The idea behind a lot of the runs that are done in Hash House Harriers chapters around the world is for them to be as unusual as possible. We particularly enjoy putting people in situations that they would never elect to do if they were simply going for a run and that, at least in my and most other Hashers' minds, is what makes the sport so fun and interesting.
I suppose you could try to run through that but most sensible people are going to instead walk through it. Our terrain is meant to be as off-road as possible and when events happen that are too street-oriented - which is sometimes unavoidable - it is frowned upon.
Nettles, thorns, sand-spurs and other things that make you swear a lot are regular occurrences on our runs and therefore people tend to wear these guards that go over the shoes and up to the knees for a little bit of protection. Some idiots like to wear long socks instead but there are 2 reasons why this is a really dumb idea: 1> They actually attract more nettles than not having them on and 2> socks are hot and it is a million degrees in Thailand most of the time.
The off-road nature of our runs is the reason why they are interesting. I would still enjoy them if they were on road because of the camaraderie, but there's something pretty dang special about trudging through the jungle and getting smacked in the face by branches and every now and then getting your limbs sliced up by bamboo shoots. Good times!
