Beer run ** The L.V.'s secret club of drinkers with a running problem (2023)

John Babb, 27, wears boxer shorts, a wife beater and a rubber tire around his waist. His hair is coiffed like one of Dr. Seuss' Whoville citizens. And he's running down a Bethlehem street.

Babb hasn't just escaped from Allentown State Hospital. He's a Hash House Harrier, one of many misfit runners who believe socializing's as important to one's well-being as exercising.

The group was founded in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by A.S. "G" Gispert, a British officer serving in World War II. When they weren't hanging around the "Hash House" (the nickname given to the social club for British civil servants and businessmen), he and his buddies passed their free time playing "hares and hounds," where a group (the hounds) chases a leader who sets the trail (the hare). Afterward, they'd kick back and share stories and laughs over a few beers.

Though "G" died in combat in 1942, his idea to combine recreational exercise and socializing persisted. Soon, Hash House Harrier chapters began popping up throughout the world, in 160 countries. Today, more than 1,200 active chapters exist, one being right here in the L.V.

Each month, roughly 30 runners ranging in age, profession and ability, meet up at a local watering hole. Most of them have bawdy nicknames — among them, Ateapuss Complex, Mangina and Cavity Search — that have been assigned by the others.

They down a pint, stretch haphazardly and welcome "virgins" with a song and ritual that involves the newbies drinking as much beer as they can in a gulp and dumping the rest over their heads.

Then, a few leaders, or "hares," run ahead of the group to set the path by bouncing a chalk-covered tennis ball. The pack departs shortly thereafter to follow the hares' path, which ranges from a paved road to a woodsy trail with mud, rocks and streams. Sometimes there are even false trails intended to throw runners off.

The three-mile run is divided into legs with several "Beer Checks" along the way where runners can refuel with water or, more often, brew. Depending on the path, the beverage stop can be a bar such as the Old Brewery Tavern or J.P. O'Malley's, or a cooler hidden behind a tree.

At the end of the hash, the runners join "The Circle," where those who committed a hashing faux-pas (such as running too fast) are encouraged, though never forced, to drink beer.

An apres party follows, where songs are sung and stories are swapped. And though anyone rarely gets sloshed, this is where the heaviest drinking occurs.

The chapter has been doing this for nearly two years, still it remains a relatively underground group. They don't advertise who they are or when and where they meet; people learn about them through word-of-mouth or by looking online.

Few outsiders recognize the name and even less understand what it's about. Some peg it as "a drinking club with a running problem." Others, such as one Lehigh Valley Roadrunner, think it's all about "sophomoric fun."