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 EH3 normally get together every Monday in the summer and every Saturday in the winter for a run, plus special occasions (check the website for details on dates and times), always in a different place to avoid monotony. One or more Hares 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 traditionally sets trail a few hours before the pack starts running.

The Hare uses various marks to indicate direction and deviously tries to outwit the pack. A check is marked with a circle of dots surrounding a dot in the centre. Here the markings stop and the FRBs (Front Running Bastards) have to spread out to search for trail. The dots will reappear roughly 100 metres away, depending on the options. Sometimes there will be a false trail, marked by an “X”, to indicate to the pack that they have to go all the way back to the check and search in another direction. Another option that makes the pack work harder is a checkback, indicated by three parallel lines. The pack has to go back somewhere between the checkback and the check to find a trail branching off from the main trail.

The pack’s purpose is to find and follow the trail and 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 get abused, beer (soda and water) gets consumed and songs are sung. The On-On is another chance to get together after the run, usually at a pub, restaurant or pizza joint or where-ever they’ll tolerate us, until we’ve eaten and drunk enough.

What do I need to bring?

• Hash cash, currently $5. Waived for your first run with us.
• Valid ID, in case we end up in a bar and you don’t look 18.
• Dress appropriately for being outside and performing physical activity (if you decide to wear clothing that is). Trails vary but may include water, mud and scary dive bars.
• You may want a whistle or a cell phone, in a waterproof container, if you tend to wander off alone.

Are there things I should NOT bring?

• Pets: They won’t finish trail…trust us.
• Children: There are some kid 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, hashing has NOTHING to do with illegal substances.

Anything else I need to know?

A hash is generally 3-5 km in distance and lasts about 3 hours, including the socializing and on-on, etc. so plan accordingly.

Oh, and there is one simple fact that applies unilaterally across all hashing activities: There are no rules.