Hashing . . . a mixture of exercise, tomfoolery, and delicious beverages. It combines running, orienteering, and partying!
Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of British colonial officials and expatriates founded a running club called the Hash House Harriers. They named the group after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, nicknamed the “Hash House,” a British term for a “greasy spoon.” 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 ice cold beer.
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 of course we drink beer!
Commonly Used Words/Phrases:
On-On!: typically heard when you’re on the right trail
FRB: front-running bastards; people who are fast
DFL: dead fucking last; people who are slow
Virgin: a first-time hasher
GM: Grand Mattress in charge of our sorry asses
RA: Religious Advisor who conducts circle
Circle: A celebration after the hash for accusations and down-downs
Down-downs: punishment for stupidity on trail
Shiggy: thorns, rocks, mud, etc. Ithaca is Shiggy!
R*cism: talking about real running events; not permitted at a hash
Hash cash: $ collected per runner to cover beer costs
On-After: a place to meet following the hash; usually for sustenance and more beer
Commonly Used Chalk Marks:
