Tips for hares

West London H3 Hair Raiser’s Requirements

    * Once your name is on the website for a particular date – you are committed.  If urgent circumstances arise which mean that you can’t make it please find someone else to set the run for you, but only after agreement with the Hair Raiser.  Call the Hair Raiser. Such a change is not permitted where there is less than one week to go.  If you are not 100% sure about a particular date it is better not to commit or to get a co-hare to assist (see below) in case you have to pull out.

    * Agree with the Hair Raiser where you plan to set the run when you are committing to it or shortly afterwards.
 
    * At least 1 week before the run tell the Hair Raiser which pub you are going to use.

    * Set a good P trail – from the station to the pub (see below) – BEFORE you start laying the trail.

    * Try and use a pub reasonably close to the station – to assist people arriving late.

    * Try and arrange for the pub to give us free beer (see below).

Oh my God! What do I do now?

So you've participated in a few hashes (and, not unlike most Hashers, think you know everything already) and the HR has noticed that you've been tipping back just a few Beers, so...picking his moment carefully (after all, he is a man of some experience) he's approached you about setting a Hash.  Not wanting to admit that you haven't the slightest idea how this is done (after all, you are a hasher now), you show the appropriate amount of enthusiasm and agree.  Of course you remember none of this until the following week when you see your name entered onto the upcoming run list.  At which time you utter those now infamous words, "Oh, my God! What do I do now?"  Hey relax.  This is actually the fun part, lots of work, but fun nonetheless.

What To Do BEFORE

Select a co-hare

Best to work with a co-hare to bounce around ideas.  It’s not recommended to recce or set a run on your own for safety reasons.  Ensure that the co-hare can set the run if you are unable to on the appointed date. It is very easy to twist an ankle or fall and if you have no assistance your problems could become serious.
If you are new, select an experienced hasher as a co-hare or if you are a seasoned hasher then show a new hasher the ropes. However, you as the Hare are responsible for all aspects of the run.

Pick Your Location & Venue / Pub.

Hashers like variety so pick an area that we haven’t run in for a while (remember the area should preferably – but not necessarily - have a W in the postcode).

Make sure that you / pub can accommodate all of us (about 30 of us).

Recognise that many hashers are real ale drinkers, so there needs to be some on tap.

Recognise that most hashers bring bags, gear, and in some cases most of their entire belongings, etc with them.  There needs to be somewhere secure to store this while we are out on the run.

Persuade the pub to give us some free beer for the down downs.  2 jugs of the cheapest real ale ought to do it.  Pub managers are not purely emotional creatures.  They can be persuaded on anything that resembles a bargain if given enough warning (a minimum of 4 – 5 days warning) and good reasons (30 three pint+ beer drinkers till closing on a quiet Thursday night) will usually work.  Asking for free food or beer on the night never works.  

Buy Flour or Find Plasterboard

Best to get flour before the Thursday of your run.  10kgs should be enough.  It is only 10 to 15 pence a bag at your neighbourhood Tesco, Asda, or Sainsbury.  Locate some chalk or drywall (gyprock) from your neighbourhood skip or ask someone on the Hash for it.

Do A Recce or two or three!

You really need to check out and map out your run before you actually set it. A useful FREE online tool for mapping the distance of your run can be found at mapmyrun check it out. If you can't get online consider using a piece of string scaled to be 6-8km /4-5 miles on a map.  Do it in your head, write it down or whatever it takes, just don't leave it to Thursday afternoon.
See OBJECTIVE below.  A good run in a new area to the hare would normally expect 1 - 2 recces. From the preliminary recce to the final pilot trail you should try to pick out convenient check points, cross roads, obvious places for back trails etc (refer to arsenal below). The recce should also look for loops so that the slow runners can cut straight across to catch up with the front runners.

P Trail

Ensure a decent P-trail is set.  At least one chalk or flour P / dollop every 10 metres / yards will be laid from the nearest station (every exit).  A reassuring mark when ever there is a possible deviation of the trail.

What is a Good Run?

The Objective - So here you are, ready to put flour / chalk to ground but, let's not be too hasty, why don't we just review the main objective here.

THE OBJECTIVE IS...to set a good challenging run that should take the front runners, on average, 60 – 75 minutes to complete, while keeping most of our very diverse group together.  What we want to avoid is having us strung out all over the city and having some slow pokes staggering back 3 hours later.  If the weather is exceptionally bad (in 'winter' months) then hares should consider making the run on the shorter side.
Remember: It's easy to set a totally confusing Hash (Hashers, as a rule, are not really smart you know); it's harder to set one that's challenging and fun.
Most hashes are set in a circular route starting and ending in the same location (A-A).  An A-B run means that the run finishes at a location different from the start.  If this is the case you need to organise transport back to the start.

Setting the run

Depending on how understanding your boss is, it is best to set the run during the day several hours before the start of the run.  If it is set the day before ensure the run is checked on the day of the run (especially if it has rained since you set it).  REMEMBER to use much care in setting the P-trial from the tube station to the pub.

Your Arsenal Of Weapons

The Dot.  Dot, dollop, plop, call it what you like, this is your most basic marker.  Use it to mark off the trail that you want hashers to follow.  When using chalk, an arrow pointing in the direction of the run should be used.
  Three dots placed in succession along a trail indicate to hashers that they are on the right route.  Once you have established the trail, continue to place dots at regular intervals along the route.

Hashers, being a rather insecure lot, start to get nervous when they don't find flour along the route and are liable to wander about aimlessly if they're not encouraged along by the occasional dollop.  Allow for a reasonable distance between dots.  It's hard to say how much, 25-50 metres / yards is OK but a 400 metres / ¼ mile is way too much. Use your good Hashing judgment (God, are we in trouble now!)

Now you can place dots along trails that are not correct.

The Check.

The main purpose of a check is to slow down the FRBs (Front Running Bastards) and allow the slower Hashers a chance to catch up.  Therefore, don't use a check at the start of the run - just run them off with a trail of dots.  Checks, as indicated by a circle of flour or chalk are usually placed at a point along the route where there are several intersecting trails or roads.  At this point your trail of dots will cease to exist and it's the job of the Hashers to spread out and find the new route.  As the Hare, allow a reasonable amount of space (100-200 metres / yards) before laying down dots.  If using chalk, two arrows together shows the hashers that they are on trail.  Vary the direction of the new trail from the check.  Try to make it as ‘interesting’ as possible for the FRBs.

The Back Check.

One of the more frustrating variations on a check is the back check.  This is where you have a check but the proper route is behind you rather than in front.  At the check, go back along the trail that has led them to the check, count back one or two dots of flour (two seems to be preferable), and then take off on a side track, trail, road, gap, whatever and begin to place your dots.

The False Trail.

False trails are marked with an X, FT or two arrows pointing back the way you came.   Hashers shouldn’t cross over an X, so place them on trails that you don't want them to follow.  It's most useful to use an X when there's any chance that a wandering Hasher might stumble upon another part of your trail, like the On-In.  The Hares' nightmare is to have the Hash run backwards.  Proper use of the X will prevent this.

The On-Inn.

The very last part of the run is the On-In.  When you've brought everyone around and the final last bit of the way back is readily apparent, simply write ON INN on the ground and be done with it.

The Run

During the run the Hare and the Co-hare should make sure the runners are on trail.  Depending on the hares, it is best to have one towards the middle / front of the pack and one towards the back of the pack.  If only one hare is going out, it is best that they stay towards the middle / back of the pack.

At the start of the run, place a large On On for hashers to follow.

Encourage runners to call or use the horns.

Mark all checks through for any latecomers trying to catch up.

It's Not Over Till It's Over.

Sorry, but you're not finished yet!

Search Parties.

The Hare and co-hare should remain at the finish until all runners have returned. If any runners have not returned within a reasonable amount of time, say 2 hours from the start of the run, then the Hare and co-hare with the help of available members should organise search parties since they know the area and the way round the trail. Fortunately this is rarely required at the West London Hash.  The whole basis of being able to find a lost hasher is that they are on trail. If they are off trail, there is no way you may know where they are so plan the search on the route you have followed. You may set up separate search teams, one to go in forward, one in reverse, and maybe one that can access the middle of the trail.
It is good policy to establish where the person was last seen and you can concentrate the search on that area.
Before the search party(s) leaves, establish a communication plan so that all parties can be alerted when the person(s) is found and call off the search.

And Finally.

Remember it's your run and you've got a lot of responsibilities.   But, it’s supposed to be fun as well!!  Do your best.  You will still get rubbished after the run.  If you need any further help, contact a member of the committee.

So...now you're an expert! (typical Hasher).

Disclaimer: This document in whole has been plagiarised from City Hash, so it's their fault.