Every now and then we will have a Wimp/Rambo event in Chiang Mai with the Hash House Harriers and unfortunately they aren't always announced. You kind of just find out once you get there that it is going to happen. A W/R event is exactly what it sounds like and neither one of the options are actually as easy or hard as they sound.
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In ideal situations the Rambo trail would include things that could be considered a minor ropes course including some sort of obstacles that are actually difficult to get past. We have had this at our own events and one of them included a rope to assist you climbing up a more than 45 degree incline and another consisted of wading through waist deep water.
For the most part it normally just means that the Rambo side of things is going to be longer and more hilly and the wimp is going to be, sometimes, a literal walk in the park.
In a recent event this was the altitude breakdown of the Rambo trail and none of these are actually all that treacherous. However, the thing that made it difficult is that this wasn't a trail run, it was a run through mostly unmarked forest up a hillside. This makes for some difficult travel and believe it or not the hardest parts are the going down bits where you really need to watch your footing lest one of your tootsies ends up sliding out from underneath you.
This can end up being really difficult at parts and that is kind of the idea. The thing to remember is that you were warned and there is no chance you could end up at this thing by accident. The good news is that the split in the trail is clearly marked so if you encounter a semi-rock-climbing portion you always have the option of turning around and wimping your way back to camp.
In fact, we would prefer that you do and this is why we only include this sort of hardcore territory in our wimp/rambos because we don't want people to get hurt.
in the end the total trail was about 5km for Rambo and only about 3 for wimps. It takes about an hour to do the Rambo moving at a medium pace. That's not really too much to ask now, is it?
There is no shame in taking the wimp trail and the only people that get called out for it an put on the ice are the younger and fit folks who seem to be simply lazy by not taking the Rambo trail. For me, I always take the Rambo trail and I never regret it. I am no spring chicken either at nearly 50 years of age.
In the end it is up to you which you take and a good rule of thumb is that when you get to the split in the road that indicates things are going to get harder in one direction, and more stay easy in the other, you need to think about how much work you feel you have done up to that point. If it was too easy, challenge yourself and do the "R", if you are feeling tired and a bit winded, don't try to be a hero... do the "W."
If you can handle the Rambo though, this is sort of a rite of passage for all newer members and you will be celebrated for taking the hard path - which honestly still isn't that hard. We are, after all, a bunch of guys that are mostly in their 50's and 60's and we aren't trying to hospitalize a bunch of old dues.
On On!
we are still doing 3 runs per week in Chiang Mai, Thailand. come join us! All are welcome