Medals or no medals?

After running for over 4 years I have amassed a fair few medals and tshirts in this time.After training 3 times a week I remember my very first medal being a little special and felt like a large pat on the back for my beginners efforts.However, over the years the medals have had less meaning - feeling more like an easy purchase rather than a well earned congratulations.It made me think that runners who simply want medals might as well buy them off the internet in advance for the races that do not present them.Personally I would have no problem at all if the vast majority of races presented medals to the top 50 or say 25% of finishers.This would mean my dusty collection of medals would be far less and I would look on the others with pride knowing that I had put that extra effort in to earn it and justify being given one.There could be exceptions of course.E.g. Races advertised as fun runs with medals or races with medals for catagories only.This could ensure all ages ranges of runners were in with a chance. There could also be medals for runners who accomplish special achievements.Overall allthough I feel giving medals to the masses at the end of runs has had its day.Be interesting to hear what others think.Especially from any organisers.

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Comments

  • They're not really medals - they're just badges on ribbon.

  • Pete.........not sure why you pick a number to have medals.....................to me either everyone gets one or only the winner gets one.................The guy who came in 40th is just the same as the one who came in last........they didn't win.....so they lost the race..........what they could have achieved is a result far better than they could have hoped for.....and finishing position does not tell you this complex information

  • 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.
  • Everyone - everyone who crosses a finish line is a winner and deserves recognition of that fact. If you don't want a medal, then don't take it - simple.

    My grandson thinks I'm awesome with my collection of medals - he doesn't know - and doesn't ask - how fast or how far. He is developing an interest in collecting such medals for himself one day. At 7 year old, that's not a bad ambition to have right? image

  • In triathlons, not all events give medals which I was upset about. For me it's a good way to keep track of the events that I've done. 

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    Singleton wrote (see)

    In triathlons, not all events give medals which I was upset about. For me it's a good way to keep track of the events that I've done. 

    Same here. I love my medals and all of them mean something for me - from my first half marathon, to my first marathon. I never came first, never anything special - but for me - it's the achievement. I also love being able to look back on how the medals develop for the same event.

  • My wife bought a stand for me to hang them from in the spare room.  Getting a medal makes one feel one has achieved something.  One race, Shinfield 10k, gave out mugs instead.

  • rarely get medals now around here for a running race...........mugs, towels, water bottles, te shirts.....lots of different things...........i don't realy mind....I love the chocolate in the goodie bags mostimage

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭

    Typically the winner in each race gets an additional prize, so I guess the medals are as a memento/recognition of completion rather than an award as such.

  • I love my medals. Not only a sign of a race completed, but of all the hard work done in getting to the start line in the first place. Like Singleton I've been disappointed that a couple of the triathlons I've done didn't provide medals.

  • If you've got medals from more than about half of your races, you're either really really good at winning things or you need to discover your local club races a bit more!
    And good god, don't Tri's cost enough as it is? Please nobody give them an excuse to charge extra just for a ribbon... 

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭
    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! image

  • Pethead wrote (see)

    If you've got medals from more than about half of your races, you're either really really good at winning things or you need to discover your local club races a bit more!
    And good god, don't Tri's cost enough as it is? Please nobody give them an excuse to charge extra just for a ribbon... 

    All my local club races give medals too.

  • Eggyh73 wrote (see)
    Pethead wrote (see)

    If you've got medals from more than about half of your races, you're either really really good at winning things or you need to discover your local club races a bit more!
    And good god, don't Tri's cost enough as it is? Please nobody give them an excuse to charge extra just for a ribbon... 

    All my local club races give medals too.

    Impressive, is your local club Port Talbot Steelworks AC or something image

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

  • I'm just starting out and I have amassed the princley sum of 4 medals, which I'm very proud of and very pleased with. To me they are confirmation that I completed the race and a nice memento to look back on some day.

    It has also stoked my kids interest which is a great thing, always good to get the kids interested in sport of any kind.

    So personally I'm all for medals, I'm also please to have got my first race t-shirt on Sunday as well, which was totally unexpected as I thought you had to buy them which I won't do. Crossed the finish line and got a medal a good bag and here's your cotton t-shirt image Worked out well as I needed to change into something dry.

  • It's just a nice little souvenir isn't it ? Something to remember the day by.
  • Just in case anyone didn't know what a souveneir medal was
  • 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! image

    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! image

    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 timeimage

    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 image

  • 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 image

    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:

    http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx352/Muttleymedals/The%20100%20medals%20album/P090510_1754.jpg

     

  • 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 agesimage

  • 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)

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