King Street Run

The King Street Run is a bi-annual combined run and pub crawl in Cambridge, England. It takes place along King Street. One of the pubs visited is now named after the event.

One evening in Michaelmas term of 1955 in the Criterion bar in Market Passage a discussion took place between three undergraduates of St John’s College, all either Royal Navy or Royal Marines, and a group of medical students of unknown college affiliation. The discussion centred on the drinking capacity of the human male, one of the medical students asserting that the male bladder could hold no more than four pints. The St John’s students disagreed in principle and the group agreed to settle the argument by meeting on a specified evening and having a drink in every pub on King Street.

Starting at the Duke of Cambridge in Short Street, the St John’s students made their way westwards via the six existing pubs in King Street, before ending up at the Prince of Wales in Hobson Street. For some reason the medical students failed to show, but the John's students picked up a friend in the Criterion who was already been on his second or third pint and managed a further ten pints before he needed to relieve himself – settling the argument to one party’s satisfaction at least.

Shortly after the King Street Pint to Pint Club was formally constituted, with the basic objective drinking a pint of ale in seven of the street’s pubs before returning for an eighth in the pub you started in. The club set rules to be observed for the duration of drinking, among which was a penalty pint awarded for the commission of either of the two Ps, “peeing or puking”. Successful members of the club wore a special tie. It was plain navy blue, decorated with the image of a tankard surmounted by a crown (its design taken from the Royal Navy’s own emblem), both of which were machine-stitched in light blue. A tie that bore an embroidered letter ‘P’ (in either pee yellow or puke green) indicated that the bearer had incurred a penalty pint in the course of completing the run. The tie soon became a highly sought after item of apparel.

The King Street Pint to Pint Club was banned in 1964 by Cambridge University proctors, but was restarted in the mid/late 1970's by the Sir Reginald Kell society active at that time. During the Sir Reginald Kell period, additional rules were added: ladies were allowed halves or shorts; drinks could not be set up in advance and if you met a friend you were honour bound to have a chat with them. At the time the run was not a race and entrants had two hours to complete it, though the penalty pint rule was retained. Many years later the King Street Run provided the inspiration for the start of the annual Hilton Harriers Hick and Hurl Christmas Social/Charity Run in South Africa.

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