By Kriste Marciulionis
ROME, March 10 -- Silhouetted by the Roman Forum, the Roman House Hash Harrier hounds stretched their legs on Sunday, preparing for their biggest chase of the year.
The House Hash Harriers is a phenomenon that began in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia in 1939 by a group of British colonial officials and expatriates.
It was an offbeat variation of the “hare and hounds” game, where the
colonial “hounds” set a chalk trail leading a path with clues and riddles
to be followed by the group of “hares”. Eventually their chase led to the
rewards of the hash house, a pub where beer and food was readily supplied
as the prize for completing the race.
The non-competitive running and social organization, known as “H3” by members, has evolved with over 1,800 hash groups in almost every major city in the world, spanning 178 countries. In Italy there are a handful of hashing groups, with a large following in Rome that began in 1986 and at one time included the unexpected Vatican City Full Moon Hash, which is no longer running.
For the Rome Hashing group, the Ides of March run constitutes the biggest run of the year, where the runners commemorate the assassination of Julius Caesar by running through Rome’s famous sites dressed in togas, from the Colosseum to the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps.
This year’s Ides of March brought together about 60 runners of all ages from all over the world. There were participants from the U.S. naval base in Naples as well as a participant from Nepal. Geoffrey Wiggin, Counselor for Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, said, “the goofiness of H3 tends to be an Anglo-Saxon thing” as runners met and changed into togas at Piazza La Malfa. “Some of us are just British Embassy expats”, said Wiggin.
Hashing is a great way to meet new people from all over the world, and an opportunity to integrate oneself into an international community with an entertaining social life. Gretchen Bloom, International Development, Humanitarian Assistance, Food Security and Gender Expert said, “my husband and I have run in 20 countries over 20 years and have loved every moment”.
For more information about H3 in Rome and for upcoming runs, including the Rome marathon this upcoming weekend, visit their website.
Comments