The Hash House Harriers' unofficial (because nothing is official with us) charter is that we are "drinkers with a running problem" and for the most part that is the truth. We are a group of fun-loving individuals who share a common silliness with others from all around the world who feel the same way. We get together, have a bit of exercise, get some nature in our lives, sweat a bit, then sit around and are basically forced to socialize with people that we probably don't know, then we drink beer, normally go to dinner, and then call it a day.
For a lot of us, especially the older fellas and ladies, this is the only exercise that we get in our lives and this is why I am so happy that we do it at least 3 times a week. I think that most people that are older do not come anywhere near running 15-20km per week but every single one of us does exactly that.
You don't have to be an extrovert to end up getting involved at these things. While we do not force people to talk that are shy to do so, we do encourage everyone to get involved in our silliness and this is where the best factor of the Hash House Harriers comes in. The social side of things.
I think that mental health is something that is often overlooked when we talk about overall health, when in fact, it is probably the most important part. I feel that getting together with a group of people that have similar interests as you and laughing and eating and drinking together is a very important part of life and overall health and we do a LOT of that.
This doesn't mean that you are going to love everyone that goes to these things, I know from my own extended experience that there are at least a couple of people at the events that when I see them I say "this fucking guy" in my head silently. But this is kind of what life is like, right? It helps you to navigate somewhat difficult situations and take them in stride. You also have a chance to come out of your shell if you are introverted because this is a group of very little judgement and almost no danger of being socially embarrassed. We applaud embarrassing situations in our group and everyone can just act without fear.
For the most part, we all end up being pretty great friends as well. Even on days where we don't go running, there are invites to the group as a whole just to get together and have dinner.
it seems like almost every week someone will put the call out there about a group dinner somewhere, some time, and every single local Hasher is invited by default. It is up to you if you want to participate. Everyone already kind of knows one another so there is no social pressure about what to wear and what you are going to talk about. Although it isn't pre-arranged, it seems as though everyone in the Hash feels this sort of draw to get everyone involved in the conversation at the table, and in the meantime you get to discover some new pub or restaurant that you likely wouldn't have known about otherwise.
After almost any run we do, there is always an "On On On" as we call it and this is just the runners going to a restaurant together and well, eating and doing what people do at restaurants. I have discovered some pretty amazing places to eat from these recommendations and often, they are just places on the side of the road that would have probably been something I would have just drove past had someone not invited me. They are always open invites to, the entire group is invited and anyone who wants to turn up turns up. Even the aforementioned annoying people that I don't really mesh well with in the Hash are there and often, this has resulted in me seeing another side of them and then my disdain for them kind of goes away.
We are so much more than a group that is trying to get some exercise. In fact, I would say that this is probably the least important part of what we do. We are a group of mostly adults that get together to have fun and pretend for a little while that the median age isn't 60 or so.
Especially if you are living somewhere overseas where most of the people do not speak the same language as you, this can work wonders for your group of friends and I think, your overall health.
Come and join us in Chiang Mai if you feel so compelled or look up a Hash House Harriers near you. Since there are 5000 chapters worldwide, there is a good chance that there is one near you. There is one in Antarctica, so if you live in say Paris or Detroit, you almost certainly have one there.
On On!
Check out our upcoming schedule at our official website