AH4 History - Don't Try This At Home!

Mommy, who's my Daddy?
(Or, How Hashing Got Started in Atlanta)

by Marquis de Shiggy

Early in 1982 an article appeared in the Atlanta Track Club Wingfoot describing a running activity called Hashing. The article likened the activity to hare and hounds running and was authored by a Harriet on Okinawa. The Harriet was named Seiko and she promised to introduce the sport to anyone interested in running a Hash. Marquis de Shiggy corresponded with Seiko and received the promise of a full description and written instructions when Seiko returned to Atlanta in the summer. Marquis' job was to prepare the runners of Atlanta for the delightful experience Seiko would allow them to have under her leadership.

Following Seiko's direction, Marquis made sure that a weekly venue was prepared for Seiko's grand introduction of Hashing. Three running clubs; The Northeast Striders, The Buckhead Runners, and The Chatahoochee Road Runners; agreed to alternate the hosting of a Hash run on a weekly basis. This arrangement lasted through one rotation. It seems that when each club got a taste of Hash their immediate reaction was to spit it out. (This is kinda what it's like the cold war between Atlanta H4 and Pine Lake H3 now...) The grand introduction was scheduled for the Saturday of June 2, 1982.

Seiko returned to Georgia but not to Atlanta. She took up residence in Douglasville and took a job as a lifeguard at the local swimming pool. With her new job and junior status on the lifeguard roster, she was scheduled to work Saturdays. This prevented her from performing reccies and the necessary preparations for putting on a Hash. She also coveted the instructions and insisted that the Marquis be patient and allow her the opportunity to lay the first Hash. Marquis made the arrangements for the 3 running clubs to slide the start of the rotation until June 9, 1982. At the last minute, Seiko again was scheduled to work that Saturday and the Marquis again approached the 3 running clubs to slide the beginning of the rotation to June 18, 1982. And so it was set that the first Hash of Atlanta AH4 was to run on June 18, 1982. The 3 running clubs were not going to tell their members of any more changes.

The week preceding the first Hash found Seiko again unable to attend and still unwilling to provide her written instruction. Marquis told her to piss off. Since he had raced hare and hound motorcycle races in southern California, he reasoned that a similar race on foot could be staged. A motorcycle hare and hound race in the desert would have the hare take off on his motorcycle with a bag of lime laying a trail for the pack to follow. He would rendezvous with another hare before his bag ran out and the new hare would take off. The original hare then became a checkpoint and listed the order of the riders as they came through his check. There would be several hare exchanges and the eventual winner would be the first rider to finish that had passed through all of the checks. Trophies were given and all riders would wash the dirt of the desert out of their systems with much beer.

And so ran the first Hash. Five checkpoints of Northeast Striders members were set up and Marquis laid the flour for the run. There was much bitching on the part of the Striders members because they couldn't run. The pack consisted of TwoTrip and 2 harriettes. The trail led through Northlake Mall and the pack got evicted. They eventually found flour again with the aid of one of the checkpoint volunteers and TwoTrip finished first and received the first (and only) trophy. He also received instructions to bring it to the next Hash as it was the only trophy we could get. The trophy was donated by the Atlanta Track Club. It was found in their basement and had a plaque on it from some unheard of race in 1954. Marquis recycled it by removing the plaque. The Hash then retired to the Le Mans apartment clubhouse and pool where the hare, the hounds, and all volunteers proceeded to get drunk. The residents of the apartment complex got into the swing of things and soon there was much merriment and drinking.

Now this may not sound like Hash to many of you but it embodies all of the elements of Hashing. Running in strange places, flaunting authority, sweating, and drinking with good companions. Skypilot didn't think so. Marquis reenacted the first Hash for the running of the 150th Hash and Skypilot made him do a double down-down by declaring both the first run and the 150th runs to be Hashits. However, those who participated in the first Hash didn't agree with him and these were the majority of the pack for the second Hash.

Seiko again was going to be unable to come to the second Hash but when she learned that we had run the first without her, she agreed to give the Okinawa Hash instructions to the Marquis. Seiko did agree to lay the third Hash and the Cochran Shoals park at the Hooch was set as the beginning. NotSoBright was to be her contact with the Chatahoochee Road Runners and would be her cohare if she desired. Of course Seiko was unable to get the instructions into Atlanta so Marquis sent his company driver to the pool in Douglasville to pick up a copy of the written instructions. Although arrangements for the future runs were set, as soon as Marquis read the instructions for laying Hash he realized that the world class hairless hare for the second Hash would have to be appraised of the instructions. Marquis and the hairless hare met and the instructions were passed on. Both had no idea how much flour would be needed and they decided that 1 pound would probably be enough.

The second Hash got underway on June 25, 1982 as a live hare run. (The hairless hare was a previous indoor mile world record holder.) He led the pack through the creeks and byways of Buckhead. The pack successfully negotiated the passage through the Sears at Buckhead and a private Condo where the guard threatened to shoot. All seemed to go well until the flour gave out. Soon the trail was marked by arrows made from grass clippings and chalk stolen from children as they played on the sidewalk. After a fair amount of running and a good bit of milling about, Skypilot (who showed up for the second Hash) declared the run to be a Hashit and the pack retired to the 5 Paces Inn (a rugby bar). The hairless hare finally showed up at the bar and Skypilot proceeded to introduce us to the art of down-downs. There was an altercation between the Hashers and the ruggers and the Hash got kicked out of the bar. We retired to the hare's house and proceeded to drink beer in his front yard. Skypilot had all do down-downs.

The third Hash at the river was another Hashit. The pack was on schedule but the hare didn't come. When it became obvious that there was no flour laid, the Piss Princess took up the Hash fee and the pack retired to a nearby bar to drink. So went the third Hash of AH4. NotSoBright said he figured Seiko would handle it when she declined to offer of a cohare and Seiko figured that someone would check with her to make sure of the arrangements.

Since the Chatahoochee river site had never been used, Marquis laid the Hash at the river on the 7th Hash. A goldmine of Hashing opportunities. The muck of the beaver swamps and the trails in the hills earned him his name. Skypilot was a regular with the Hash now and the Hash still had not laid eyes on Seiko. Skypilot had brought with him the Indonesian Hashing experience of the Medan Hash. It was adopted and it was preferred to consider the Hash as a breakaway club, rather than a kicked out group fro the original 3 running clubs. By now the Hash had elected the hairless hare as HonSec, Piss Princess as HashCash, Skypilot and Super Chick as Scribes, Marquis de Shiggy as Grandmaster, and (in absentia) Seiko as Grandlady. There was a regular publication of the Hashtrash and runs were scheduled as far in advance as 4 weeks with the next run, run number 8, scheduled for August 6, 1982 at Stone Mountain Parkway with Skypilot as the hare.

The highlight of the 8th (but it shouldn't have been) was the appearance (finally) of Seiko. She showed up with the running chick from channel 5 and her whole entourage of cameras and news people. It became a media event with Seiko as the centerpiece. This turn of events did not please the hare who had taught the Hash that advertising the Hash was gauche. (We now feel that attitude is stoopid, as we need new drunks to replace the one's who've gotten married and stuff.) Even possibly justification for a down-down or two. With cameras rolling at the On-On Skypilot renamed Seiko, to be forevermore known, as NoShowSeiko. There was a lot of discussion then about whether or not a Hash name could be changed Skypilot maintained that it wasn't a change, just and addition to clarify. Seiko stated that her name in Japanese meant cover girl and that no show cover girl just didn't make sense. Skypilot said "Exactly!" poured her down-down on her and she was so christened. She may be Seiko elsewhere but in Atlanta she is NoShowSeiko.

Seiko can only claim to have started the Atlanta Hash if this beer in my hand can be the result of some airborn spore of yeast falling in St. Louis. Marquis de Shiggy can only claim to have started the Atlanta Hash if the monks in Belgium had really planned to let airborn spores get into their fermenting vats. The Atlanta Hash was born by the excitement of difference and the desire to experience the unknown. All Hash communities evolve from these elements of human nature. The Atlanta Hash merely had the opportunity to have the nurturing guidance of Skypilot and as a result of that guidance to have evolved into a leader in the world of Hashing. Eat your heart out DCH3.