Drinking in America

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What do you get when you mix drinking with running?

A couple screws loose international pastime known as hashing.

 

Secretly enjoyed by doctors, lawyers, soccer moms–you name it, this dare we say ‘sport’ combines alcohol, exercise and generally lewd behavior.

 

Thousands of hashing clubs exist worldwide, many right here in America.

 

We’re fascinated. So how’s it work?

 

Hashers meet weekly in a designated spot, and trek through some rough terrain. “Shiggy,” as they call it. Forests, swamps, streams, mud, mess­–you name it.

 

Designed so everyone can run at a desired pace, “beer checks” make it easy for stragglers to catch up. Trails end in a “down-town” ceremony made up of drinking songs, rituals and yes, more beer.

 

Keep in mind it’s not a race. To hashers, beer comes first, running second.

 

The reader who tipped us off about hashing wrote:

 

“Running had always been boring to me. Being outdoors helped. I was covered in mud, and I was hooked. Someone with an overly sensitive personality may not make it as a hasher, although everything we do is in the spirit of fun.”

 

Dubbed “a drinking club with a running problem,” hashing’s history began in 1938 when a small group of British colonial officers and ex-patriots founded a running club they called the Hash House Harriers.

 

Their mission has four basic aims.

• To promote physical fitness among 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

 

Sound oddly up your alley? Find a hash near you @ gotothehash.net.