How To Set A Run For The Agaña Hash House Harriers
Signing up for a Run
Check the Receding Hareline for a schedule of available run dates. Contact the Trailmaster, who maintains the Hareline and will officially sign you up. Sign up for a run well in advance of the run date—you can use the time.
Current Trailmaster: Blow Hole Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Ph: 483-6323
Selecting a Co-Hare
If you have never set a run before, choose a Co-Hare that has set before. The less experience you have, the more experience they should have. There should only be two (2) Hares! You don’t need more. You will get to know this person fairly well by the time the run is over, so choose your Co-Hare wisely!
Scouting the Trail
This may be the most important part of your success as a Hare, and a good run. The one factor that has been proven time and time again is that to produce a good run, the amount of effort involved in the beginning is crucial. As a rule of thumb, the more time you spend scouting and thinking about your trail, the better the Run will be. Also, it is typically true that the better the Run, the better the Religion.
Scouting: Once signed up for a run, immediately start looking for trail. Do not underestimate Guam’s terrain, and a good trail will take 3-5 trips into the jungle before you have something that works (it is advisable never to scout a trail alone for safety reasons). Take plenty of water with you.
Permission: Obtain permission from all the landowners—we will definitely want to return. Typically, the local village Mayor’s Office is a great source of who owns what (this may be the only time they are actually of some practical use). Get the name of the person that gave you permission, in case a family member disputes it. It is rare that landowners will not give you permission to run through their land. Problems arise when Hares do not first obtain permission. The landowners are friendly if you ask permission, but use guns and get pissed off if you don’t ask first.
Time: After figuring out the Run, and before marking it, walk the whole run from start to finish, and it should take no more than 2 hours…you do not want to have to go back and hunt for stupid and/or slow Hounds.
Pre-Setting: Pre-setting trail is a legitimate option. The best way to do it is to set all the On-Backs and False Trails before the run, and then set True Trail live. There is nothing like the fear of Hounds catching you and taking your shorts to provide motivation (because they will if they catch you!).
The Run
The Hares are in total control of the Run -- from when the map goes up at 4 pm at the PDN, until the Tyrant signals the start of Religion. And then later to clean and return the coolers.
Pre-Run Responsibilities
Coolers: The Hares are responsible for the coolers for the duration of their run. That means the Hares have to arrange for a Beer Truck Driver and arrange for hauling the coolers away from the On Home. The Hares also clean the coolers and return them to Tampon’s house during the week, so the coolers are available for the next week’s Hares.
Beer/Sodas: Make sure you have the beer (N=4) 30 packs of Bud Light, and Miller Lite, and (N=5) cases of Coors Light), 2 cases of assorted sodas, one case of bottled water, and fill the water cooler up with filtered water and clean ice. Bring along 40-50 paper cups (paper cups can be found at Sunny Wholesale, between GPO and the Tamuning Bank of Hawaii). If you don’t fill the water cooler, then bring two more cases of bottled water.
Ice: Hounds love cold beer, so make sure it is cold! Put three 30 packs of both Miller and Bud and 4 cases of Coors in their respective coolers, saving the extra beer for later, if needed. Four bags of ice per cooler is sufficient, plus two bags for the water cooler (N=18 bags of ice).
Munchies: Spend about $100.00 on assorted munchies—fruit, cookies, chips, peanuts (the red bag of whole roasted, salted are preferred), etc. Keep your receipts for all your purchases, and turn them in the following week to Hash Cash for reimbursement.
Pallets: Seven to nine pallets for the fire will last throughout Religion. If you can't bring them, arrange for someone else to do it well ahead of time.
Bag Truck: Make sure you have a Bag Truck and driver; this truck is used to carry the Hounds bags to the On-Home.
Beer Wagon: Arrange for a Beer Runner with a truck to carry the beer coolers. The Beer Runner should be willing to do whatever you ask them to do. They may have to guard the keys to the beer truck and the Arc from the Hounds at the PDN and at the Box. They should know exactly where they are going and what time to get there. They are also responsible to take loads of Hounds back to the Box after the run.
Map: Draw a simple and understandable map everyone can follow. Use recognizable landmarks. Remember, new people don’t know the island very well.
The Box
Obviously the Box is at the start of the run, but there are several factors to consider.
Parking: There should be room to park at least fifty cars. The location should not block the road for other users or neighbor’s driveways. It should be relatively secure if possible.
Box: The Box should have room for 50 to 80 people, and ideally will be positioned so that the run starts from the back of the Box. This way the Hares can get started without having to wait for every last Hound to get into the Box, and so the late Hounds will not see which way the Hares run!
Preparation: The Box should be marked in flour and the 4 main marks (On-On, Check, On-Back, and On-Arrow) should be placed in a visible location for the Tyrant’s FNG (Fucking New Guy/Gal) lecture.
Instructions: You should give instructions to the Hounds just before you leave the Box. Keep them simple, although most will Hounds will forget within a few minutes anyway. Please describe what you used to set the marks (color and type of tape).
Leave the Box: Leave the Box setting trail. Two Hares get a 10 minute head start. Do not set a Check out of the Box. Checks are to re-group the Hounds not to split them (more on that later).
The Trail
The objective of a good trail is to provide the Hounds with interesting running, mixed with boonie stomping over varied terrain. The trail should be mentally challenging as much as it is a physical activity. The entire Pack of Hounds should be together throughout most of the Run and finish within 20 minutes of each other. During the winter months, it is preferred if the trail is set closer to the PDN (so we don’t burn all our daylight driving to the south end of the island), or just set a really short trail.
Trail: In order to achieve the ideal timing for the length of the Run it is necessary to sucker the FRB’s (Front Running Bastards) into running farther than the RRB’s (Rear Running Bastards). That is the purpose for setting On-Backs and False Trails from a Check. A good trail will send the FRB’s off on a promising trail, just to find they have gone the wrong way on a false trail, and have to return to the last Check after the Pack has already arrived there. Thus the Pack is regrouped and the RRB’s are again with the FRB’s.
Another ploy is to set the trail so that the RRB’s can see the FRB’s off in the distance and can short-cut the trail. A well-set trail with good regrouping can have the whole Pack from FRB to RRB arrive at the On-Home within 20 minutes of each other. (But it takes time and effort to set a good trail…).
Terrain: The Trail will ideally have NO pavement and will cover a variety of countryside. Sword grass is good, but too much is bad. Rivers are good, but nobody likes 30 minutes in a slimy, slippery river. Butt slides are fun, but not 20 on one trail. Lemondichina thorns are not fun but we can put up with some. Open countryside is good for running, but it tends to spread out the pack, making it hard to re-group. And, of course, we all love good scenery. Remember, the terrain should not be so difficult that the RRB’s cannot safely complete the trail.
Length: The trail length is always measured in time, not distance. Due to the varying terrain and conditions on Guam, time and distance do not have a constant relationship. The trail should be set so that the FRB’s get to the On-Home in about 60 to 80 minutes. The RRB’s should finish within 10 to 30 minutes of the FRB’s. During the winter, the days are shorter so plan shorter runs and get as many people in before dark.
Marks: The marks should be set in flour. Flour fluoresces at night, and contrary to common belief, does not wash away in light rain. A good trail set with flour in the rain will not be washed out. Place the On-On’s where the rain will not wash them away: on the sides of banks and trees, under overhangs, etc. Not in the middle of trails where they will get trampled out regardless of weather. Any time the trail takes a 90-degree turn, place a check so the Hounds know to look in a different direction.
Paper On-On’s do not biodegrade but may have to be used in some terrain. Please use paper sparingly if you must use it at all. And don’t use toilet paper along roads or where there is already a bunch of trash, as there’s no way to tell the difference between your mark and someone else’s litter.
Flagging may be used, but try to use biodegradable flagging, not plastic flagging. If you use plastic flagging you have to go back and retrieve it—we don’t want streamers of plastic all over the island (hashers are not trashers, and it will mess up someone else’s trail in the future). Set your Marks with thought and not too far apart. In an area where the trail may be difficult to discern, you should be able to see the next mark from the last. This is especially true at the end of the trail, when hounds may be coming through in the dark. Remember, if people get lost, it is your responsibility to go back on trail and find them. Light colored flagging is best. Don’t use green or dark colors that can’t be seen with vegetation behind them.
On-On: This is simply a single pile of flour, shredded paper, or tied flagging.
Check: A Check is the intersection of two or more trails. True Trail should go off in one direction, while False Trails and/or On-Backs should go off in other directions. Vary the direction of True Trail off your Checks. A trail should start a reasonable distance from the Check. Once True Trail is established, a Check will be marked by the pack in the right direction so the RRB’s don’t go in the wrong direction. The more Checks--the more regrouping.
False Trail: A False Trail is simply up to three On-Ons set in one direction and no more.
On-Back: An On-Back is more than three On-Ons, set in one direction on a false trail, with three (3) piles of flour set close together, across the trail to signify its end.
On-Arrow: This is flour, shaped like an arrow to tell the Hounds they are going in the right direction. On-Arrows may also be used to get Hounds across roads, rivers, or open country. On-Arrows should be used sparingly, but are helpful in some situations. Remember, all arrows are true!
T/E Split: The True Trail (T) shall be set so that all Hounds can safely complete trail in the time allotted (as described above). The Expert Trail (E) can be longer and technically more challenging, but it is not a license for a mini-berserk run or be extremely hazardous. The split shall be carefully marked so that all Hounds can see it, and where it won’t get trampled or washed away. If there is a T/E Split, Hares shall clearly explain the level of difficulty of the Expert Trail to the Hounds before leaving the Box.
The On-Home
The On-Home is the end of the trail and the site of Religion. The driving distance from the On-Home to the Box should be reasonable; you don’t want to make the loads back to the Box too long. This prevents a delay in the proceedings while people drive between the On-Home and the Box. The selection of the On-Home is critical to a good Religion so consider these factors:
Site: The site needs to have vehicle access even if 4x4’s are necessary for the delivery of beer and pallets for the fire. It needs a place where a fire can be lit without fear of burning down the island. There should be enough space for the Circle for Religion. Banks and natural amphitheaters are fine but they encourage people to sit away from Religion and have “private parties.” This is very disruptive to Religion. An open space is better. Vehicles need turning room to facilitate “loads.”
Parking: Again remember that you need parking access for about 50 cars without causing a blockage to the flow of normal traffic or the neighbors. The Parking site should be within 100 yards of the On-Home.
Privacy: The Hash is loud and raucous and we use a lot of profane language. While we are “just having fun”, our fun should not create a disturbance to others, nor should it be so obvious to passers by that we attract unwanted attention.
Lost hounds: The hares are responsible for searching for any hound that has not arrived by the end of religion. If you set a long trail, then get started searching even earlier. If there are a lot of Hounds that don’t arrive before religion starts, then start preparing for your search, and limit your beer consumption. Although Hares are not responsible for Hounds who fly, it is the Tyrants discretion to send the Hares back out if we know where the lost flyer can be found. Take extra flashlights and water with you on your search.
Clean up: The Hashers will help clean up before “Swing-low” and also after, to get the coolers and rubbish stowed for trucking out. It is the Hare’s responsibility to ensure that the fire is not going to flare up and create a problem after we leave.
Coolers: The hares are responsible for getting the coolers taken away from the on home site that night. Then they must clean them as soon as possible, before things start to grow inside. And finally, return the coolers to Tampon’s house.
On-On-On: The Hares are responsible for designating the On-On-On for people who want to continue having fun. Quietly inform the Tyrant towards the end of religion.
Post Run
The only responsibility the Hares have after the Run is to make sure the coolers are clean and returned to Tampon’s during the following week, and to return to the Box and the On-Home the next day to make sure everything is cleaned up. Both the Box and On-Home sites should be cleaner than when we found it—Hashers are not trashers.
If you have any questions about the information in this guide, please contact the Trailmaster or the Tyrant.
Cheers, and On! On!