Who are the Hashers?

Hashers are runners who run socially with the goal of having fun in mind, not with the competitive spirit of making splits and recording times. They often take breaks in their run to share beer and other drinks, and always finish with a party. As a group, hashers consist of both genders, include all races, ethnicities, and religions, and represent various social backgrounds.

Hashers are known by off-color nicknames derived from a personality trait, physical feature, or hashing behavior. This signifier is represented in the usernames employed in the e-mail conversations that cover 9-11-01.

Hashers view themselves as "drinking clubs with a running problem." Their motto: "If you have half a mind, that's all it takes." Hashers typically hold weekly or biweekly runs that may draw from 10 to 30 participants depending on the area. Interhash gatherings of 500 or more runners are held in North America, as well as overseas, in rotating years.

What is Hashing?

Hashing is a subculture of running.

Hashing was born during the Great Depression around 1938 in Malaysia when, as the story is told, a group of British expatriates hanging out in a hash house devised a unique way of obtaining a weekly dose of exercise. They planned a run that would be followed by some heavy-duty socializing back at the hash house. The run was modeled after the 19th century English schoolboy game of hare and hounds, in which a pack of runners ("hounds") chase an individual "hare" over hill and dale. Hashers chase after a pair of runners called "hares," who run ahead of the pack, leaving a confusing, powdery trail of flour to be followed.

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