Welcome to Bali Hash House Harriers 2

Bali Hash House Harriers 2 Runs Every Saturday at 4.30PM Rain or Shine

The Hash House Harriers (abbreviated to HHH or H3, or referred to simply as hashing) is an international group of non-competitive running social clubs.

Hashing originated in 1938 in Malaysia when a group of British officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the British “hare and hounds”.  (Full history here)

In 1962, Ian Cumming founded the second chapter in Singapore. The idea spread throughout the Far East and this particular chapter, the Bali Hash House Harriers 2, was founded in 1992.

At Bali Hash 2 we Walk on Water & Run on Beer!

An event organized by a club is known as a hash or hash run, with participants calling themselves hashers or hares and hounds.  We run a Mixed Hash with Men, Women & Kids ALL welcome to join. We have Great Runs and we Run Great circles!  We like to think that Bali Hash House Harriers 2 is what you would call a HASHER’S HASH.

Always try to think about your run and be aware of your surroundings so you don’t get lost or worse yet injure yourself. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the beautiful scenery or chatting with friends, taking “Selfies” or other distractions. Our runs are sometime very easy, but sometimes are more challenging depending on the trail the Hare(s) decide to set.

Remember, it’s not just the distance that’s important, it’s the Distance PLUS the Terrain

If you try to adhere to the Rules of the Run (below), you’ll find that you have a much better and more enjoyable experience at Bali Hash 2. In the meantime, here are a few nuggets of advice to keep in mind:

1. First and foremost Always Be Careful, trails can be slippery or hazardous at times. If you have Kids, make sure you keep an eye on them.
2. Never believe what the Hare says about the trail: If the Hare says “No Checkbacks” expect checkbacks, etc.
3. Before the run starts, the Hash Master will explain the run which will give you an idea of what to expect such as, for example, river crossings
4. Remember the name of the run location in case you get lost so you will be able to ask someone where to go
5. If you are a Virgin (i.e., new to hashing), go with an experienced Hasher and take the Short Trail. Once you feel confident, then go ahead and do the Long
6. Try not to run alone, go with a friend or someone who has a similar pace.  If you are alone and get injured, stay on the trail so it will be easier to locate you
7. Do not try to find your way in the dark, Stay on Paper!  We simply can’t emphasize this point strongly enough.
8. Do not try to short-cut, Stay on Paper!  Are you sensing a message here?
9. Be aware of who the Hare is; some Hares set more difficult or longer trails than others so make sure you Stay on Paper!
10. If you aren’t fit enough to run a bit, please don’t take the Long Trail as you could potentially return after dark

No Run is too Dirty for Bali Hash House Harriers 2!

Yes it’s true, even at Bali Hash House Harriers 2 there are rules.  RULE NUMBER 1: our start times are every Saturday @ 16:30 or 4:30 PM WITA (GMT +8) which is the local time in Bali.  We start as a Group and run as a Group so that we can enjoy each others’ company & help each other along the trail.

Hash is and always has been a Group event, not a competition.  Hash is not meant to be an individual event or time trial, the intention is to have an enjoyable time with friends, relatives or acquaintances. Likewise Hash is also not meant to be a Tour of the local country-side, so please be mindful of the time when you are on a run so as not to return after dark.

By starting as a group, we can help others who may be unsure of the trail or trying to find paper

RULE NUMBER 2: Learn the Signals, Marks & Verbal Cues of Hash. A few of the more important ones to know are:

A Circle means “Check Around“. In otherwords, the trail will continue in one of the 2 or 3 available paths in front of you

An X means “Checkback“. In this case, you will need to backtrack to find the trail, which will be hidden up one of the available trails behind you.

When you are trying to find paper from one of the two occurrence noted above, you call out loudly “RU?”

In which case the Hasher that finds the Paper should respond by yelling “ON ON” or “ON PAPER“.  If you hear someone yell RU and you have not found the paper, you can respond by yelling “CHECKING!”

At Bali Hash 2, we almost always do Point A to Point A runs. That means that we start and end at the same location. If we are doing an A to B run, it will be noted at the pre-run briefing prior to the start.  That’s another reason why we start as a group, so we all know what to be aware of on a run.

And we also almost always have 2 runs.  There is generally a Short run for those who wish to walk and a Long run for those that feel more inclined to exert themselves a bit and run.

The Long & Short generally start together and, at some point along the trail, you’ll find some sort of markings directing you to follow either the Long Trail or the Short Trail.  

Look for the “Split” Marked S for Short and L for Long

Generally speaking, a Short Run takes about an hour at a brisk walk and a Long will be completed in 2+ hours at a brisk walk.

That’s just a rule of thumb, so if you’re not inclined to push yourself a bit, we highly recommend you take the Short to ensure that you are back before dark.

If you decide to take the Long Trail and Walk, you’ll likely get in around 6:30 PM.  As it might be Dark by then, we Recommend that you Bring A Flashlight / Torch

As this is meant to be a run, we also highly recommend against stopping and/or sight seeing during the run. If you do decide to take a few pictures along the way for nostalgic purposes, do so and then move on.  Please don’t stop and chat and organize group photos or do “Selfie” stops every 5 minutes. Remember, you’ll have plenty of time for photos back at the Circle.

Lastly, if you do find yourself “Off Paper” don’t panic. Go back and find the last paper that you saw.  Backtrack your steps until you see paper again and then look around for the trail.

If you can’t find the last paper, then you might try to find a friendly local to help direct you back to the Hash Place.

It’s important to remember the name of the place you started from. It’s listed on the Hash Map and you should make sure you remember the name even if you can’t speak Indonesian.

How It All Started – A Brief History of Bali Hash House Harriers 2

In May 1977 Victor “Nightjar” Mason and several accomplices decided to get together once each Friday afternoon at The Beggars Bush in Ubud. There they would sit drinking beer while the Beggars Bush minions would trek out into the jungle with a bag of shredded paper and proceed to litter the countryside, laying a trail which our founding heroes would later follow, on foot and eventually hands and knees, becoming wet and muddy; then returning to the comfort of the pub, where Nightjar, acting as some self styled Religious Adviser would shrive everyone in turn for such offences as getting lost in the jungle, or daring to speak out of turn, by forced drinking of huge mugs of Bintang Beer (punishment indeed for these heinous crimes).

This tradition thrived and continues to this day. Excellent procreation skills meant the original accomplices multiplied and became so numerous that some went on to spawn other groups. These days there are as many as seven Hash groups in Bali.

Bali Hash House Harriers 2 was formed 19 years ago on the 26th January 1992 by Terry “Two Dogs” Firmstone. We meet on Saturday each week, at various locations, often in remote areas, of this beautiful island. We run at 4:30 in the afternoon with a group of around 400 active and occasional members runs usually attract between 80 and 100 runners each week.

Stunning Views

One of the benefits of running with Bali Hash 2 is the opportunity to appreciate the fabulous scenery and spectacular landscapes for which Bali is famous. This is the reason so many members continue to hash religiously week after week, year in year out, and why visiting Hashers come from all over the world to run with the Bali Hash House Harriers 2.