Why do Hash House Harriers run in dresses?

Why do Hash House Harriers run in dresses?


Published: Oct 7, 2024 7:59 PM


KINIGUIDE | Two non-citizens pleaded guilty today to the charge of public indecency, through their running outfits in a charity race last Friday.

The men had participated in a 2024 Pan Asia International Run in Johor, dressed in a saree and a skirt which is a traditional dress of an indigenous community in Taiwan.

What was this event, who are the Hash House Harriers and why do they run in women’s clothes? This Kiniguide explores.

What actually happened last Friday?

According to news reports, The Hash House Harriers Association organised the 2024 Pan Asia International Run in Desaru, Johor.



The website states that the run was held from Oct 4 to 6, and includes an event called “Red Dress Run”.


Who are the Hash House Harriers?

The Hash House Harriers international non-competitive running group was founded in Malaya in 1938.

It is believed that the name was coined in reference to the “Hash House”, an annexe of the Selangor Club, where many British officials lived or socialised.

The annexe was called the “Hash House” because the British officials did not enjoy the food it served, with hash being an old British slang for bad food.

The Royal Selangor Club is located next to what is now Dataran Merdeka.

The British officials would meet every Friday to run in a traditional game of “hare and hounds”, where one or two runners run ahead and scatter a trail of cut paper for the “hounds” to track. After the run, the group would adjourn for drinks, typically beer.

The tradition continues today across many chapters internationally, along with quirky lingo, games and customs shared by members.

Due to the heavy drinking culture, the Hash House Harriers is sometimes jokingly referred to as a “drinking club with a running problem”.


Do they always run in women’s clothing?

No, there is no specific dress code for all “Hash Runs” as they are called, but some runs require specific clothing items such as high-knee socks.

In one tradition called “Red Dress Run” runners
typically run in a red dress to raise funds for charity.

It started by accident in 1987 when a woman named Diana Rhinehart travelled to Southern California to visit her school friend.

“Shortly thereafter, she found herself transported to Long Beach, where her friend intended to introduce her to a zany running group called the ‘Hash House Harriers’.

“One member, noting her gender and attire, urged that she ‘just wait in the truck’ until her host returned. With that goading, she ran into history sporting her red dress and heels,” the Red Dress Run official website states.

Since then, Hash House Harriers chapters worldwide have been organising Red Dress Runs regularly to raise funds for local charities.

According to the event organiser in Desaru, RM10,100 was raised, which will be donated to children with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy through an association in Johor Bahru.


Why did it become a controversy this time?

The run became a controversy after photographs of it went viral.

The photographs featured men dressed in kaftans or dresses, while one was seen in an outfit which exposed his butt cheeks.

Five men, including two Malaysians, aged 39 to 70 were arrested after public outcry.

Three were arrested on Oct 5 while two more were picked up yesterday (Oct 6).

The issue has also prompted calls by local politicians to ban future Red Dress Runs which they claimed “promotes LGBT”.


But is it all linked to the LGBT community?

Not at all. The event’s organisers stress that it is purely a charity run according to Hash House Harrier traditions.


What happened to the men arrested?

Two of them, Indian national Satyanarayana Prasad Papoli, 70, and Taiwanese Arthur Wang, 66, pleaded guilty to the charge of public indecency.

They were fined RM5,000 each by the Kota Tinggi Magistrate’s Court today (Oct 7).

Satyanaraya ran the race in a saree while Wang was wearing an outfit of the aboriginal people of Taiwan.

“For the past 10 years, I have been promoting the aboriginal culture of Orchid Island in Taiwan. Had I known that the clothing (would be regarded as) indecent (here), I would not have worn it,” Wang was quoted as saying.


What happened to the other three?

It is unclear what happened to the other men or who they are. They are two Malaysians aged 39 and 70 and a foreigner aged 49.

Conventionally, the media does not publish the identities of those arrested for a crime until they are charged formally in court.

Police said drug tests returned negative, while investigations found the men did not have prior criminal records.

So it has nothing to do with the LGBT community?

None at all.

Johor police chief M Kumar said the event organiser, The Johor Baru Hash House Harriers, did not promote or endorse any elements that could cause discomfort or violate religious or cultural sensitivities in the country.

Johor police chief M Kumar

However, this has not stopped local politicians like Penawar assemblyperson Fauziah Misri from urging action against the event organiser for “promoting LGBT”.

Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi also urged the authorities to ban future Hash House Harrier events like this in Malaysia.

“What is the point of bringing the Hash House Harriers traditions here?

“We already have our own Malaysian and Johor customs which we can use for charity runs, instead of dressing up in outfits to expose buttocks and promote LGBT,” he said.


Are there other controversies linked to the Hash House Harriers?

Over the years, the club has caught flak for littering on hiking trails, when the “hares” leave paper trails for “hounds” that follow.

However, now there is greater effort by the Hash House Harrier chapters to ensure pieces of paper or other markers like chalk or flour are cleaned up within 24 hours of the run.

In 2017, a member of the Seletar, Singapore chapter was arrested after the group left flour markings at an MRT station underpass to mark a running trail.

The white powder triggered suspicion and the station was closed for about three hours as police and Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles and personnel, including Hazardous Materials Control specialists, were sent to investigate the case.

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kt comments:

A fun run, with humour for charity, ruined by the sex-obsessed politicians. Even the police has cleared the HHH of any nonsensical mischief so why were two runners fined RM5,000 each? Malaysia Madani? My guli's lah!