On May 5, 2022, the Surf City Hash House Harriers will host the Red Dress Run, an annual fundraiser they have hosted since 2001 for WomenCARE of Santa Cruz County. The event attracts nearly 100 participants from “kennels” around the country, all donning their finest Red Dresses and “running” through the town.
During the event, men and women alike show up in Red Dresses and provide a donation. The pack of 60+ hashers follow a trail placed conspicuously in highly visible downtown areas. The response from the public is very positive and includes horn honking, cheering, and contributing to our donation buckets.
We know, you have A LOT of questions.
How can you participate?
To join the run, reach out to surfcityh3@gmail.com.
For the strongest impact, make a donation to WomenCARE.The event will be held at London Nelson Center on Saturday, May 5, 2022. Starting at approximately 12:15 pm, you can see us running through town, in a can’t-miss-it trail of Red Dress Runners. Before and after the run, we provide food and adult beverages to the pack; conduct a raffle with great prizes; and just have a great time generally with a diverse group of good people. We hope you’ll come watch this fun group of adults who take one for the team by crossing some boundaries and tearing down dated social constructs.
Who are the Hash House Harriers?
The Hash House Harriers are a “drinking club with a running problem” founded in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur. Left with time on their hands, the founders gathered at the local “Hash House” restaurant once a week.
A volunteer known as “the Hare” set out to lay a trail marked with baking flour, providing a puzzle for “the pack” to solve, for which they were eventually rewarded with adult beverages. This concept quickly spread, and today there are more than 2000 “kennels” worldwide.
Why a “Red Dress” Run?
The Red Dress Run was the result of a “Harriette” who showed up at a hash event in a Red Dress for no particular reason. The Red Dress Run events became a global phenomenon and a fun way for our kennels to raise money for local charities.
Why did we choose WomenCARE?
WomenCARE was chosen by the Surf City Hash House Harriers because one of our own Harriets found support and comfort through this great organization. Karen Petersen, aka “Last Call Norm,” and known locally as a restaurant reviewer for The Good Times, endured a ten-year battle with breast cancer during which WomenCARE provided support through multiple recurrences of the disease.
Anyone who has lost someone to cancer can relate to the difficult process of navigating the disease, never really knowing who will ultimately survive. WomenCARE provides cancer advocacy, resources, education, and support to women, their families and friends, and healthcare practitioners at each stage of the journey: diagnosis, healing, surviving, or dying.