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"A drinking club with a running problem."
If you'd like to try hashing,
then phone 948-HASH, or visit our Upcumming Events page, for
the starting time and location of the next Oahu hash event. The Aloha Hash House Harriers
run every Saturday afternoon. Hashers also meet to celebrate Pau Hana every Wednesday and Friday evening. There is also
the Burnt Rubber (motorcycle) hash on the first (or second or
third) Sunday of every month. Don't forget the Hawaii Full Moon (guess when they meet?) Hash
House Harriers, too! There's also the Honolulu Hawaii H3 which meets every Tuesday evening
-- see their web site. And the
Oahu Pick Up H3, which meets on the first Thursday evening of every month for a pick up
hash (hare determined by lottery). The Life's
A Beach (It's Awesome) H3 meets some Sunday
afternoons. If you're planning a trip to Maui, check out the Maui
Hash House Harriers web site. If you're planning a trip to the Big Island, check out the
Kona Coast Hash House Harriers web site.
A Short Primer on Hashing
by , Aloha H3 GM Emeritus
(Originally published in Hawaii RacePlace Magazine, June 1995 )
- Hashing . . . it's a mixture of athleticism and sociability, hedonism and hard work;
most of all, it's a refreshing break from the nine-to-five routine. Hashing is an
exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying, where bands of
harriers and harriettes chase hares on eight-to-ten kilometer-long trails through town,
country, and desert, all in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times.
Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of British businessmen and
colonial types founded a running club called the Hash House Harriers. They named the group
after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, nicknamed the "Hash House." Hash
House Harrier runs were patterned after the traditional British paper chase. A
"hare" was given a head start to blaze a trail, marking his devious way with
shreds of paper, all the while pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers."
Only the hare knew where he was going . . . the harriers followed his clues to stay on
trail. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and solving the clues, reaching the
end was its own reward . . . for there, thirsty harriers would find a tub of iced-down
beer.
Hashing died out during World War II (Japanese occupying forces being notoriously
anti-fun) but picked up in the post-war years, spreading through the Far East, Australia,
and New Zealand, then exploding in popularity in the mid-70s. Today there are thousands of
Hash House Harrier clubs in all parts of the world, with newsletters, directories, and
even regional and world hashing conventions.
Hashing hasn't strayed far from its Kuala Lumpur roots. A typical hash today is a
loosely-organized group of 20-40 men and women who meet weekly or biweekly to chase the
hare. We follow chalk, flour, or paper, and the trails are never boring . . . we run
streets and back alleyways, but we also ford streams, climb fences, explore storm drains,
and scale cliffs. And although some of today's health-conscious hashers may shun a cold
beer in favor of water or a diet soda, trail's end is still a
party.
So . . . if you'd like to spice up your running program with fun, good company, new
surroundings, and physical challenge, try hashing. Just remember one thing . . . NEVER
wear new shoes to the hash!
GOALS OF THE HASH
From the 1938 charter of the Kuala Lumpur Hash House Harriers
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
ON ON!-
There's a
Wikipedia entry for Hash House Harriers.
If you'd like to understand the slang and jargon
that you'll hear at a Hash House Harriers event, please visit
The Half-Mind Dictionary.
If you'd like to learn how to follow (or
to hare) an Aloha H3 trail, please take a look at the Trail
How-to page.
If you'd like to find out how the Hash
House Harriers got started, please visit The
Kuala Lumpur H3 Site.
If you'd like to read more about the origins of
the Hash House Harriers and about hashing around the world, please visit the Harrier Archive.
Hashing: It has the pure athleticism of curling (or darts or slo-pitch),
the clean tidiness of a rugby pitch on a rainy afternoon,
and all the apple-cheeked innocence of a frat house kegger.
THE BEER PRAYER
Our beer,
Which art in barrels,
Hallowed be thy drink,
Thy will be drunk, (I will be drunk),
At home as I am in the tavern.
Give us this day our foamy head,
And forgive us our spillages,
As we forgive those who spill against us,
And lead us not into incarceration,
But deliver us from hangovers,
For thine is the beer,
The bitter, and the lager,
Forever and ever...
Barmen.
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