I just got inducted into one of the local Hash House Harrier kennels. It’s called Everyday [sic] Is Wednesday and we run on Thursdays. It’s one of the most interesting and fun things I’ve ever seen. We met at a metro stop and chased the Hare all over the neighborhood, past a police station, a hospital, 2 parks, 2 woods, and a bunch of hills. Beer never tasted better after that run. I swear it was about 4 miles.
But the best part was the circle afterwards in some random alley. There were a million drinking songs, a bunch of baudy stories, jokes, harassment of members, a naming ceremony (in which a member receives the honor of a nickname). I think her name was Backshaft, after setting a room on fire having sex. I have to say my favorite name was the gun nut named Pete. They call him 8mm Peter
Today, I’m sore, but it was totally worth it. I’m still in shock that running was fun for once!
So, Dopers, I’d like to hear your experiences with the H3 clubs in your cities. How long have you been in it, do you have a name, etc? You know more about it than I do, so throw in anything worth mentioning. And, of course, if anyone wants to know more about it, I’ll see what questions I can answer.
An ex used to be really into it up in Greenville or Spartanburg or somewhere. It sounds super-fun, but I’ve heard that the local group is full of douchebags.
Can you elaborate? I noticed a few dickheads in this crowd as well. One guy cracked his beer open and splashed me. I pointed it out and he said it was my fault for standing in the way. Another guy made fun of my friend’s POW/MIA bracelet because it wasn’t black.
We’re thinking about doing our first hash later this year. I’m finally to the point where running a 5k isn’t a daunting task for me, so I think I’m about ready.
Essentially, yes, it’s about the beer. But it’s also about the socializing. Thus all the rituals, ‘traditional’ songs, nicknames, etc.
ETA: carlb, if you can do a 5k, this should be easy. I haven’t run since April and I had only a little trouble. There’s a lot of stopping and walking because you have to look around for the trail and that sometimes requires pushing down brush, hopping through/under/over fences, crossing traffic, jumping over logs, and of course, general breath-catching. Don’t expect to run the whole way through. We stopped for about 5 minutes at one point as everyone slowly made their way down this steep hill. It’s not that hard, really. And you can always walk it. Couch potatoes are fit enough for this run. It’s just the fitter you are, the more you end up running.
There’s three reasons I could think of for that. One is that some clubs make you drink your first drink from your shoe. He might want to see you humiliated. Second, there’s a tradition of doing a special ceremony for a new pair of shoes and he doesn’t want to pair up your virgin ceremony with the shoe ceremony. Third, there may be some mud involved and he’s sparing you from the cleaning.
I started hashing last December. Luckily the groups here don’t do much actual running; the pack usually proceeds at a brisk walk.
It took me a while to get used to the songs. The only one I knew off the bat was the Bruces/Philosophers Song, but I’ve gradually picked up a lot of them. I don’t even feel too awfully silly singing them most of the time.
Not wearing new shoes is a tradition here and I think it’s a pretty common one. I don’t know its origin for certain, but I’d speculate that it’s just to avoid blisters. The customary punishment is to drink a beer out of one shoe; I’ve never seen anyone have to do it otherwise.
I ran with the Prague hash for a couple years. Good fun, made some excellent friends. Ran a couple times with the Aberdeen hash when I moved here but the group didn’t have the same dynamic I liked so much in Prague so I never carried on with it. Some hashes are kid friendly, some definitely not. Some places will have more than one hash to accommodate different personality types. Some hashes are really hardcore with their drinking, some not. It just depends. Main thing is to have a good sense of humor, enjoy being silly, and grow a thick skin! On on!
I wonder if one man’s douchebaggery is just another man’s everyday trashtalking…but then, it’s all in the details, like if you felt that weird aggressive-pissy vibe coming off them. I used to work in mostly male workplaces, hung out with mostly men, and I miss trashtalking. But it’s really one of those things that everybody’s got to be secure and comfortable in their position, or it doesn’t come out right or get taken right, so usually it isn’t a good idea if people are new, unless they are into it too and start it up. (This makes it kind of sound like some weird group sex etiquette or something. I’m not explaining it well, perhaps someone else can do better.)
I’m really hoping that this group will be fun and casual, not “we’re desperate to have fun, fake it 'til we make it!” because that’s just awkward.
Beyond the trashtalking casual social aspect, I like the idea of just running randomly along a path set by someone else. We haven’t explored as much of this area as we really should have and we have some beautiful woods and trails.
