Hare Guide

THE VENUE (known as the "ON-IN") New! Click Here for a sample list of known hash friendly bars!

• VISIT the venue that you choose and speak with the manager and/or bartender as having 30 hashers show up and finding the bar is closed REALLY SUCKS! 
• PARKING – if it is horrible in the area, warn everyone in the Hareline to use public transportation – and give directions via the bus or "L". 
  
• NEGOTIATE THE BEER COST – Big group, slow day should equal a good price!! Places with pitchers on tap are usually the best. While upscale bars are a nice change of pace, many hashes are run out of "dive bars" like ones with no name out front, just and Old Style sign or something like that.
  
• MONEY – The hash gives no more than $7 of the $8 hash cash to the hare for beer and food, unless another arrangement is pre-approved by the GM.  
• BEER STOPS  -  Cost above the $10 provided from the hash cash is paid by the hare, consider canned beer rather than a bar! 
  
• NOISE  - Do they understand that we will sing and make some noise? Will they turn the music down during our circle? 
  
• FOOD - If no food is available, can we bring some in? 
  
• NON-BAR ON-IN’s  - If not a bar, it is legal to consume alcohol (parks, forest preserves)  

 

NOTE: $7 a head goes a lot farther in beer and food if we are not in a bar for the ON-IN, so consider forest preserves, someone’s home or backyard, etc. when the weather permits!!

THE TRAIL

• Weekends: 5-7 miles (1-2 hours with stops), Weekdays: 3-5 miles (no more than 1.5 hours)
   
• Death Marches, especially in very hot or cold weather, aren’t necessary except for special occasions, we are a drinking club with a running problem, NOT the other way around!!!!
   
• Consider Eagle/Turkey splits for those who cannot run long distances, bring dogs, or have small children with them.
   
• Hare pays for beer stops.
   
• Water on a hot day will make the hares popular (as if you give a damn!).
   
• Use Chicago hash marks. You must explain any variations during chalk talk. 
  
• WHITE FLOUR IS NOT PERMITTED IN THE CHICAGO HASH.  

If you need to use flour, color it with carpenter’s chalk (Home Depot, Ace) or food coloring, but it must be clearly "not white"!!! This is a Chicago Police request due to the 9/11 anthrax fears!!  Other suggestions

• Add chalk, Jello or Kool-aid to the flour to color it. 
• On sidewalks and streets, use blackboard chalk or sheetrock to avoid piles of any kind of flour.
• Consider using birdseed or peanut shells or some other harmless alternative to flour to mark trail (Cereal Killer once marked a trail in cereal boxes).  Yarn, tape or toilet paper also work in some terrain.
• For Downtown hashes, use extra caution to avoid another incident.  Be sensitive to areas such as government buildings.
• Consider notifying the local police prior to a run.    The police can be very helpful if they know in advance that we are harmless.

 

• Keep the pack together: Use plentiful, consistent marks and enough checks, loops and splits to keep everyone running together. THIS IS CRITICAL ! ! ! – We are a social club!   
  
• Use plenty of white chalk or brightly colored flour at night—bits of drywall works great and can be obtained free from debris dumpsters at most construction sites (bonus)!
   
• Long straight-a-ways really suck, keep it interesting, and leave opportunities for short cutting.  
• A to B hash: Always leave the B location and phone number at the start for latecomers and lost hashers. Select a B location near the A. If you cannot, coordinate a shag wagon for run bags. Also, if possible, note the location of the beer stop(s) for latecomers too. 
• Private Property – should generally be avoided as the general idea is we are runners, not trespassers. Commercial property, generally that businesses not open at the time or public areas such as parking lots are generally okay, use your discretion. Private single family residential property, gangways etc. should be avoided.
  
• SWEEP THE TRAIL The hare is responsible for finding any lost hounds on trail, and sweeping and marking checks and splits ensures that no one will be forever lost. If you cannot personally sweep, give a responsible hound chalk to mark checks and splits after the pack has passed them.

• If you sign up to be a hare and cannot do it, YOU are responsible for find a replacement, the Hareraiser will try to help you by suggesting names, but IT’S YOURS TO FIX!!!
   
• Get the information to the right people to publish – 21 DAYS BEFORE THE HASH!!!.
   
• The right people are: the GM and the Hareraiser.
   
• The right information is: Venue, address, time, auto and public transportation instructions and any special information (theme run, food served, etc.) that you want to publish to spice it up and make it interesting!! If the venue parking sucks, SAY SO, so that hashers can anticipate it.
  

CH3 Marking Standards
OBJECTIVE: KEEP THE PACK TOGETHER

	Arrow (chalk) – on a trail
	Dot (colored flour) – on a trai
	Split trail – which way is on? (need one mark to be on)
	Check (3 marks to be ON-ON). Some hare prefer to use two marks
	3 marks after check is ON-ON (can be arrows &/or dots)
	True trail – you are REALLY on
	Backcheck – number of marks to go back; if no number, look back all the way to the last check
F	False trail – return to check or split
BN	Beer is near (less than 1/4 mile)
	Beer check (Beer Here!!)

 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES/OBJECTIVES