Everything back to normal at the RE after last weeks Beach Party and the students from nearby UQ had finished their exams, so things were quietening down.
Walked from work at Southbank to the RE, about 5.5kms, and did it in just over 45 minutes.
Warm conditions, temperature got up to around 30 degrees C.
Run tonight was the River Run, which takes in the Coronation Drive walk and bike path back towards the city to a regroup at a drink stop near Herschell Street. FRTs tonight included Scruffy, PeeWee, JC and Rhubarb, with Miles and me tagging along in the rear. It's taking longer than expected to get my running fitness back to where it was before the operation and holidays, but I'm happy to take it easy for as long as it takes and manage it better than I have in the past when coming back from any sort of break.
Miles and I shortcut, rather than going up to the regroup at Herschell we turned off at the tunnel and continued on the rest of the route from there, which came out on Cribb St, along Railway Terrace to Park Road, turned left on Park Road Milton, then right into Douglas and Kilroe before traversing Dunmore Park and on up too the Auchenflower railway station. Through the railway station the run headed on down Eagle Terrace, crossed over Dixon Street passed the basketball courts and up over the hill in Toowong Memorial Park, crosses the Wests Rugby fields, Sylvan Road and headed into the car park of Toowong Village, where it came out on High Street and back to the start.
It was a bit of an effort tonight, probably due to the heat and both Miles and I felt stuffed. We got back not long before the other runners and JC called a circle where Brengun was acclaimed Corgi of the week for the umpteenth time for some misdemeanor that I can't remember.
Then it was off to the pub for a welcome cool ale or two before heading off.
Thursday 21 November 2013
Tuesday 19 November 2013
Brisbane Men's Hash Monday 18th November 2013
This was the Scottish run, set by Grewsome and Tinkerbelle with a prize for the best dressed Hasher.
At 4pm, as the hares were setting the run, the heavens opened up and we had a beaut storm.
By the time they came back from setting the run the trail was mainly washed out so a live hare run ensued.
Before the run Grewsome painted everyone's faces blue with the white cross of St Andrews, well that's what it was supposed to be anyway. The prize for the best dressed runner went to Radar who got a bottle of Glenfiddich whisky . Skiddy and Scruffy were the runners up and Vaso looked like something in drag.
Radar actually looked like a cross between a Viking and a Scot, but when the GMs name is Carlson he must have been swayed by the Viking horns.
The run meandered around Spring Hill before making its way to the Valley and a regroup beside the cop shop in the Brunswick Mall, where the group of runners had a photo taken standing around a cop van.
After running through the mall the run ended up on Ann St for a stop and a poem at Robbie Burns statue of course. Then back down Turbot St, through a couple of car parks, through the Sheraton and Central Railway Station before shooting across Anzac Square to Queen Street and a regroup at the mall.
Then up the mall to Albert Street, turning right and across King George Square for a photo again by the Kangaroo Statues. This brought forth peels pf laughter from some Asian tourists who declined to join in.
The trail then went across Ann Street and headed up the Albert St hill, accompanied bu Miles whinging about having to run up it, before veering off to the left up steps into Wickham Park, across Wickham Tce,
down and up Birley Street, across Leichhardt to Allenby and back to the International Hotel where we started from.
Little Arse Play was adjudged SOW in the circle for his services to Cleo, and visitors included a bloke that runs at the Brekkie Creek on Wednesdays, Skidmarks, and a long lost Bricks.
The OnOn was in the pub, for a variety of value meals and a beer before heading home.
At 4pm, as the hares were setting the run, the heavens opened up and we had a beaut storm.
By the time they came back from setting the run the trail was mainly washed out so a live hare run ensued.
Before the run Grewsome painted everyone's faces blue with the white cross of St Andrews, well that's what it was supposed to be anyway. The prize for the best dressed runner went to Radar who got a bottle of Glenfiddich whisky . Skiddy and Scruffy were the runners up and Vaso looked like something in drag.
Radar actually looked like a cross between a Viking and a Scot, but when the GMs name is Carlson he must have been swayed by the Viking horns.
The run meandered around Spring Hill before making its way to the Valley and a regroup beside the cop shop in the Brunswick Mall, where the group of runners had a photo taken standing around a cop van.
After running through the mall the run ended up on Ann St for a stop and a poem at Robbie Burns statue of course. Then back down Turbot St, through a couple of car parks, through the Sheraton and Central Railway Station before shooting across Anzac Square to Queen Street and a regroup at the mall.
Then up the mall to Albert Street, turning right and across King George Square for a photo again by the Kangaroo Statues. This brought forth peels pf laughter from some Asian tourists who declined to join in.
The trail then went across Ann Street and headed up the Albert St hill, accompanied bu Miles whinging about having to run up it, before veering off to the left up steps into Wickham Park, across Wickham Tce,
down and up Birley Street, across Leichhardt to Allenby and back to the International Hotel where we started from.
Little Arse Play was adjudged SOW in the circle for his services to Cleo, and visitors included a bloke that runs at the Brekkie Creek on Wednesdays, Skidmarks, and a long lost Bricks.
The OnOn was in the pub, for a variety of value meals and a beer before heading home.
Saturday 16 November 2013
Sunday Hash Bike Riders 17th November
Ride this week was the River Loop from Ken Fletcher Park, Tennyson. Riders this week were Craft, JC, PeeWee, Royal Screw, Klinging, JoJo, Abstract, Possum and Supacheep.
Abstract, Possum and Supacheep rode a shortened version of the loop, while the rest of us did the usual.
The pace was hectic from the start, JC, Royal Screw and PeeWee were powering on up front with the rest of us following not far behind. I was feeling the effects of running consecutive days, Friday and Saturday and my legs were like lead for the first half of the ride. There were heaps of riders out this morning, the weather was fine although overcast and showers and storms were predicted later in the day.
Usual regroups were at the top of Gladstone Road, Highgate Hill, the St Lucia Golf Course, and Chelmer railway station, all at the end of hilly sections.
We completed the ride in just on 90 minutes which appears to be the norm these days, even though we've had a break from riding for some time.
Breakfast was at the Buzz Cafe and their usually good service was a little bit lacking as we had to wait nearly an hour for our meals to be served. Not normal. Nevertheless when the meals did come they were of a high standard as usual.
Abstract, Possum and Supacheep rode a shortened version of the loop, while the rest of us did the usual.
The pace was hectic from the start, JC, Royal Screw and PeeWee were powering on up front with the rest of us following not far behind. I was feeling the effects of running consecutive days, Friday and Saturday and my legs were like lead for the first half of the ride. There were heaps of riders out this morning, the weather was fine although overcast and showers and storms were predicted later in the day.
Usual regroups were at the top of Gladstone Road, Highgate Hill, the St Lucia Golf Course, and Chelmer railway station, all at the end of hilly sections.
We completed the ride in just on 90 minutes which appears to be the norm these days, even though we've had a break from riding for some time.
Breakfast was at the Buzz Cafe and their usually good service was a little bit lacking as we had to wait nearly an hour for our meals to be served. Not normal. Nevertheless when the meals did come they were of a high standard as usual.
Friday 15 November 2013
Skinnychino HHH Run Saturday 16th November 2013
Today's run was from New Farm Deli, met in the Coles carpark on Merthyr Road. Two visitors this morning, Trevor and Amanda from Tampa, Florida. He has an interesting Hash Name from the Shanghai Hash - Backpassage Boy!
Runners this morning included Genitals, Grewsome, Catgut, Scruffy, Megadrive, Craft, Backpassage Boy, Amanda, Wee Lassie and Cleo.
The front runners took off with me and Grewsome accompanying Amanda for a while. Grewsome was marking the trail at this stage for Wee Lassie and Cleo who were following behind us. They were determined to do the run but hadn't done it before and needed a trail marked. By the time the first drink stop came up, 27 minutes into the run at Newstead Park, we were spread out like Brown's Cows. Grewsome was champing at the bit and handed the chalk to me to mark the rest of the trail as he's a bit competitive and wasn't liking having to hang back with me and Amanda.
Off we went past the Breakfast Creek pub and around to the next drink stop at Perry Park. At this stage the FRTs went right and over Bowen Hills, while Amanda and I cut around Breakfast Creek road. Catgut caught up to us first as he didn't stop on the hills, while the rest of the FRTs caught us at about Wallace Bishops in Commercial Road. Then it was up the bloody steep hill to Tenneriffe Park and on home.
Breakfast was had at the New Farm Deli and mug of the week was Grewsome (GreySoft)
Runners this morning included Genitals, Grewsome, Catgut, Scruffy, Megadrive, Craft, Backpassage Boy, Amanda, Wee Lassie and Cleo.
The front runners took off with me and Grewsome accompanying Amanda for a while. Grewsome was marking the trail at this stage for Wee Lassie and Cleo who were following behind us. They were determined to do the run but hadn't done it before and needed a trail marked. By the time the first drink stop came up, 27 minutes into the run at Newstead Park, we were spread out like Brown's Cows. Grewsome was champing at the bit and handed the chalk to me to mark the rest of the trail as he's a bit competitive and wasn't liking having to hang back with me and Amanda.
Off we went past the Breakfast Creek pub and around to the next drink stop at Perry Park. At this stage the FRTs went right and over Bowen Hills, while Amanda and I cut around Breakfast Creek road. Catgut caught up to us first as he didn't stop on the hills, while the rest of the FRTs caught us at about Wallace Bishops in Commercial Road. Then it was up the bloody steep hill to Tenneriffe Park and on home.
Breakfast was had at the New Farm Deli and mug of the week was Grewsome (GreySoft)
Wednesday 13 November 2013
Royal Exchange Hash, Wednesday 13th November, 2013
Did the usual thing, walked from Southbank to Toowong after work, taking around 45 minutes.
Coronation Drive was like a car park, there were traffic delays all over Brisbane for some reason.
The weather was showery, warm, and storms threatened.
Got to the RE and found that they had their annual Beach Party on, and access to the Post Office car park via the pub was blocked off. Had to go right round and come in from the High Street alleyway. Usually the party is on a Thursday, very inconvenient of them to change it to our Hash night.
Due to the traffic chaos around the city a lot of the members hadn't turned up by the designated start time so we waited a while before setting off on the Girl's Gallop Run. Surprise visitors were Catgut, Grewsome and Wee Lassie, from Breakfast Creek Hotel Hash, who had decided to try out a night with the RE.
The Girl's Gallop run goes through Toowong Village, turns right on Jephson Street, and heads
across Sylvan Street, along Croydon, crosses Milton Road into Morley, turns right into Gregory St, left. into Musgrave and right again into Frederick St along side the cemetary. Then there's a long climb up to Birdwood for a regroup. The group at this stage consisted of Peewee, Grewsome, Catgut, JC, Royal Screw, Rhubarb, with me and Brengun staggering up in the rear.
After the regroup it's down Birdwood all the way to Torwood, where we turn right and invariably wait at the lights to cross Milton Road again. The run then carries on along Eagle Tce for a little while, then under the railway line on Camford St, turns right into Kilroe, lrft into Roy, and makes its way to under Coronation Drive via the car park building to the bike-way and back to the RE.
As I am still trying to regain my fitness after a 3 month layoff, I dropped way back and ended up shortcutting back via Eagle Tce, and Wests Rugby grounds, along with Screw, who is struggling with injuries.
The OnOn was transferred to the gaming bar at the RE as our usual bar had been overrun by students at the beach party.
Coronation Drive was like a car park, there were traffic delays all over Brisbane for some reason.
The weather was showery, warm, and storms threatened.
Got to the RE and found that they had their annual Beach Party on, and access to the Post Office car park via the pub was blocked off. Had to go right round and come in from the High Street alleyway. Usually the party is on a Thursday, very inconvenient of them to change it to our Hash night.
Due to the traffic chaos around the city a lot of the members hadn't turned up by the designated start time so we waited a while before setting off on the Girl's Gallop Run. Surprise visitors were Catgut, Grewsome and Wee Lassie, from Breakfast Creek Hotel Hash, who had decided to try out a night with the RE.
The Girl's Gallop run goes through Toowong Village, turns right on Jephson Street, and heads
across Sylvan Street, along Croydon, crosses Milton Road into Morley, turns right into Gregory St, left. into Musgrave and right again into Frederick St along side the cemetary. Then there's a long climb up to Birdwood for a regroup. The group at this stage consisted of Peewee, Grewsome, Catgut, JC, Royal Screw, Rhubarb, with me and Brengun staggering up in the rear.
After the regroup it's down Birdwood all the way to Torwood, where we turn right and invariably wait at the lights to cross Milton Road again. The run then carries on along Eagle Tce for a little while, then under the railway line on Camford St, turns right into Kilroe, lrft into Roy, and makes its way to under Coronation Drive via the car park building to the bike-way and back to the RE.
As I am still trying to regain my fitness after a 3 month layoff, I dropped way back and ended up shortcutting back via Eagle Tce, and Wests Rugby grounds, along with Screw, who is struggling with injuries.
The OnOn was transferred to the gaming bar at the RE as our usual bar had been overrun by students at the beach party.
Monday 11 November 2013
Brisbane Men's Hash Monday 11th November 2013
The run tonight was from the Paddington Tavern, Hares Mortein and S'Bags.
We run from the Paddo quite a bit, and it's a very hilly area. The weather was showery with the chance of a thunderstorm, and this meant that we were going to have fun with the chalk markings. And so it turned out.
The hares gave Even Optus a map of the run just in case we needed it, and we did. Optus had trouble reading the map from the start and we ended up off trail after the first corner!
As usual the pack was split up into runners, walkers, and drinkers, with the drinkers going straight into the bar. The usual suspects here were Spermwhale and Monty with a couple of hangers on.
C'Toe turned up again and gave everyone a hard time, and he had his mate from Toowoomba, Each Way, with him, who makes the occasional appearance.
After a minutes silence for remembrance day the run took off up Given Terrace and left into Guthrie Street, where the first of the mix ups occurred. The chalk trail was being affected by the rain and Optus was having trouble understanding the map.
After some correcting we were off again and the pack eventually thinned out into a small pack of 11 runners, as the rest of them short cut, even at this early stage.
Running conditions were quite good, warm and wet, with light rain falling. The pack at this stage consisted of JC, Grewsome, Catgut, Bugs, Best and Less, Even Optus, Scruffy, Tinkerbell, Hand-job, C'Toe and Each Way, and me. LAP and Multiple Choice were with us as well albeit some way back, but they were still on trail.
After more hills and then more again the pack dwindled until there was only Bugs, Grewsome, Scruffy, Catgut, Tinkerbelle and me, with the rest of them either being lost or taking off back to the tavern. We crossed over Milton Road and came across a two-way which further split the pack. Bugs, Grewsome, Scruffy and I took the wrong option and ended up off trail for some time, eventually finding it again along Grimes Road near the Auchenflower railway station,
At this stage we thought we'd just head back to the tavern as we'd been out for 45 minutes at that stage.
We got back onto Milton Road and headed east towards the brewery where we found the trail again, and ran back to the on-on.
My hamstrings were beginning to feel the pinch at this stage and I was grateful to be finished, not wanting to injure myself again after the long layoff.
The circle was held with usual vigour and we adjourned to the Paddo Tavern for a drink before heading home. Run time was 56 minutes in the end and I noticed that my fitness was gradually returning, albeit slowly. Must remember not to overdo the return and take it steadily back to full fitness - or near enough to it.
Saturday 9 November 2013
Sunday Hash Bike Riders
Every Sunday a group of Hashers from Brisbane Men's, Royal Exchange, and Skinnychino Hash meet for a bike ride from a number of different venues around Brisbane.
Popular rides are the River Loop, and we start from either Tennyson, Milton, or University of Queensland; the Wynnum Ride, meeting at Stone's Corner; Avalon Road ride, also meeting at Stone's Corner; and the Sandgate Ride, meeting at Wilston Village.
The ride today was the Wynnum Ride from Stone's Corner. The riders were Royal Screw, Peewee, and Ringpiece.
The guys met at Lady Marmalade Cafe in Cleveland St Stone's Corner and rode from there.
Friday 8 November 2013
Skinnychino Hash
Skinnychino Hash is an offshoot of the Brisbane Men's Hash House Harriers, started back in the early 1990s when a group of hashers decided to meet every Saturday morning to do a long run in preparation for marathons and half marathons that they were participating in at the time. The run was followed up with a cup of coffee and breakfast, hence the name Skinnychino, which is short for Cappucino made with skim milk.
Soon after, wives and girlfriends came along to either run, walk, or just have breakfast, and the group grew.
Nowadays there is more walking than running done and the spirit of hash has been diluted somewhat, a bit like a quarter strength skinny latte! Efforts will be made to engender the Hash spirit again in the near future.
There are 14 of set runs now from different coffee shops around Brisbane, no trails are set and the runs range in length from 10 to 13 kilometres.
This morning's run was the Bulimba Run from Cafe Citrus in Oxford Street, Bulimba.
A big group attended with the runners being:
Genitals (fresh from the Noosa Triathlon)
Scruffy
Royal Screw
Megadrive
Craft (shortcutter)
Nuts (shortcutter)
Skiddy (shortcutter)
All shortcutters are recovering from injuries or sickness or both!
There was a big group of walkers both fast and slow, and Cafe Citrus was flat out coping, as most of the cafes are with this mob.
Mug of the week was Nuts, who has been accident prone of late.
Nominated by Scruffy.
Soon after, wives and girlfriends came along to either run, walk, or just have breakfast, and the group grew.
Nowadays there is more walking than running done and the spirit of hash has been diluted somewhat, a bit like a quarter strength skinny latte! Efforts will be made to engender the Hash spirit again in the near future.
There are 14 of set runs now from different coffee shops around Brisbane, no trails are set and the runs range in length from 10 to 13 kilometres.
This morning's run was the Bulimba Run from Cafe Citrus in Oxford Street, Bulimba.
A big group attended with the runners being:
Genitals (fresh from the Noosa Triathlon)
Scruffy
Royal Screw
Megadrive
Craft (shortcutter)
Nuts (shortcutter)
Skiddy (shortcutter)
All shortcutters are recovering from injuries or sickness or both!
There was a big group of walkers both fast and slow, and Cafe Citrus was flat out coping, as most of the cafes are with this mob.
Mug of the week was Nuts, who has been accident prone of late.
Nominated by Scruffy.
Mother Hash
The Mother Hash is the first Hash Club that you run with.
Mine is the Brisbane Men's Hash House Harriers, who run every Monday night at 6:15 sharp anywhere in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
I started with BH3 (Brisbane Hash House Harriers) in 1998, after the break up of my second marriage.
The Hash is a good group to be associated with when you go through issues in your life, it's very irreverent and Hashers don't take themselves too seriously, just the tonic needed in a crisis.
Mine is the Brisbane Men's Hash House Harriers, who run every Monday night at 6:15 sharp anywhere in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
I started with BH3 (Brisbane Hash House Harriers) in 1998, after the break up of my second marriage.
The Hash is a good group to be associated with when you go through issues in your life, it's very irreverent and Hashers don't take themselves too seriously, just the tonic needed in a crisis.
What is Hash House Harriers?
The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH, H3, or referred to simply as hashing) is an international group of non-competitive running, social clubs. An event organized by a club is known as a hash or hash run, with participants calling themselves hashers or hares and hounds.
History
Hashing originated in December 1938 in Selayang Quarry, Selangor, then in the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia), when a group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British paper chase or "hare and hounds", to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. [1] The original members included, Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignatius "G" Gispert, Cecil Lee, Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Ronald "Torch" Bennett and John Woodrow. A. S. Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers" after the Selangor Club Annex, where several of the original hashers happened to live, known as the "Hash House" where they also dined.
After the end of World War II in an attempt to organize the city of Kuala Lumpur, they were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a "group," they would require a constitution. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, harriers reaching the end of the trail would partake of beer, ginger beer and cigarettes.
The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950:
- 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
Hashing died out during World War II shortly after the Invasion of Malaya, but was restarted in 1946 after the war by several of the original group, minus A. S. Gispert, who was killed on 11 February 1942 in the Japanese invasion of Singapore, an event commemorated by many chapters by an annual Gispert Memorial Run.
The second hash group to form was by Gus Mackey on the Italian Riviera, named the Bordighera H3. In 1962, Ian Cumming founded the third chapter in Singapore. The idea eventually spread through the Far East and the South Pacific, Europe, North America, and rapidly expanding during the mid-1970s.
At present, there are almost two thousand chapters in all parts of the world, with members distributing newsletters, directories, and magazines and organizing regional and world Hashing events. As of 2003, there are even two organized chapters operating in Antarctica.[2]
Events
Most chapters gather on a weekly or monthly basis, though some events occur sporadically, e.g., February 29th, Friday the 13th, Typhoon 'T8' or a full moon.
At a hash, one or more members ("hares") lay a trail, which is then followed by the remainder of the group (the "pack" or "hounds"). The trail periodically ends at a "check" and the pack must find where it begins again; often the trail includes false trails, short cuts, dead ends, back checks and splits. These features are designed to keep the pack together despite differences in fitness level or running speed, as front-runners are forced to slow down to find the "true" trail, allowing stragglers to catch up.
Members often describe their group as "a drinking club with a running problem," indicating that the social element of an event is as important, if not more so, than any athleticism involved. Beer remains an integral part of a hash, though the balance between running and drinking differs between chapters, with some groups placing more focus on socialising and others on running.
Generally, hash events are open to the public and require no reservation or membership, but some may require a small fee, referred to as "hashcash", to cover the costs incurred, such as food or drink.
The end of a trail is an opportunity to socialise, have a drink and observe any traditions of the individual chapter (see Traditions). When the hash officially ends, many members may continue socialising at an "on-after", "on-down", "on-on-on", "apres", or "hash bash", an event held at a nearby house, pub, or restaurant.
Special events
In addition to regularly scheduled hashes, a chapter may also organize other events or themed runs.
A common special event is the "Red Dress Run", which is held annually by individual chapters. In 1987, a young lady by the name of Donna Rhinehart, wearing a red dress emerged from an airplane that had landed in southern California to visit a friend from her high school years. Shortly thereafter, she found herself transported to Long Beach, where her friend intended to introduce her to a zany running group called the Hash House Harriers.” One member, noting her gender and attire, urged that she “just wait in the truck” until her host returned. With that goading, she ran into history sporting her red dress and heels.
The following year (August 12, 1988), to commemorate the event, the San Diego Hash House Harriers sent “The Lady In Red” an airline ticket to attend the inaugural Red Dress Run. Hundreds of male and female hashers adorned themselves in red dresses for a spectacle widely covered by California newspapers and TV news. In addressing the crowd, The Lady In Red suggested that Hash House Harriers hold the Red Dress Run annually as an occasion be used to raise funds for local charities.
The tradition of the Hash House Harriers Red Dress Run quickly spread to every corner of the globe, including Beijing, Montreal, Ho Chi Minh City, Helsinki, Moscow, Tokyo, Washington, DC, Hobart (Australia) and countless other locations.[3] Over the years, the Red Dress Run has been very successful in raising millions of dollars for a wide variety of local charities. The New Orleans Hash House Harriers attracted 7,000 participants to their Red Dress Run in 2010, raising more than $200,000 for 50 local charities.[4]
Today the Red Dress Run is an integral part of the Hash House Harriers’ heritage and is as iconic as the Royal Selangor Club where the Hash House Harriers was born and as sacred to them as founder A.S. Gispert’s drinking vessel. It’s a tradition born before few organizations turned to running events as a way to raise money and long before anyone ran in a dress of any color.
The Hash House Harriers enjoy common-law protection for the phrase “Red Dress Run” with additional protections in place and still more legal protections pending. The protective measures were taken to prevent dilution of the event's unique appeal necessary for charitable fundraising success.[5]
The Lady in Red passed away unexpectedly on April 13, 2013, just as the Hash House Harriers were celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Red Dress Run.[6]
Most chapters count the number of runs they have organized and use round figures - run no. 100, 200, 777, 1000, etc. - as an opportunity for arranging a weekend with several runs and nightly celebrations.
Variations
- Hash House Bikers (Bike hashes or bashes) follow normal hashing traditions with the hare and pack riding bicycles.
- River hashes or snorkel hashes (rashes, splashes, or snatches) follow normal hashing traditions, but take place in an aquatic environment with participants using snorkels, fins, kayaks, floats, and other rafts.
- Hash-a-thon, tour-duh-hash, Hash challenge and tri-hash-thon are special "competitive" events. Hash-a-thons involve multiple trails (normally 4) in 24 hour period totaling up to 26.2 miles(a marathon). Tour-duh-Hash is 7 days of hashing. Hash challenge is a team event (3-4 hashers) who complete a 42 km hash through the Malaysian jungle. Tri-hash-thon is an event consisting of 3 trails, 1 running, 1 swimming/snorkeling/river float, and 1 biking(bash).
- Family hashes welcome children (sometimes called hash house horrors or ankle biters) with soft drinks replacing alcoholic beverages and drinking songs toned down appropriately.
- Pick up hashes - Hashes that follow traditional hashing guidelines minus the pre-selection of a hare. At a pick up hash, the hare is decided randomly at the beginning of the event.
- Disaster Hash [7] - A disaster hash is basically an impromptu hash that can be called by any hash member whenever a disaster occurs. The disaster can be anywhere in the world and can range from am earthquake to a flat tire. The disaster hash differs by two major hash components, the hares and hash names. The hare is chosen on the spot, given flour, a destination, and a one minute head start. Whoever catches the hare, becomes the hare. They take the flour and continue along to the destination, this repeats as many times as the hare is caught. Secondly, disaster hashers are given special disaster hash names. All virgins get named at a disaster hash, usually having to do with the disaster in question and the disaster hash name is completely separate to a normal hash.
Trails
Hashing has not strayed far from its roots in Kuala Lumpur. The hare(s) mark their trail with paper, chalk, sawdust, or coloured flour, depending on the environment and weather.
Special marks may be used to indicate a false trail, a backtrack, a shortcut, or a turn. The most commonly used mark is a "check", indicating that hashers will have to search in any direction to find the continuation of the trail. Trails may contain a "beer check", where the pack stops to consume beer, water, or snacks, allowing any stragglers to catch up to the group.
Trails may pass through any sort of terrain and hashers may run through back alleyways, residential areas, city streets, forests, swamps, deep mud ("shiggy") or shopping malls and may climb fences, ford streams, explore storm drains or scale cliffs in their pursuit of the hare.
Signals and terms
Hashers often carry horns or whistles to communicate with each other, in addition to verbal communication. Every hash house employs its own set of trail marks and the names for these marks may vary widely, so newcomers or visitors will have the local markings explained to them before the run at a "chalk talk". The most common term is "on-on," shouted by runners to let others know they are on the right trail.
Trail types
There are two types of trails. "live trails" are laid by hares who are given a head start, while "dead trails" are pre-laid hours or days before the hash begins. Live trails and dead trails are also known as "live hare" and "dead hare" trails, respectively. Live trails are closer to the original "hare and hound" tradition, with the intent of the pack being to catch the hare rather than making it to the end, and are more common in the United States, while the rest of the world tends toward dead trails.
A trail may be "A to A," where the trail returns to the start, or "A to B," where the beginning and end of the trail are widely separated. Some trails are referred to as "A to A1 (prime)", denoting an ending point that is close to (usually short walking distance), but not the same as the start. There is also "B to A" which the participants are ferried to another location for the run back to the gathering point.
Traditions
Circles
Most hash events end with a group gathering known as the "circle", or less commonly as "religion". Led by chapter leadership, the circle provides a time to socialize, sing drinking songs, recognize individuals, formally name members, or inform the group of pertinent news or upcoming events. Circles may be led by the chapter grandmaster, the group's religious advisor, or by a committee.
Down-downs
A "down-down" is a means of punishing, rewarding, or merely recognizing an individual for any action or behaviour according to the customs or whims of the group. Generally, the individual in question is asked to consume without pause the contents of his or her drinking vessel or risk pouring the remaining contents on his or her cranium. Individuals may be recognized for outstanding service, or for their status as a visitor or newcomer. Down-downs also serve as punishment for misdemeanours real, imagined, or blatantly made up. Such transgressions may include: failing to stop at the beer check, pointing with a finger, or the use of real names. Commonly, hashers who wear new shoes to an event can be required to drink from that shoe.
Many chapters include an ice seat or throne as part of the down-down ceremony. Those who are to consume a down-down sit on a large block of ice while they await the completion of the down-down song. If the offence that resulted in the down-down is particularly egregious, the hasher may be subjected to a long song with many verses.
Hash names
In most chapters, the use of real names during an event is discouraged. Members are typically given a "hash name," usually in deference to a particularly notorious escapade, a personality trait, or their physical appearance. In some chapters the name must be earned - that is, hashers are not named until they've done something outstanding, unusual, or stupid enough to warrant a name. In other chapters the process is more mechanical and hashers are named after completing a certain number of events (5-10 being the most common).
Some chapters focus on "family-friendly" names (for example: Lost My Way); others focus on names filled with innuendo (for example: Salt Lick); and some go out of their way to make the name as bawdy, offensive, or politically incorrect as possible.
Those hashers who have not been named are generally referred to as "Just (Name)", "No Name (Name)" (e.g., "No Name John") or "No F***ing Hash Name John" (NFHN John).
Hashers are not permitted to give themselves nicknames due to the obvious conflict of interest. Hashers who do so are often renamed by the chapter at the earliest opportunity and with a more offensive name. Similarly, hashers who do get named and don't like their name may end up being renamed by their chapter, the members of whom may strive to give the complaining hasher an even more offensive or inappropriate name.
New hashers verbally in pursuit of an obviously offensive or inappropriate name may intentionally be given a weaker name, such as "freckles."
Symbols
The traditional symbol of hashing is the outline of a human foot, often including the phrase "On-On". T-shirts are a common symbol of various hash clubs, and events. A large sample is available in the Digital Hash T-Shirt Museum[7]
International events
There are several international events, where hashers from different groups get together to run and socialize, but the most famous is the biennial Interhash, where hashers from around the world gather. The 2006 Interhash—Chiang Mai, offered supporting runs in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and South West China.
- 1978 Hong Kong
- 1980 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 1982 Jakarta, Indonesia
- 1984 Sydney, Australia
- 1986 Pattaya, Thailand
- 1988 Bali, Indonesia
- 1990 Manila, Philippines
- 1991 Akita, Japan
- 1992 Phuket, Thailand
- 1994 Rotorua, New Zealand
- 1996 Limassol, Cyprus
- 1998 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 2000 Tasmania, Australia
- 2002 Goa, India
- 2004 Cardiff, Wales
- 2006 Chiang Mai, Thailand
- 2008 Perth, Australia
- 2010 Kuching, Malaysia
- 2012 Jogjakarta, Indonesia
- 2014 Hainan, China
In addition to Interhash, there are also many regional and continental hash events, such as the InterAmericas, InterAfrica, InterGulf, InterScandi, EuroHash and PanAsia. National hash events, or "nash hashes", primarily bring together hashers from one particular nation, although visitors from other countries are actively welcomed.
References
- ^ Sekula, Sarah. "A drinker's guide to running the world". CNN International. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ "Flying Booger's Hash Primer". Half-mind.com. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ http://www.reddressruns.org/?page_id=408
- ^ http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/festivals/reddressrun.html
- ^ http://www.reddressruns.org/?page_id=2
- ^ http://www.reddressruns.org/?p=1073
- ^ "International Hash T-shirt Museum". Retrieved 2013-08-10.
External links
- Hash House and Hash Heritage
- World Hash Links
- The Hashpaedia A vast encyclopedia guide to hashing
- A. S. Gispert (Alberto Esteban Ignacio Gispert)
- Red Dress Run information
- Hash challenge information
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