Hashing: Everyday Is Wednesday Hash in Washington, DC

Date: 12 Mar 09
Location: Washington, DC

This was the second time I've run with Everyday Is Wednesday, and once again I was astounded by the size of the group. I'm used to running with 30 people max, except for big events. But this group routinely seems to attract at least 75 people. I've heard that 100 isn't unusual. This can be both a benefit and a problem. The benefit is that with that many people, you can always find someone of your running speed. The problem is that the group tends to be more cliquish than most of the hashes I've experienced.

Trail: Urban 4/5

The trail was longer than I was used to, but that wasn't a problem at all. It was actually a really good workout. For an urban hash, it actually had a good combination of major roadways, sideroads and alleys and wilderness. We were running through, well, the ghetto of DC, which as usual seems to freak out some people. However, I always enjoy these, as no one is more likely to come up and ask what is going on than a young black person, and I always like discussing the crazy things I do.

The trail started by running through the neighborhoods of the area, and then shifted dramatically about a third of the way through. We suddenly cut through a gap in a fence and were in a very old cemetery. We ran up the big hill in the center of the graveyard, which gave a very nice view of the area. Admittedly, the area wasn't the nicest, but I still love to see high views of suburbs at night. Other highlights: running through an honest-to-god forest in the middle of the city and crossing the Pennsylvania Ave bridge towards downtown, which gave a great view of the Anacostia River.

The trail was well marked for the most part and had a good number of FRB loops for those fast bastards. There was only one beer stop, but it was well placed (and was greatly needed by the time I got there). I heard there were two shot checks, but I guess I either missed them or was too far behind to take advantage of them.

Circle: 3.5/5

One of my favorite experiences when visiting different hashes is seeing how they run circle. Overall, I had a favorable impression of the circle. With a group so big, it often degenerated into chaos, but the RA was able to regain control effectively. It moved quickly though alot of phases, including hares, virgins, violations, anniversaries, and a naming. I didn't stay for the naming, so I can't really comment on that.

Group: 2.5/5

I don't want to punish the group too much for not being as welcoming as they could have. They were not mean or off putting at all. Its entirely likely that after a long day of wandering around DC, I may not have been at my most social. However, it seems that whenever I tried to integrate myself into a group, there was no outreach made. Every attempt was made by me, and it was rare to get any reciprocation. I think its was partially a function of the large group, which led to a bit of cliqueiness. It was telling to me that the only person who actively came up to me and introduced themselves was a 'Just,' or a relative newcomer.

Everyday Is Wednesday Hash runs every Thursday evening in the DC metro area.