Medals or no medals?

WiB wrote (see)

kittenkat wrote (see)

In the faster local races round here you don't get anything unles you get placed, in the more commercial races for the masses you get a medal, mug, tee, whatever.

I always like getting something in a race cos I'm a magpie innit!

Yep, XC being a good example I guess. I like to keep my numbers instead of medals. That way I always win!

Same, I blu-tac my numbers to the back of my door for the year, and at then when the door is full I stick them into a scrapbook. I love looking at the progression of my racing over the year. I personally love medals: most of the races I do don't have them, and I always get a bit excited when they do!

dancing in spikes wrote (see)

WiB wrote (see)

kittenkat wrote (see)

In the faster local races round here you don't get anything unles you get placed, in the more commercial races for the masses you get a medal, mug, tee, whatever.

I always like getting something in a race cos I'm a magpie innit!

Yep, XC being a good example I guess. I like to keep my numbers instead of medals. That way I always win!

Same, I blu-tac my numbers to the back of my door for the year, and at then when the door is full I stick them into a scrapbook. I love looking at the progression of my racing over the year. I personally love medals: most of the races I do don't have them, and I always get a bit excited when they do!

Yep I keep my race numbers and I like medals, great mementos of a day in your life.

well as my name and pic reflects I LOVE MEDALS for someone who only started running 12mths ago, for me they are very special, they are a symbol of my achievement, i am not a fast runner, in fact I am the snail at the back but I think that I deserve my medal just as much as the first person over the line as I have put just as much work in and also I am on my feet alot longer, while they are probably off home enjoying a nice bath i'm still out there pounding the roads so yeah i think I deserve a little something for my time

the other reason i like them is as others have said on here, my kids get sooooooooo enthusiastic each time i get a medal, its nice to be able to share my passion with them and get them passionate about it, they too want to run when they get older which isnt a bad thing, they see that we can achieve sucess whereever we come in the race and that we are all winners if we cross that finish line, whether we come first or last!!

Sussex Runner (NLR) wrote (see)

I used to refuse to get my medal in the hope that others did this too the organisers would realise that people didn't want them. Unfortunately I'm still very much in the minroity.

I did refuse on at the last half mara I did - they were exactly the same as all the previous years, all with no date on them.
Eggyh73 wrote (see)

Let's face it, medals cost very little to produce.

And let's face it, most of them LOOK like they cost very little to produce.  Quantity over quality!  You can get decent quality ones for a little bit more cost.

I'd rather not have a cheap, crappy-looking medal.  The only ones I have kept are those which don't look like they came out of a Christmas cracker.

I've kept race numbers from significant races - PBs, interesting races, etc.  They are blue-tacked to my fridge

I can see how kids might like the medals, but they mean nothing to me.

A race t-shirt is great; you can change into it on the day when you're sweaty, and seeing other people turn up with the same design in other places is always interesting.

Just my 2p.

I like my medals - not love, I like having them. I like the races that go one step further. I do those races year on year. If I get a trophy then I put my medal with the trophy, otherwise I have them hanging up in this room.

I've never kept any race numbers though.

I'm fairly partial to a medal or two

I've probably done 200 events or so in the past 15 years and it's nice to have a memento of each. But if I had 200 T-shirts I'd have nowhere to put them, ditto 200 mugs or horse brasses or whatever. Gongs are easy to store and like the numbers (which I also keep, at least I do the ones with the race name on them) they're a reminder of half a day spent doing something I enjoy in good company.

This is me posing with my medals:

From London marathons I still have:

Evening Standard with results

Number of course

Goody Bag (I do eat the contents)

The Kit bag they give you for the lorry

The magazine (Congratulations and Commiserations)

Finish line DVD normally bought from Ebay

Probably more I haven't looked in the box for ages

I've got something in the region of 350, some I have won, some I have received as a memento - a long time ago when I was up the front challenging for the prizes I looked down on the medals as being meaningless, but now I am towards the back of the field, do you know what, I actually like getting them (and guess what (whispers) I still have all those other medals from all those years ago and yes they are collecting dust and no they are not on display but each and everyone has a special memory)

Hi seren nos.Firstly thank you for the 1st response to what has proven to be a very popular forum debate..Figures were purely given as a possible example to aid to and add to this debate.I have no clear answer myself to the issue only an opinion and stimulating suggesions.Another possibility would be to offer grades of medals according to the times achieved? I for one, no longer value races providing medals for all finishers as much I did when I started out with my running pursuits.Runners run for many and varied reasons.To challenge themselves, for pure fun, for fitness to compete, for a cause or in memory of a loved one.They ALL deserve recognition When training schedules increase and diets are drastically changed to aid ones times, a medal earned is a medal more appreciated....I fully understand and accept that medals will likely always be offered at some races and those that do will probably bring in the higher revenues.And this is always a good thing as far as charities donations are concerned.

Great collection there Mutley! Expect to see you at the Mad Dog run next year ;O)

General feeling then seems to be that we love our medals...Especially interesting has been hearing what others do and do not keep as far as race memories are concerned.Massive thanks for all of the excellent replies thus far.Keep em coming! Obviously I am not the only one that has pondered on this matter.

I lot of people train hard to maybe run 1 10K or half marathon in their life so a medal is a nice momento of the occasion. I keep my marathon medals (only got 2 so far though) for a similar reason, running one is a big thing for me and I like the souvenier, my medals from shorter races go in my 7 year olds collection with his junior football ones.

i have enjoyed reading this debate too, Muttley omg pmsl!!!! ( and i have to say at the pink earphones pic too , meant to say but submitted my reply on the other thread ) 

and reading about racing numbers too, yes I am sad and have kept my racing numbers too, I've put them in a folder, I might do what someone else has done and write my times on them so I can look back and see what my times were for each race, sad I know lol

I do like a medal as a momento. I'm not keen on an undated medal, and even worse, a medal that doesn't even note the name of the race. To me that is pointless - yes they are cheap as no special molds have to be made, but it is just a meaningless piece of metal - the race organiser should just not bother. Boo to generic medals.

Actually having thought about it, I do like medals, I just don't particularly like the races that typically give out medals!
Apologies to any medal I may have accidentally offended 

yes I am sad and have kept my racing numbers too, I've put them in a folder

LOVE THIS! i have a folder with all my concert tickets in chronological order. might have to start a running one too. i also love medals and hang them on my bedpost......

I love getting medals after a race, they're the perfect souvenir and everyone I have means a lot to me. All I have to do is think back to the time when running around the block nearly killed me and each medal puts a smile on my face! I keep my race numbers too. Nice collection Muttley

georginagem wrote (see)

 i also love medals and hang them on my bedpost......

does that not lead to people being curious as to what they have been awarded for?

oops, i am not trying to suggest there are such a lot of visitors to be curious about them.