Like it or not, the WH3 have a certain amount of disorganization and baseless rules regarding misbehavior (as if anyone would ever do that) and some advice for newcomers...!

Click on the links below to learn more!

• Hash Rules

• Virgin Hare's Guide

Guidance Notes
for
WANCHAI HASH HOUSE HARRIERS
( Adapted from notes by H McKay)

Introduction

Hares and co-hares

Location

Transport/Parking

Special Events/Festivals

Preparation Check List

Length of Run

Drink & Water Stops

Marking Generally

When to set the trail

Checks

Terrain

The Circle

The ON ON

1. Introduction Firstly, the first rule on the Hash is that there are "no rules". Having said that, there are reasonable guidelines coupled with common sense which should combine to give the pack a reasonable day out. Remember the P6 rule :- pre-planning prevents piss-poor performance.

That said, please take note of the following: hashing involves personal risk and uncertainty that cannot be mitigated against. Each hasher must accept these risks themselves if they wish to participate.

Regular hash participants are encouraged to look after any new hash participants that they might bring along. Bringing a mobile phone, flashlight, whistle, and plenty of water during a hash activity is highly recommended for all hashers and is independent of the location, time of year, and length of a particular run.

If lost or injured during a hash, hashers can contact the WANCH (2861-1621) to seek assistance. Additionally, from time to time, a limited number of course maps or additional contact numbers will be handed out at the start of a hash. If a hasher is in doubt of their own abilities they should check with the run hare to obtain more information about a particular run in order to make their own personal running decision.

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2. Hares and co-hares If you are a virgin trail setter DO NOT set a run with another virgin hare. We have had too many godawful runs because of this. If you have not set a run before, ask an experienced hare to help you. DO NOT set a run alone as there is just too much to do these days, with the large amounts of ice and drinks that are required. (Back to Top)

3. Location Location can be anywhere, but we wish to avoid having, for example, three weeks of consecutive runs on Lantau, or three runs from Wong Tai Sin settlement block. Pick your location well in advance so that the hare-raiser can adjust your run date to avoid the problem as just mentioned. Pick a location for the bucket that can be easily reached and which won't conflict with the public. We had a run up at Tai Mei Tuk a while ago where we were fighting with the rest of the World for a BBQ pit amongst a heap of crap and garbage. NO MORE like that, please. RECCE your run - that is, walk the route at least once, preferably twice, to check the route and the length. It should take about twice as long to walk as to run it but adjust that for your own speed. (Back to Top)

4. Transport/Parking Work out how hounds will get there. If you think a hired bus is the best idea, discuss with a committee member. Remember that parking for cars is sometimes nice for the rich bastards. (Back to Top)

5. Special Events Festivals Check that you don't set a run from a cemetery on Ching Ming, and so on. (Back to Top)

6. Preparation Check List Well before the event make sure you know where to get WHITE chalk and flour, make sure you know HOW MANY drinks to buy and where you will buy them and how you will get them to the site. Make sure you know where you can get enough ICE. IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE just to say "That's all Park N Shop had" then shrug your shoulders. The Hash require COLD drinks and one little pack of ice is not enough. PRE-PLAN your ice source. ICE can be bought in block form from any urban market and it is very cheap. Just go to the fish stalls and say "Yamo bing ah?". Bing is "ice", Yamo (Yau/Mo) means "have/have not", ah is the question form. If you have to go to 7 Eleven etc. remember that you are usually OK in Winter but in Summer they sell out. You can perhaps buy early and keep in a cool box or pre-pay and reserve. Either way, do not expect to go at 3 pm on a Sunday in July and get ice at these places. The secret to cold beer is three things: Ice, ice and more ice. Black plastic bags do not have secret cooling properties it is the ice inside them that does the trick. MAKE SURE the drinks are on ice before the pack leaves for the run. (Back to Top)

7. Length of Run The Kualur Lumpur hash set the run as a 1 hour target. Runs much over that are not hash runs. If you want athletic training join another club. Some hashes take this so seriously that in the UK there is a hash called "Under the hour or else hash". The idea of the Wanchai hash was to encourage people to join in a reasonable amount of exercise and a large amount of fun. When Shirley Temple and Dances with Dogs set up WH3 the target was 40 minutes and that is still the target. RAMBO runs should be the exception and should give a run maximum of one hour. A forty minute run should take about 2 hours to set. Any more than that and the run is TOO LONG. The mark of a well set trail is that the Pack is all back within five minutes after the first true hound (ie not SCB's). Trails which have people coming back over the next hour or so are obviously not good in any way. (Back to Top)

8. Drink & Water Stops Each run will have different requirements for drink and water stops depending on the following issues:

• season;
• sunshine;
• BBQ;
• run length; and
• location.

There is no getting away from the fact that when it comes to beer, Carlsberg and San Mig are a must. However, cheaper beers can be used to supplement the more expensive standards. Generally, adopt two cases of 'C' for one case of 'SM' with one case of 'Cheapy'.

When dealing with softies, go for the standards, Coke and 7 Up/Sprite. Cream soda and lemon tea make a great supplement along with the Park N Shop cheapy brands. During the summer, water is essential especially on a hot days and water stops are always a good idea. Large 5 litre bottles are cheaper but the distribution requires paper cups and is beyond the capacity of the average hasher. Where possible provide water in the 700ml bottles to be taken on the run. On a hot day, you will need at least one bottle each!

The final item is the Ice. You can never have to much ice, so get as much as possible and keep the drinks cool for the returning hashers. Even in crap weather people tend to get really upset if the drink is warm. So always remember to keep the drinks cold and provide sufficient ice for the RA to seat the sinners. The only other thing to remember are the lap sap bags for the rubbish, buckets or bags for the beer and plenty of enthusiasm.

The table below should be used as a guide on the volume of drink to allow and assume:

Good weather and not a special run

• 40-60 people for HK Island run;

• 30-50 people for Kowloon run; and

• 30-50 people for NT.

Poor weather take off 10, special run add 10-20 people. (Back to Top)

9. Marking Generally

Be liberal with your marking. Arrows or blobs of flour should be every 30 metres or so, EVEN CLOSER in busy streets where they are difficult to see and where traffic noise drowns the calls.

After a DRY SPELL there will be hash arrows all over some areas. Use a special arrow or write the date and WH3 against the marks to assist the pack.

In rain, you can use large blobs of flour which last a while. You can put arrows and flour under over-hangs where the rain will not wash them out immediately. Toilet tissue can be used and, in the past, telephone pages have been used, with a full page for a check. Use your imagination

It is not smart to hide trail marks - it is stupid.

DO NOT use plastic bags and tape to mark the trail. Only biodegradable please. Also, avoid marks under flyovers that do not get washed by the rain. Hash marks are as much graffiti as anything else. Let's appear to be responsible people. (Back to Top)

l0. When to set the trail

I have known some people who, amazingly, have set a trail 3 days before the run and then wonder why it was a f... up. Personally, I never set a trail other than the day of the run. That is the best way to ensure the trail is as intact as possible at the start. If it does pour with rain and you have no time to re-set it, just run round with the pack and direct them. This, thankfully, does not happen often. Obviously, this is another reason why you should not try to be a "lone hare" unless you are very good and experienced in organising these things. Very few are. (Back to Top)

11. Checks

Let the pack have a bit of the run to the first check. In an hour, you should have about ten good checks but the terrain may dictate this.

• Open checks: are checks with no arrows off them. It is not compulsory to have arrows off checks. The advantage of checks with arrows is that backmarkers can find the trail immediately. Some people think that if the back markers lose the pack that is "tough" and they should have to check the trail themselves. It is a matter of choice.
• Tees and marked trails: Personally, I do not see a need for every false trail to have markings and a T at the end of it. You can tell the hounds at the start that not all falsies have T's and they should not go too far without trail. Any hound who goes more than a hundred metres without seeing trail is as dumb as any hare who leaves a such a gap in the trail.
• ON ON marks: One of the biggest failings of hares is leaving too big a gap before marking a positive "ON ON". They seem to think it is clever. The usual result is that one of the athletes dashes off and, when he eventually sees it some 300 metres on, his voice cannot be heard. This is the best way to split the pack. ON ON's should be within a hundred metres and, in the city, where traffic noise drowns the voices, it should be a lot less. Hares should keep the amount of trail in busy city streets to an absolute minimum. Note that some hashes in the World don't even mark ON ON but simply rely on having continuous trail for a hundred metres or so. WH3 rely on marking "ON ON" as it is quite clear so keep it that way.
• Check backs: A check back means that you have missed a turning off the trail somewhere between the checkback and the last Check. A Checkback, traditionally in hash parlance, is a circle with a cross in it, however a T with a ‘CB’ is more universally understood. Just mark a T and everyone will know that they have gone too far. This is a good way to turn the fast runners around to the back of the pack. Two words of warning: don't do it too often (people get pissed off) and don’t write "ON ON" between the hidden turning and the checkback as it is simply not true. (Back to Top)

12. Terrain

Try and be reasonable. It has been said before and I say it again - MONSTER mountain climbs or millions of steps do NOT make a good hash run. A good run has variety and should finish with a nice flat (or slightly downhill) run-in to let the athletes have a little stretch at the end. Just remember the best and the worst runs that YOU have been on and try to avoid the obvious pitfalls.

Shiggy (dense bush) is fun but too much of it is not. Also, remember that when the pack has to go single file through slow jungle, the first man out is away and running whilst others are still plodding through. Thus, you must consider how to bring the pack back together again after this. (Back to Top)

13. The Circle

I will leave to the Committee but woe betide the hare who has not provided enough cold beer for this part of the proceedings. (Back to Top)

14. The ON ON

Take your pick but again PRE-PLANNING is the thing. BBQ's are reasonably foolproof and are popular. Do not plan to occupy pits where and when you want on a Sunday afternoon, however. Check the area out and keep away from popular locations.

Housing estate Dai Pai Dongs are seemingly OK and service is reasonably fast although the quality of food is questionable.

If you go to Indian restaurants to buffet places are best otherwise you can be waiting an hour for food.

On site food is good but check with the committee first. Do not expect to put on Mandarin Hotel catering and then expect the hash to subsidise your loss.

MONEY MONEY MONEY many hares end up subsidising the meal because people leave without paying. Hares should appoint a "table monitor" to collect off an individual group. This is the best way. Drinks should be paid for separately it possible although some restaurants can't seem to work this way - perhaps because they can't rip you off so easily.