In the News: Urban Human Hounds Tracking Down the Beers
Friday, March 30th, 2007In the New York Times Travel section, there’s an article about hashing. You may have seen the chalk mark arrows on the sidewalks of New York City before. They’re what’s left over from this activity whereby a group of runners attempt to catch the person leaving a trail (the “hare”) before he or she reaches the finish line. While they take place all over the world, New York City hashing tends to be more about the athletic side of the activity:
For Tim Reed, who hashes two to three times a week in New York, hashing in a city like Washington can require more tolerance for alcohol.
“When I hashed there, they had beer checks every 20 minutes,†he said, referring to a point along the trail where the runners gather to drink and figure out where the hare’s trail continues. “I find New York more fun because it’s more of a runners’ hash and more of a challenge. D.C. has a beer truck and does ‘shot checks’ in alleys.â€
During the New York City Marathon, the hashers set up a beer check at mile 23:
“If my time is off my mark when I get there, I’ll do the check,†said Dave Stewart, a lawyer who has been hashing for five years. “It’s a dumb idea,†he admitted, but it gives everyone a thrill to see a marathoner chug a brew just a few miles before the finish.
The article reports that there are eight different hashing groups in New York City alone, but they have joined together to form HashNYC.com, where you can find more information.
