What are we doing here again?
Remember when we were kids? All of us ran. We ran in the playground, in the halls at school, at home, in the grocery store and everywhere else we went…and we loved every minute of it. As adults, running has become something different; the fun part seems to have gone away and running is something we have to do either to stay or get back into shape.
Hashing puts the fun back into running. It takes us on an anything goes adventure with the added bonus of beer. Pounding through terrain and obstacles that were probably never intended to be used as a running path. Rewarding your sense of adventure (or lack of common sense) with cuts, scrapes, friends, and sweet sweet beer. The object is to have as much fun as possible without getting arrested or killed. Also, the health aspects can’t be overlooked. The stress relief is phenomenal. Running is one of the very best aerobic exercises and it’s been proven with science that 3 or 4 beers a day increases the average life-span (all hashers live to be 120).
Sounds great, how does it work?
The MCH3 normally get together the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday each month for a run, plus special occasions, always in a different place to avoid monotony.
The Hare will set a trail for the pack (the rest of the Hashers) to follow. Several different methods may be used to lay the trail, the most common being with flour and chalk. Some Hashers use other methods for laying the trail.
The Hare is traditionally given a 10-15 minute head-start before the pack starts after. The Hare uses various marks to indicate direction and deviously tries to outwit the pack. The packs purpose is to catch the Hare, if possible, avoid getting lost and continue onward to the next beer-check.
Eventually everyone makes it to the On-In where running takes a backseat to socializing. The Hare gets abused, Hashers with hash-crimes from the trail are (cordially) abused, beer (and soda and water) gets consumed and songs are sung. The On-After is another chance to get together after the run, usually at a Mexican restaurant or pizza joint or where-ever they’ll tolerate us, until we’ve consumed our fill.
What do I need to bring?
- Hash cash (usually $5, sometimes more for a special event hash or pub crawl)
- Valid ID (in case we end up in a bar)
- Dress appropriately for being outside and performing physical activity (if you decide to wear clothing that is). Trails vary but may include the following: water, mud, climbing, pavement, dive bars.
- You may want a whistle if you tend to wander off alone
- Vessel (drinking apparatus): optional, but wise
Are there things I should NOT bring?
- Pets (they won’t finish trail…trust us.) (Well, sometimes the trail is pet-friendly. Check with the hare.)
- Children (there are some family-friendly hashes; this isn’t one of them. Bringing kids would be an epic parenting mistake.)
- Anything you can’t carry several miles
- Anything you don’t want to get dirty/sweaty/wet
- Drama (although it tends to show its ugly head from time to time)
- Drugs (despite the name, it has NOTHING to do with illegal substances)
Anything else I need to know?
A trail is generally 3-5 miles and hash activities last about 3-5 hours, so plan accordingly
Oh, and there is one simple fact that applies unilaterally across all hashing activities: There are no rules.