The Hash House Harriers had its humble beginnings in 1938 with an Englishman named Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert, in what is now Malaysia. Having a fondness for the "paper chase," he gathered together a group of expatriates - including Cecil Lee, "Horse" Thomson and "Torch" Bennett - to form a group in Kuala Lumpur that would later become a worldwide legacy. The fraternity received its name from the Selangor Club Chambers, which due to its lacklustre food was commonly referred to as the "Hash House."

The philosophy of the original Hash House Harriers from the 1938 charter:

To promote physical fitness among our members
To get rid of weekend hangovers
To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

Almost a dozen runs took place, although attendance could sometimes be counted on one hand. The sport was cut short during World War II, but then re-established when peace returned. It was some time before the international phenomena we are familiar with today began spreading around the world. A hash was formed in 1947 in Bordighera, Italy (near Milan) by some former members of the original Hash House Harriers. It ceased operations for many years but was reborn in 1984 and is now quite alive and well as the Royal Milan and Bordighera HHH.

It wasn't until 1962 that the next official group was formed in Singapore. The Singapore HHH was slowly followed by others until by the 1,500th postwar run in 1973, there were 35 known hashes around the world. This figure climbed into the hundreds by the 1980's and there are now well over 1,300 active hashes.

The main difference between hash groups is their emphasis on the sporting versus social aspects of hashing. Some choose to maintain the tradition of a live hare hash, were runners chase a hare who lays a trail after being given a few minutes head start. They thrill in the hunt, the occasional catch and the notion that there is a real pursuit in progress during the event.

Other hashes have shunned the competitive nature of the live hare hashes, pre-laying the trail with a number of marks designed to keep the pack together. These gathering checks and other delaying marks allow the hashers of the dead hare hashes to sing and make merry from point to point, emphasizing the social aspects of the sport.

Regardless the event, hashing knows no age boundaries, with family and children's hashes, as well as members from all age groups, with hashers in their 70's or even older. So there's no reason to not join. As one popular Hash House Harriers' motto goes: "If you've half a mind to join the hash, that's all you need!"