Finishers T-shirt VLM

I wonder if anybody else is as dissapointed as me with the t-shirt that was in the goodie bag at the end of the marathon yesterday.

I was really looking forward to wearing it with pride, but it's a 'one size' t-shirt its so large on me I could wear it as a dress!

Very dissapointing.
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Comments

  • Always has been the way I'm afraid. But sign up for Liverpool. Technical tees and in different sizes too !! *



    *best check that but that's what they had for the half.
  • I agree Vanessa - The only thing I can fault.

    GNR has more people and they can do it - thing is of all the things they organise, that would be one of the easiest things!!

  • The T-Shirt.

    It is the single complaint I ever had of the London Marathon. Good knows why but it is always the same issue and I doubt it will ever change. The t-shirt is for medium size men. Period.

    However, everything else is just superbly organised, 2 goody bags, fantastic medal, etc...

  • kaffeegkaffeeg ✭✭✭

    agree.  organisation is spectacular.  the marshalls at the end should get a big cheer.  getting my foil blanket out of my bag; wrapping me up in the foil blanket; re-wrapping me up in my foil blanket as i managed to un-wrap myself; sending me on in the right direction; giving me support when i was completely @&*%$"&!.

    but the finishers t-shirt it shit.

  • I'm still wearing mine right now though!
  • I have always though that a good quality polo shirt should be available to order for all finishers - as well as the freebie

    The polo shirt would be good quality and would have the VLM logo and be embrodered with your race number and finish time. Obviously this would be paid for but would be a big seller I believe 

  • I'm a medium sized man and I am pleased with the t-shirt fits just fine image

    At least it better quality than previous years I hearimage

  • kaffeegkaffeeg ✭✭✭
    Emma - ha!  Yeah, I wore mine to the pub last night (as a t-shirt dress). AND my medal.  image
  • Yup, t-shirt is a disappointment. Why they can't stretch to a technical tee I don' know!

    And.....i was even more disappointed when I got it out the bag, as it is identical to a tee I bought at the Expo for £15, with the added word 'Finisher' image Could have saved myself £15 and printed the word myself!
  • Vanessa et al,

    Sorry to hear about your disappointment, however I think it is one of the better freebie T's I've had. (The best so far was a cotton one from a Coventry Half in 2008 that I still wear.)

    May I suggest that you look at the TV coverage of the event and notice the demographic of those running. One size, (which I reckon must be a generous large), was a good decision for an organiser that needs to satisfy the potential of 37,000 finishers.

    You may well be disappointed,( as I usually am when I finish an event with multi size T-Shirts to find out that there are no more XL's left), but I think the majority will be more than happy with the VLM2012 finishers shirt.

    Why do most events run out of the larger sizes? Because they are the most popular and even those that would normally take a smaller 'technical shirt' size realise that after the first wash an XL becomes a M.

    What an embarrassment it would have been to wear a Finishers T-Shirt that was too big for you!!! However I thought it fantastic that I was able to wear mine afterwards to the Hard Rock Cafe for a full rack of ribs and accompanying beer. Come the end of the week and the time when it gets taken out of the ironing basket, I'm sure it will be joining the countless others in my car polishing rag box image



    p.s. This will forever be an ongoing argument and is covered after most/all events.
    Even the GNR that Neuv says have it right, get caught out. They run out of the larger sizes because, when entering, people say they want a medium but come the end take a larger size !
  • My wife and I run our own small T-Shirt printing company (when not training for marathons!!) and would be happy to provide an embroidered Polo shirt with logo and time and date on as '3.30 or bust' mentioned, but we would not be able too due to copyright I would think?.  It's a good idea though, but it wouldn't be cheap as individual shirts, so I dont know how many would take it up?. Also If kept to one company with strict quality control and any profit shared with a charity it might stop the greed merchants trying to cash in on it?.

  • Mine is a bit big too! But in comparison to last year's thin white cotton effort with a tiny logo I was actually quite pleased with it!

    I don't know what the number comparisons are but Paris provides Technical t-shirts in both womens and mens sizes.

    It would be nice if there was even the opportunity to buy a technical finishers t-shirt on the VLM website - a bit like the bars where you need to put in your running number and name etc. I know I'd buy one.
  • The London Marathon is cheap to enter given all the work that goes into it - compare the price with New York which is something like £180, or Brigton which will be nearly double the London price next year. I guess if we paid a bit more they could do a decent shirt, but then we probably wouldn't buy so many souvenir shirts at the Expo. There's also the extra hassle of getting the right sized shirt to the often disorientated runners after the race which would take more space and more volunteers and would mean changing a tried and tested formula that works. Personally the medal means far more to me than any shirt ever will.
  • See, you should have run Brighton, I know London's over-rated. image Even finishing over 5 hours, I was asked what size shirt I wanted - and then was handed the size I wanted! As a slowcoach, I find the small sizes have usually run out and I end up with a tent, but not there.

    Not that I'll never wear it, but that's a different story.

  • The tee this year was a VAST improvement on last year's design. It was white, cotton and just had the date on in tiny letters. And it fell apart after four washes.
    They DID used to be tech tees. I guess it's cost that has forced the cotton ones.
    Cougie-I suspect Alan will stick with the tech tee for Liverpool because it went down really well. I'd pay more in a race for a tech tee.
  • Hey LB....good to see you at mile 17.......we've run side by side at DL in Warrington many times although you wouldn't know it was me because i didn't have the nurse on....lol

    i loved the t-shirt for a change, of the 8 london marathons i've run this is the best t yet although that sdoesn't say much, i'd gladly pay a few quid more....

  • TmapTmap ✭✭✭

    It's a good design, it's free, the race fee is very good value, and if you want something snazzier there's an Expo for 4 days and a permanent shop selling everything you could possibly ask for.

    They have done technical t-shirts in the past and they are unpleasant to wear, they get easily deformed, and the printing is poor.  Personally I'm delighted with mine, especially the absence of any markings on it suggesting it's a charity parade, which many in the past have been, or any sneering at non-runners, like the one three or four years ago with the toe-curling "that's the difference between me and you" nonsense.

  • T-map

    A decent Technical shirt doesn't go out of shape and prints fine depending on the colour of the shirt.  Not so nice to wear as a cotton shirt for non running, but for any sport they are so much better to wear than cotton due to the wicking ability. As for cost, they are about  double the price of a cotton shirt as a blank garment but if they cut back on all the other crap most don't want/use,  I'm sure they could provide one in at least two sizes and still make a decent profit!.  More about greed  sadly. Also it's nice to be able to wear an event shirt while training if your proud of your achievment.

  • Brownie28Brownie28 ✭✭✭

    It isw a bit disappointing it doesnt fit BUT I still wore it all day yesterday with my medal! image

     My 2010 T-shirt...the red Londone one I wear over my training kit when doing long runs if its cold...it means that people in the pubs I run past are always happy to let me use the loo! And that's what I'll be doing with this one! image

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭
    Tre4 wrote (see)
     Why do most events run out of the larger sizes? Because they are the most popular and even those that would normally take a smaller 'technical shirt' size realise that after the first wash an XL becomes a M.

    In my experience (being quite a way back in the field of any race), there are usually ONLY large t-shirts left at races.

    No smalls, and only if you are lucky, a medium (men's medium, so still too big).

  • Not for me! I have to put the puppies somewhere! image
  • I think the idea of doing them all the same size is it stops people from trying them on then going back to change them.   Having just worked on the finish line this Sunday the aim is to get everyone moving straight through and out.  Also, compared to some other major marathons London is a reasonable entry fee.
  • On the subject of VLM being relatively cheap, its worth remembering that you pay your money to enter the ballot and there is no guarantee of a place, and certainly no refund. I don't know the sums, but lets say 120,000 places in the ballot for 20,000 runners places...not convinced my numbers ar right, but that is a lot of people stumping up with only a magazine and (if you opt for it) a cheap fleece to show for it.

    A tech tee, sourced and manufactured in a cheaper location (eg China) would be great!
  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭

    Just my two cents (posted from my rant on FB):

    VLM Organisers; what do you have against women in your goody bags and finisher packet? MALE shower gel, MALE creams, MALE swim cap. If you're offering a packet - it should cater for both genders. What percentage of runners were female for you to feel like you exclude them? Where's the equality in that? Big Fail.The bag from RW was more decent than the the VLM one. The VLM goody bag contained:
    - Bottle of Lucozade
    - Bottle of Adidas sports gel
    - Men's deoderant
    - Men's swim cap
    ... - pack of salt
    - Nivea for men moisturiser
    - Basmati Rice
    - Nutri Grain bar
    - Wilkinsons sword male razor
    - London Pride Beer
    - 3 bags of nuts

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭
    Phatboyrunning wrote (see)

    On the subject of VLM being relatively cheap, its worth remembering that you pay your money to enter the ballot and there is no guarantee of a place, and certainly no refund.

    I don't know the sums, but lets say 120,000 places in the ballot for 20,000 runners places...not convinced my numbers ar right, but that is a lot of people stumping up with only a magazine and (if you opt for it) a cheap fleece to show for it. A tech tee, sourced and manufactured in a cheaper location (eg China) would be great!


    That's not right.

    You enter the ballot, then if you are successful you pay.  You can CHOOSE to donate (bequeath) your entry fee (and get the fleece or whatever), but it's not compulsory.

    Those who don't bequeath and don't get a place don't pay.

  • Totally agree Emmy_bug  whereas I certainly didn't do the marathon for the goody bag it was a little dissapointing to have to give most of it to my husband afterwards!
  • i'm wearing my t.shirt today, wore it down the pub last night with my medal lol

    to be honest i just wanted the medal, i'm really not that bothered about goody bags, I'd be happy if the goody bag just had a bottle of water and a banana and a zipfit bar or similar other than that, i actually gave the first goody bag to my bf ( cos yeah like u say it was for men anyway ) and the second goody bag i emptied it all out and gave to my friend who's house I stayed at

    but wearing my medal with pride!!!!!
  • Emmy_bug wrote (see)

    Just my two cents (posted from my rant on FB):

    VLM Organisers; what do you have against women in your goody bags and finisher packet? MALE shower gel, MALE creams, MALE swim cap. If you're offering a packet - it should cater for both genders. What percentage of runners were female for you to feel like you exclude them? Where's the equality in that? Big Fail.The bag from RW was more decent than the the VLM one. The VLM goody bag contained:
    - Bottle of Lucozade
    - Bottle of Adidas sports gel
    - Men's deoderant
    - Men's swim cap
    ... - pack of salt
    - Nivea for men moisturiser
    - Basmati Rice
    - Nutri Grain bar
    - Wilkinsons sword male razor
    - London Pride Beer
    - 3 bags of nuts


    I could smell that rant coming a mile off! LOL!

  • TmapTmap ✭✭✭
    need for speed http://www.justgiving.com/davidblackburn wrote (see)
    T-map

    A decent Technical shirt doesn't go out of shape and prints fine depending on the colour of the shirt.  Not so nice to wear as a cotton shirt for non running, but for any sport they are so much better to wear than cotton due to the wicking ability. As for cost, they are about  double the price of a cotton shirt as a blank garment but if they cut back on all the other crap most don't want/use,  I'm sure they could provide one in at least two sizes and still make a decent profit!.  More about greed  sadly. Also it's nice to be able to wear an event shirt while training if your proud of your achievment.

    So for, what, a quarter of a million pounds extra, we can have drip-dry polyester t-shirts? 

    What some call "greed" others call "not wishing to waste money".

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    LIVERBIRD wrote (see)
    Emmy_bug wrote (see)

    Just my two cents (posted from my rant on FB):

    VLM Organisers; what do you have against women in your goody bags and finisher packet? MALE shower gel, MALE creams, MALE swim cap. If you're offering a packet - it should cater for both genders. What percentage of runners were female for you to feel like you exclude them? Where's the equality in that? Big Fail.The bag from RW was more decent than the the VLM one. The VLM goody bag contained:
    - Bottle of Lucozade
    - Bottle of Adidas sports gel
    - Men's deoderant
    - Men's swim cap
    ... - pack of salt
    - Nivea for men moisturiser
    - Basmati Rice
    - Nutri Grain bar
    - Wilkinsons sword male razor
    - London Pride Beer
    - 3 bags of nuts


    I could smell that rant coming a mile off! LOL!

    Was it the male deoderant that gave it away? image Did you notice that I included the nuts in the list though? image
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