Medals or no medals?

grrr its not posted everything so i shall try again

 

Hellywobs wrote (see)

I've already posted on here a few times but I love getting a medal.  I was totally rubbish at sport at school and to get a medal feels like a real achievement to me.  I think if you are a good runner and in line ofr a prize or trophy you may not see the value in medals, but I really like getting them - and I prefer them to mugs or t-shirts or anything else (although I like the numbered pictures that I got from the 2011 and 2012 Newton Abbot Ladies 10k).  I have been lucky to win a couple of age category prizes this year (and a couple of bottles of wine as a team prize!) but I'll never be a really good runner and so I really appreciate getting a medal.  It may seem like pointless junk to some of you, but they mean something to a lot of people.

My favourite medals are the Fleet HM and Totnes 10k medals.

Edited to say - I think I may have raised this before, but some event organisers are really coy about saying if you get a memento and what it is.  Please be upfront and tell us on the entry form/website!

totally with u , i'm a plodder so i'm never ever going to win something for finishing in the top places, so every medal means something to me 

Hellywobs wrote (see)

I've already posted on here a few times but I love getting a medal.  I was totally rubbish at sport at school and to get a medal feels like a real achievement to me.  I think if you are a good runner and in line ofr a prize or trophy you may not see the value in medals, but I really like getting them - and I prefer them to mugs or t-shirts or anything else (although I like the numbered pictures that I got from the 2011 and 2012 Newton Abbot Ladies 10k).  I have been lucky to win a couple of age category prizes this year (and a couple of bottles of wine as a team prize!) but I'll never be a really good runner and so I really appreciate getting a medal.  It may seem like pointless junk to some of you, but they mean something to a lot of people.

My favourite medals are the Fleet HM and Totnes 10k medals.

Edited to say - I think I may have raised this before, but some event organisers are really coy about saying if you get a memento and what it is.  Please be upfront and tell us on the entry form/website!

Emmy_H wrote (see)

Eggyh73 wrote (see)

I have a shelf full of medals and they all mean something to me, so yes looking at any one medal will make me think back to something from the race or training be that a new PB or a hard learned lesson.

On the look of medals I'm not fussed. Although it's clear to see some look better than others.

completely agree.  To your point about the 5th half marathon: i may not remember the training for that one but I remember the strength and determination that it took to do that race for the 5th time (e.g. 5th year in a row).

yes every medal i look at i remember all the training and determination and the actual run on the day 

Hellywobs wrote (

the best thing about me getting medals tho has to be my kids faces too, when i show them my medal, they are so excited about what i've done and that alone is worth having the medal as that is just priceless, its something that I love to see and gives me inspiration to run that race to get that medal and see how proud my kids are of me and hopefully one day to inspire them to take up running 

sorry to take up so many posts grrr to posting and either my pc or RW 

I did well at Edinburgh this year! I T shirt I will never wear as a bad fit and a medal shaped like a willy! Always remember my first marathon thats for sure! just glad I never had my name and time printed on!!

Green and white tigger wrote (see)

I would say medals all the way! as most races still insist handing out t shirts Mens t Shirts, great if your a bloke, Rubbish for women! only ever had three t shirts I have worn again, two were the same club two years running! and as someone who keeps all numbers in date order and with times on, medals are easier to keep hold of!!

Totally agree about the t-shirts!

I like the idea of having different medals depending on finishing position or finishing time in a marathon.  They do this in the Comrades Ultra where there is a whole range of medals for different achievements.  It's a bit of added incentive to try to improve on previous efforts.

I frequently run 10k's, half-marathon's and the likes without picking up a medal.  I call them training runs.  When I race, it's nice to have some recognition of the culmination of some hard work I've put in to achieve that finish.

So David - if you complete your first 100 mile event and are not one of the first three a medal would be meaningless?

Would rather have a technical tshirt I'll use again, than a medal I'll never really look at again (although I don't throw them away).

I notice an interesting gender split when it comes to which side of the debate people sit on .... anyways someone asked me earlier did I not want the medals to remind me of all the work I put in ...... but the thing is, lets say youve done 20 half marathons so far ...... do you really need to dig deep into the box, pull out the one for the 7th HM and think 'I remember this one, the training I put in there wasnt as tough as Im putting in now but it was still pretty tough!'

Youre not really are you? My point is you arent really going to remember the time and effort you put in, into each individual event as training etc really just blurs into one after a while. All I ever care about is the next race. The fact I can pull out a medal from 8 races ago and think 'Well im faster now than I was back then' kind of doesn't really tell me much.

Fine if you want a trinket, but lets not big up a 'medal' anymore than what it is. Thats why I think only the top 3 should be given a medal, and the rest of us really should just get what I would describe as a 'trinket'.

The Collins complete and unabridged dictionary defines a trinket as "a small or worthless ornament or piece of jewellery".

That sounds like yer standard-issue race medal, imho ... can never get enough of them

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

I notice an interesting gender split when it comes to which side of the debate people sit on .... anyways someone asked me earlier did I not want the medals to remind me of all the work I put in ...... but the thing is, lets say youve done 20 half marathons so far ...... do you really need to dig deep into the box, pull out the one for the 7th HM and think 'I remember this one, the training I put in there wasnt as tough as Im putting in now but it was still pretty tough!'

Youre not really are you? My point is you arent really going to remember the time and effort you put in, into each individual event as training etc really just blurs into one after a while. All I ever care about is the next race. The fact I can pull out a medal from 8 races ago and think 'Well im faster now than I was back then' kind of doesn't really tell me much.

Fine if you want a trinket, but lets not big up a 'medal' anymore than what it is. Thats why I think only the top 3 should be given a medal, and the rest of us really should just get what I would describe as a 'trinket'.

Coincidentally, I've done exactly 20 half marathons as per your example  (until Sunday...)

I'm not as fussed now about medals as I was when I started, but i definitely think longer events should have medals, when shorter ones don't really need them.

I'll never forget doing the 2002 Marlow half marathon, voted 5th toughest half in the country, and not getting a medal. Luckily some spot prize made up for it.

But you can't tell me completing an amateur level 5k ever needs a medal. (run for life series only maybe, as that's an entry into running event really).

As for people who refuse to do races that don't give medals, talk about limiting yourself!