Hyderabad Hash House Harriers

On Sunday afternoons we like to go on the Hash House Harrier Runs (also known as H4). This is a group of people (mainly expats) that get together and run or walk a different pre-marked trail every week. There are Hash clubs all over the world, but each one is unique.

Each week a different person (or persons) marks the trail early Sunday morning...to be followed by the runners later that evening. These people are known as the Hash Hares.

This week was a special run marked by the Hyderabad Hash House Harrier Horrors (the kids).

The trail is marked with lyme...I think it's more like chalk. As they set the trail the kids throw the powder on the ground to show the runners which way they should go when they run the trail later that day. The powder lasts the whole day but washes away easily with water.

Some of the kids got a little creative with the powder...

And some of the kids just went a little overboard.

After they set the trail the Horrors hitched a ride with one of the parents back to the house we started at.

Later that evening the Hashers meet at the start of the run (a different place every week). We register and sometimes get free t-shirts. Here are Scott and I in our matching Kingfisher shirts.

This Sunday the kids got theses stylish yellow shirts with their hash names written on the back... I think I failed to mention the name... After you mark the trail for the first time or be the Hash Hare you are given a Hash name. My name is "Both Sides" (because I drive on both sides of the road)...(India and America), John is known as Dr. Bear Foot (because he refuses to wear shoes...only sandals for him), and Scott has not yet been a Hare so he doesn't have a Hash name.

When the kids marked the trail there are certain codes marked by the Hash Hares... when you come to a place where you can go more than one way you put a circle with a dot in it, this is called a check point... then you must go a little way down each path to see either an X telling the runner they are on the wrong path or a mark telling the runners they are on the correct path. The kids tried to trick the adults into exploring lots of different paths, but one of the bags of powder broke and gave up the secret to the correct path.

After the run we all met at Isabelle and Venkats house for a 'circle'. This is a fraternity like circle where certain silly songs are sung and silly rituals take place.

The kids, having run the Hash twice that day opted to go swimming...