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What do people do with their medals?
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All mine are on display. I keep all my bib numbers too.
Always hard to tell on the internet whether people are purposely provocative or simply conveying their heartfelt views. I'll indulge you in knowing ignorance, then.
It is, though, difficult to respond to this without risking sounding a little patronising but the why bother? question is because we are all very, very different (yes, I know. I'm sorry. ok?). For you, life sounds like a very cool, clinical and unsentimental experience. It all seems a little disposable. For others, they cherish stuff they've picked up along the way, through their journey and link strong memories to them.
I love photos. They evoke feelings in me that I simply cannot replicate in my mind. Memories fade, diminish in time and lose their emotive aspect. A picture can instantly bring all that flooding back. If that isn't you, if it doesn't work that way for you then obviously you'd never be able to tap into that mindset. For other people, that's exactly how it works and why the pictures are taken.
I have only two medals as i'm at the start of my racing life. They hang over a cherished Leeds United scarf (yep, sorry about that too) in my office right now but will have to move them somewhere else as the numbers grow. I'm proud of them. I'm proud of the endless hours training that I put in to complete those races in decent times. I'm proud of the fact i'm not a sedentary sloth like 90%+ of the nation and I have pleasing memories associated with these races already. I'd never try and pass them off as trophies and would be equally happy if they were coins, certificates or some other fairly permanent reminder that perhaps looks less like a winner's trinket.
By and large, I have to agree with Stevie G. Joyless seems the right term.
I keep my medals, not for show, not to show others what I've done but just for me, I like to keep running photos too, when I look at the photos the feeling at that time comes back and I enjoy this.
Totally agree Stevie G & Muttley - ignore the cynical/self righteous! And very well said Strangely Brown.
I keep all my medals and some bib numbers and my one and only trophy! I like to be reminded of my achievements/participation even if I'm not necessarily a winning performance. For some people just getting to the start line is an achievement. And at least we are doing something - some people do nothing more than sit on the sofa with their lap tops making supercilious comments on internet forums
You have your own gym?!
I was under the impression that once I had collected enough medals I could trade them in for an OBE?
GOD what a load of miseries you all are!!!! No-one forces you to pick up a bloody medal, and of course they're only designed as souvenirs (it's not like it's made of gold or you get given it by the queen) - why shouldn't people who are trying that distance for the first time, or acheived a time they're really proud of (even if that is 2.20) or have acheived something they never thought they would get a souvenir of the day to take home with them? They're not exactly 'rewards' in any sense other than doing a half marathon or whatever is rewarding in itself, and here's your momento!
God you must be a pretty sad bunch, and woefully insecure about your own acheivements if you begrudge 'everyone getting the same medal' regardless of acheivement or effort - unless you're an elite athlete setting out to win then the race is always only ever going to be against yourself and your own expectations - and even if you didn't train and walked the whole way round, if you had a good time and feel like you want something to remember the day by, why shouldn't you pick up a medal?
What do you expect them to do, take a potted history of every one of the 11,000 people who entered and work out who, on the basis of overall ability, fitness, effort, acheivement and worthiness 'deserves' a medal and who doesn't? They are just souvenirs, they're not made of Gold, there's no presentation ceremony - if people want to keep them and hang them up, good for them. If people feel overburdened by the number of medal they have that don't mean anything to them 'because everyone else has one' or 'you've already got 10 billion' then don't pick one up, idiot.
Either that or stop wasting your energy begrudging everyone elses medals and start working towards winning races and getting real medals that actually mean something to you, if you're upset that 'everyone gets the same'.
The fact that anyone could even be bothered to be annoyed at people being given 'medals' when finishing a race seems absurdly and determinedly miserablist to me. Get over yourselves, honestly!
And well done everyone who's completed any kind of race they think is a challenge that they are proud of. I will treasure my "medal" as a souvenir to remind me of the year I got into running, something I never thought I would do (and perhaps to inspire me to go one better next time!).
But David, nobody cares what you think. The OP was asking what do we do with our medals, not for an essay about the infantilization of society.
I'll be proud of my 2.20 when I complete my first half in a couple of weeks. And i'll keep my medal and bib number and be very proud of them.
Because my story is different to everyone elses.
Now I'll wait for DF3 to start invading other threads posting his elitist, alienating attitude about the same boring crap. Because this thread was an interesting idea before it was hijacked.
i wear all of mine every day.. im going for the MrT look.
(they're in a drawer actually, but im proud of them all and wouldnt ever get rid of them)
Yes and sorry, I realise I shouldn't have said 'you all are' as really that was just directed at David! I'm sure you're a nice enough bloke. But really. You and Scrooge would probably have a right good Christmas together.
Oh God, sorry I can't resist! David - as far as I can see from the thread, yours was the FIRST RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION!!!?
David, clearly your MO on this forum is to take the "extreme" views to try and get some debate going.
Runners of different levels are not being rewarded the same. The reward is in the finishing time. The medal is just a standard momento of the day.
I know in my early days running, I loved getting a medal. These days it's very much an afterthought, but it still marks the day quite nicely.
Now T Shirts on the other hand, I find a bit pointless. Never great material, never something you'd wear really, and really do clutter the place up.
However, we're getting onto one of the classic threads here, medals v t shirts.
Next it'll be dogs, and ipods and etc etc
"I'm the kerosene that gets thrown on top". David. You're like the miserable wet blanket that smothers everyone's warm glow.
i have a gym rom yes, spare bedroom, weights bench, full set of dumbells, incline bench, old tri bike on a turbo trainer, i guess the only 2 things it lacks are full length mirors
, and a treadmill (since unlike DF3, i'm not a massive fanny and dont mind getting my shoes wet)
Strange aura of deja vu about this thread don't you think?
i do cross training outside, and i'm sure my (now retired from) green beret negates that too, or should i not be proud of earning that either?
Very thin skin you you have for someone who dishes the shit out,
Im quite sure, one doesnt forget 32 weeks at lympstone that easily, why dont you give it a try? you seem to be the one who wants to feel some sense of achievement in life,
Can I play too? I have got over 350 medals dating back 30 years, including my first memento from my first race, the Brentwood Half Marathon in 1983 , Some I won for placing/winning, some for taking part - I have a few trophies too - all mean something to a greater or lesser degree. If I get a medal nowadays great, if I get a T Shirt - great something to use to wash the car with - BUT I saw how pleased my nephew was when he 'won' his first medal - alright just for completing a 10K run in the top 300 (there were 279 finishers- but he was over the moon anyway)