blah
Hash Piss: Thirsty
Hash Soda and Water: Long John
Hash Snacks: Darling
On Sex: Shattered Balls
Hash Habedasher: Titty Titty Bangkok
Hash Flash: Ball Breaker
Hash Cash: Yap Yap
Hare Raiser: Shattered Balls
Webmeister: Joystick
Mix Master: Henning Jacobsen
Hare Raiser: Ludy "Lady Moustache" de Asis
Hash Piss/Soda/Water: Jytta Jacobsen (RIP 2017)
Hash Cash: Peter Copotosto
On Sex: Susan "Flames" Tatham
Hash Flas: Gail "Windy" Simpson
Hash Trash: Adrian "Curls" Ogle & Liv "Tenspeed" Gawthrop (aka Madam X)
Have you got stories, photos or trail trashes from the early days of the M2H3? Let us know by emailing the hash. We would love to hear from you!