A Brief Intro to the Global Phenomena of Hashing

(courtesy of the Mother Hash)

 

The HASH HOUSE HARRIERS began in 1938 and was registered as such on the 9th February 1951, when societies were required to register with the Registrar of Societies in Kuala Lumpur, in the then Malaya. This original chapter is also commonly known as the MOTHER HASH. It is now an international non-competitive running and social club, with chapters all over the world.

The philosophy of the Hash as stated in the OBJECTS CLAUSE OF THE CONSTITUTION of the original Mother Hash is as follows:

 

  • To promote physical fitness among our members

  • To get rid of weekend hangovers

  • To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer

  • To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

  •  

To date, this is religiously followed !!!

The format for a hash run is loosely based on the paper chase and known in the club as hare hunting.

 

One or more hashers (the "hare(s)") lay out a running trail, that the rest of the club (pack, 'hounds' or harriers) follows.

 

The trail may include false trails (check-backs), short cuts (or splits) and checks (a marking on the trail that requires the pack to search the area to discover the connection of the trail). These features are designed to keep the pack together regardless of fitness levels or running speed.

 

This is followed by a circle where the hares are assessed and rewarded with a drink, recalcitrant members are brought up and punished with a drink and announcements made, all in good fun.

 

Generally speaking…

 

The organization of the Hash House Harriers is decentralized, with each kennel locally managed and with no higher-level organizational hierarchy or central controlling organisation.

 

There are now close to 1200 kennels with at least one in most major cities in the world. Yet, rules and practices are mostly similar. Local, regional and many international events are organised often with a large number of participants. 

Most, if not all kennels have their own newsletters and websites, and directories are published at some of the Interhash events.

Herein lies the uniqueness of the Hash. A worldwide camaraderie of hashers with no formal structure, getting together for a common purpose.

 

Hashers frequently describe themselves as 'a drinking club with a running problem', and the social element of hashing is of equal importance to the running. The seriousness of the running and of the drinking varies with each chapter. Some chapters focus on running while other focus on drinking. The length and difficulty of runs varies accordingly between each chapter.

Practices also vary from chapter to chapter, country to country. What follows is true for most chapters.

 

Several regional directories or international directories have been published with Hash Contact information, although the Internet has become the primary source of hashing information.

 

Each chapter has its members who pay a subscription. This includes the drinks after the runs and other freebies given occasionally. But generally no membership or reservation is required to join a group and being a guest is welcome, for a fee. Typically all that is needed is to find out the time and location of the start either by emailing a current member, viewing the group website, calling the information phone line if available, or just showing up.

 

Most groups conduct a "chalk talk" where introductions are made and the system of hash marks is explained to new hashers and visiting hashers who may be used to a different system of marking. The exception to this would be special events, such as camp out, pub crawls, etc., that require significant pre-planning of food and beverages, however even then walk-ins are generally welcome.

 

Chapters usually run weekly, but many run monthly.

 

There are numerous celebration runs to commemorate various events. These could be local to the chapter such as a run with a uniques number, 111 or 1000 or such and festive runs. The special events could be a national hash, Nash Hash, or regional hash events.

 

Every two years, an international meet is organised, referred to as the InterHash. Members at one will vote for the next location and so on. Attendance recently has been about 5000.

 

The traditional symbol of the hash is the outline of the foot, with often the words "On-On" written upon it.