About the Hash

The Ben Franklin Mob Hash House Harriers (BFMH3) is a Philadelphia-based chapter of the Hash House Harriers, a drinking club with a running problem which exists literally all over the world. For a quick shot of Hash House Harrier history, go here. We run, following a trail marked by one among us, every Thursday night somewhere in the City of Philadelphia. The person who marks the trail is the “hare,” and the people who follow the trail are the “harriers.” The hare marks trail with colored flour, chalk, or some other biodegradable and harmless substance. We choose the hare each (mostly) week by drawing straws, which we get from the bar where we meet. Each week the bar is different, and usually so is the hare. After drawing the short straw, the hare gets a ten-minute head start. Then the chase begins. Whoever catches the hare becomes the new hare, and the chase begins anew. Hares avoid capture by laying trail that is tricky to follow, making the chase all the more fun. Usually we run about an hour to and hour and a half and cover usually between three and five miles, unless the hare is particularly lazy or over-ambitious. The run (almost always) ends at the bar where it began. We begin and end each run at a bar because we like beer. We also like running. We’re not competitive about running, though some of us are competitive runners. We’re not competitive about drinking beer either, though many of us are better at that than at running. At the bar we “circle up” for a while, sing bawdy songs, and cause a general ruckus, all in aid of the fight against sobriety. And the evening takes us where it will. If you like to run and to drink, then come out and join us. Nothing is required except sneakers, an intact liver, and the inability to take yourself too seriously – and $10 for beer. Sooner or later everyone who has run or “hashed” with us is given a “hash name,” usually for something they did that is notably stupid, and sometimes for no good reason at all. It’s all in fun, and it’s all a lot of fun. See you Thursday night!