We were just driving away from the office en route to preview a property, when we came upon a happy group of joggers all dressed in lingerie, beach wear and exaggerated makeup – men and women alike. They were such a colorful and happy group, we just had to honk and wave to them. Who were they? Well, when we returned to the office, we encountered a guy who was using our parking lot hurriedly changing from his work clothes into pajamas and running shoes, and he gave us the scoop. It turns out that they were Hash House Harriers, or HHH, or H3 as they are also known. This crowd was in town for the annual Betty Ford XXIII Hash (or Run). For the weekend, they would run and drink and enjoy being together, using their hash names rather than their real names. Many don’t even know what their hash friends’ real names are!
HHH members are self described as “drinkers with a running problem.” They are organized worldwide, this group belonging to the Orange County Hash Harriers. When we first saw the group, they were running over from their hotel to join fellow runners at the starting point or PreLube, where they might down a beer or two before taking off on their run, with a trail being laid down by their “hare” only minutes before the rest of the pack took off to follow the trail just laid down. The hare(s) often lay down false trails as well as the true trail, just to challenge the runners. It’s a non-competing event, so there is freedom to run together rather than to try to break away from the pack.
Palm Springs offered a friendly venue for their weekend activities. This is typical of the breadth of what we have to offer here in Palm Springs. So what I am saying is that the Palm Springs Lifestyle is what you choose to make it. This is a place where you can relax at home by the pool, play golf or tennis, hike the trails in the nearby mountains, attend antique and rare car auctions, revel in the plethora of international films during the annual festival and the smaller fests throughout the year; go shop, dine out, see the Palm Springs Follies, ride in or support the Tour de Palm Springs cycling event, grow roses, garden with native materials, kick back at the weekly VillageFest, go dancing, go listen to jazz, ride the Aerial Tramway up to 8000′, go boating and fishing an hour away, go skiing at the nearby mountain communities, attend all manner of concerts, recitals and live entertainment locally, or drive into LA or San Diego two hours away for all that they offer. Or just honk and wave to those who, for a weekend, have chosen to come to our city for fellowship and fun.
Our local paper turned up to photograph their getups, and invites you to take a look with the phrase, “Want to see hairy men in lingerie?” To see what they caught on film, go to Hash House Harriers Run.