There are a lot of silly rules in the Hash House Harriers and most of them are made so that you will actually violate them and end up in "trouble." When you violate any of the myriad of rules that exist you are meant to get put on the ice for your violation. It kind of depends on whether or not the speaker or GM is interested in doling out punishment that day whether or not you are going to get busted though.
Don't think that not breaking the rules is going to prevent you from getting punished though. Early on in my involvement with the Hash I was put on the ice regularly for obeying the rules "too closely" and was deemed a do-gooder. Just remember that there are no rules in the Hash, only guidelines and suggestions.
One of the more obscure ones is the "On In" rule though and there is no good reason why you would ever know about it until you have fallen victim to its existance.
one of our cuter members
The On In is a position that exists just a few hundred meters or half a km from the finish line. It is supposed to exist on every trail run that the HHH do globally but God only knows if that is the case or not. I don't think anyone really cares.
Hashes are not a race technically, but some people out there that are lovingly referred to as FRB's or "Front Running Bastards" treat the trail runs as if it was a race. I used to be one of those people but as I get older I kind of leave that to the younger members to tussle over. Because of the way the trails are set up we all normally end up back at the starting point at more or less the same time so it doesn't really matter. The only prize is pride anyway.
When you get to an On In indicator, this lets you know that there are no more checkpoints and the way that the sign or marking is indicating is a straight trail back to the start. There is no reason to jockey for the first place position from this point forward because technically the ON IN serves as a finish line of sorts. Whatever order you arrive at the ON IN is the position that you are meant to remain in all the way back to the camp. Some would say that this is to allow for a cooldown period - which is something that I think you are supposed to do in exercise, and others would say it is just another arbitrary rule that we have for the sake of fun.
You CAN pass someone after the ON IN, but you need to be given permission by them in order to do so. I encountered this early on in my time when I hit the ON IN and then started walking. A guy I did not know pulled up behind me and then asked me "can I pass you?" and I said something along the lines of "knock yourself out." I was unaware the rule existed up to that point.
Had he passed me and not asked for permission it is dictated by the HHH overlords that I could have put him on the ice for a "very serious" violation. The other members are then required to berate him for his offense relentlessly as well as cut in front of him whenever he is doing anything for the rest of the day. It's all good fun.
This is not to be confused with the HHH "ON ON" which is something that is shouted on a regular basis on the trail simply to indicate to the others where the true trail lies. It is also strongly encouraged that at least one person shout out "ONION" at one point or another when they get to the on-in.
This is just one of many "rules" that exist in the HHH. They vary wildly depending on where you are in the world and no matter how well you think you know the rules, you are almost certainly going to violate one or two no matter where you go. They are designed specifically for that purpose.
Despite dropping numbers in attendance we are still doing 3 runs per week in Chiang Mai and all are welcome to join in if they want. Check out our upcoming schedule on or official and barely functioning website
this was one of my first infractions with you guys. I was unaware of the rule. If you do get "busted" for this or anything else I think it is important to remember to not protest because doing so will only make the punishment "worse"
you are indeed correct. In the many years that I have been doing this we have only had a handful of people that didn't quite get it and only one that got irritated by the process.
Punishment is meant to be fun and most sporting teams or communities use it to take the piss out of everyone who violates them. I think these silly rules are needed as it makes for a great day of relaxed fun.
precisely. We often come up with new rules just for the hell of it. It is kind of the objective to punish everyone for something at each outing because we don't want anyone to feel left out.
If I were live in the place, I will join your Group. 😁😁
Totally didn't know about On In. Thanks for the heads up 🙂
that will save your butt from the ice!
From my experience, fellow harriers actually finding opportunities to make mistake, so they don't miss a chance to sit on that ice 🤣
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