Ready to plan a hash? Hare is some advice we learned along the way – this should not be scary and there are pointers that make it considerably easier.
Thanks for haring, you are the hero in this story!
Before you start – remember that hashing is an activity for everyone regardless of ability to ‘run’. The front of the pack are fair game for anything, it’s the middle and back you really need to take care of. Consider walkers and let them know of a suitable route that gets them back or to a regroup in good time. The goal is to have everyone arrive at the end and enjoy down-downs more or less together.
1. Make your marks obvious.
The purpose of marks is not to slow people down but to suck in the front running hashers to go faster and farther than they ever cared to go. Front runners are slowed down by a devious trail, not by devious markings, while the back of the pack really appreciate clear marks.
2. Getting a run to be 40 – 60 minutes long sounds easy but it takes a bit of practice.
Your first runs may be a bit long but learn from them, don’t run away! The Golden Rule for a street run is keep the real trail inside a box 2km by 1.5km. Checkbacks can wander outside if need be. A great long run can be set in an area considerably smaller if you are careful. Remember, the circumference of a 2X1.5km area is 7km; there’s lots of room! Trail runs are frequently longer, but consider good spots to introduce turn-around points for the back of the pack (learn Turkey/Eagle in hash lingo).
3. Choose your location carefully. Give the hashers something interesting.
If your location seems Meh, find a point of interest or a theme to spice it up. An ordinary run in a great location gets better reviews than a great run in a blah location. Hills, a view, shiggy, an opportunity to dress up etc.
4. Always sweep your trail with the back of the pack. Don’t run with the front of the pack. Never, ever, leave a hasher behind.
If the front of the pack muddle so be it. They can find the trail, waste themselves trying, or go back and find the pack. Letting them muddle also keeps the pack together. Sweep with a piece of chalk if that’s what you marked with. Mark the correct exit at checks so hashers you don’t know are still behind you can find the true trail.
5. Be careful when your trail gets close to itself.
Either mark the possible overlaps with several checkbacks or guard it during the run.
6. Avoid arrows unless every other option is unavailable.
Arrows make it easy for front runners to finish your trail in record time without actually ‘hashing’. Arrows mean that the bulk of the pack never get to rest at checks. If you have time to draw an arrow you have time to draw a circle. Because you are sweeping the back of the pack you can offer ‘advice’ when required; adding an arrow while sweeping can be appropriate (see #4).
7. It’s extremely hard to have too many checks.
Setting checkbacks on them can take a lot of time; with 2 hares it may take up to 3 hours to set a run, with 3 hares about 2 hours. Having said that, it isn’t always necessary to mark every checkback. The aim is to keep the front and back of the pack within range even if this means letting the front check aimlessly – they actually thrive on this.
8. Be particularly careful when setting marks around schools, parks, or crowded public spaces.
Muggles love to be suspicious and remove marks. Heavy foot traffic can rub out marks. You may have to remark those sections the next day.
9. Be aware that marks weather differently depending on weather and marking surfaces. In winter, be aware that marks are less visible at night so look for streetlights.
In particular, marks on poles will disappear during windy rain storms. Know where the weather usually comes from and mark the lee side. Flour becomes brown, weathered, and almost invisible after the smallest amount of rain.
10. Avoid marking with chalk on surfaces that won’t soon fade or wash off quickly after the run.
This helps the next hare in the same area to not have to contend with competing marks. Also, chalk and sandstone are a poor combo, especially with sandstone being a heritage surface in many Calgary areas.
11. Beware of non-hashers.
Some non-hashers have been known to come out of their houses after you have finished marking the trail and erase your marks. See #8. Marking a trail with flagging is particularly susceptible to this.
12. A lot of runs kind of peter out at the end. Try to avoid this.
You can set the end first. Be careful during the route choosing phase. After you’ve been marking the trail for 2 – 3 hours you get a little tired of doing it and relax setting marks. Near the end of the run don’t go to near the on-in unless you want the hashers to ignore the rest of your trail. Wise hashers say a well set run can be run backwards. There are known examples of this being tried (because the hares didn’t read guideline #1) and no one could find the start of the run. Hashers who run it backwards should think it was an OK trail.
13. The goal at every check is to have options.
Try to mark at least 2 good ones and sometimes 3 or 4. Choose the non-obvious direction once in a while. See guideline #7 and throw in some un-marked options if need be.
14. Try not to be consistent about running on just streets or just back alleys.
Choose to be inconsistent. It is a conscious choice. Devious trail, not devious marks…
15. Occasionally check your trail. You know it but the pack doesn’t.
When setting a run in flour/tape in the woods have a co-hare come behind you about 8 – 10 minutes and they will know if the trail is as obvious as you think. Or turn around and run tricky spots backwards for a couple of minutes. This works really well in brush.
16. Set some long and some short checkbacks. Choose to be inconsistent.
It’s OK to be mean to front running gazelles. They love it. Middle and back of pack runners tend to be more cautious (learn ‘check chicken’ in hash lingo) and the effect of evil checkbacks is mitigated.
17. Use terrain to your advantage. Tempt hashers with up and downhills.
Front runners will bite on anything, and the middle and back already know the mantra ‘never give up the high ground’.
18. Be truthful in the circle. If you say every checkback is marked then mark them.
If you say it is marked using the Abu Dhabi convention then make it so. Especially if it is cold! If some checkbacks are not marked, the lack of marks is not the issue. Spending too much time looking for a non-existent mark because you said it’s there is.
19. Be aware and sensitive of running conditions.
Don’t attempt overly steep terrain in wet or the icy conditions. When its really cold, make sure regroups are fairly close to the on-in.
20. Water crossings are always kind of neat. Hashers get really sad when running alongside shallow water that never gets taken advantage of.
Enough said.
21. Always consider the back of the pack and their need for shortcuts.
Especially after a stretch where the front runners can just use their jets, or if you are sweeping a trail with hashers who have fallen significantly behind the main pack. You want everyone to finish a trail in time for down-downs.
22. Choose a great On-In with lots of beverages and rules #1 – 21 really won’t matter a whole lot.
Summer On-ins outside fit the bill. We don’t have to run from a bar, we can run from another location and après at a bar afterwards. Consider the location carefully for Winter On-ins. Monday Night Football is a thing, as are bars with loud music or no alcove areas to reserve.