Playing with the Hash House Harriers
A club for beer drinkers with a running problem
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Hash origins: Southeast Asia, late 1930's. Several British expats decided to clear their heads after weekend overindulgence by going for a run on Monday evening. To make exercise more interesting, they copied the childhood game Hare and Hounds. One person (the Hare) set a trail with paper scraps, the rest waited 10 minutes, then tried to follow the trail. Whenever they saw trail markers, they yelled ON ON to signal the others that they were on trail. La Jolla Hash House Harriers San Diego Hash House Harriers San Diego Mission Harriettes Interhash 2004, Cardiff, Wales Flying Booger's Half-Mind Catalog |
The tradition continues. Now hares use handsful of flour or chalk arrows to lay trail segments ending with a symbol such as the one above. At these check points, faster runners search for a new trail, giving the back of the pack time to catch up. Short cutting is allowed and often encouraged. Ideally all hashers reach the end within a few minutes of each other. |
Components of Hashing |
If you've got half a mind to try hashing, that's all it takes.
