Another Tuesday to link up with Erika, Patty, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run.
Today we’re talking about race memorabilia. Do you display it? Toss? Repurpose?
In all honestly, I am still in the “I-want-all-the-race-memorabilia”- phase. The reward-system works for kids, and it still works for me. It’s nice to get a sticker medal at the end of a long race that you’ve worked for so hard and it’s a good reminder of what you have accomplished.
I probably haven’t run enough races to have an opinion on what to do with too much of memorabilia and I will probably only start thinking about it if I ever cross that line. So far, every single piece of memorabilia is very dear to my heart.
I haven’t found a dedicated spot to display my medals yet and I think I have to invest in one of those nice medals racks (any tips?). The bibs and heat sheets I keep in a box (for now – I also want to display the bibs somehow) and the t-shirts I’ve gotten so far are all so nice that I proudly wear them :)
I can foresee that I might start tossing the heat sheets (or maybe repurpose them for races where I need something to keep me warm before the start), once my box starts overflowing, but that’s going to be a while. I am not sure yet what I will do with shirts. I might (or might not? Who knows?) give away the ones I don’t like as much, but I will definitely keep the medals and bibs! :)
I haven’t bought any other memorabilia other than the stuff you get when you partipate in a race, but I know that there is tons more (stickers, batches, shirts and other garments) that you can often buy. Do you go for those kinds of souvenirs?
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy
August 23, 2016 at 8:34 amI have bought just a few things from races at expos — a jacket from my second half, the beer mug from my last one.
I’ve gotten to the point where I’m tossing bibs, because I don’t look at them. I might keep the ones from my halfs (so far I have, anyway).
I don’t wear my race tees as much anymore, since I have more cute running clothes now. Sometimes to walk the dogs . . .
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:53 amI guess I would get picky with my race tees as well when I start accumulating too many…
thanks for stopping by :)
Patty
August 23, 2016 at 8:43 amKeep those heat sheets for the next race! They are perfect!
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:53 amGreat tip!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
August 23, 2016 at 9:10 amI finally got a medal rack this past year as a birthday present and I LOVE it! I found it on etsy and shared the link with my family so they would know which one to get. It’s nice to be able to display my medals instead of having them in a bin under my bed where they used to reside! As far as race shirts, I pretty much keep all of them. I run in the tech material ones and the cotton ones are usually pajama shirts for me.
I will occasionally make purchases of clothing at the expo but sometimes it is just so overpriced! When we ran the half marathon in Victoria, BC, they had a huge sale at the expo after the races were over and I got an awesome deal on a running jacket that I have gotten a ton of use out of. It’s a great top layer as it blocks the wind so I used it a lot for winter running.
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:54 amYay for a medal rack. How many do you have by now?
I can see buying a clothing item at the expo, if it’s something that I’ll use for training, not just for the souvenir factor ;)
Lacey Bean
August 23, 2016 at 10:31 amI haven’t purchased anything additional from a race but I keep all of my t-shirts (sleep in some of them) and I wear the tech shirts while running. I display my medals (didn’t buy a running specific holder, just a peg holder off Amazon) and my bibs go in a shoebox from my first pair of running shoes. I also write the date of the race, my finish time and who I ran it with (if anyone) on the back of each bib.
If I run bigger races (more than a 10k) I may buy something additional but I haven’t felt the need yet.
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:55 amI love that you write some information on the back of your bibs… I have to start doing that, too!
Kimberly Hatting
August 23, 2016 at 4:19 pmAn inexpensive option for displaying medals is an accordian-style coffee mug peg rack…..I found one at a garage sale(years ago) for $1.00 and had it in a closet. I dug it out when I started acquiring hardware. I was going to use it as temporary display rack (until I found a “real” display rack) but it’s still on display. I’ve also seen decorative towel racks being used for the same thing. I would love to do the SF half marathon someday…congrats!!
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:55 amThanks for the suggestions!
lacey@fairytalesandfitness
August 23, 2016 at 4:57 pmI still have all my race shirts. I plan to make a blanket eventually. But right now I still wear all mine.
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:55 amI love the idea of making a blanket out of the race shirts :)
Marcia
August 23, 2016 at 5:25 pmI see lots of people at the start of races with old heat sheets on! I love the racks Allied Metal makes. They do fantastic custom ones too. I use cotton race shirts for pjs because I’m fancy that way. Thanks for linking!
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:56 amI guess repurposing old heat sheets is a thing :)
Lisa @ Lisa the Vegetarian
August 24, 2016 at 1:16 pmI’ve never (yet) run a race myself, but I think if I ever do, I would definitely want to pick up a few pieces of merchandise to commemorate the occasion!
san
August 25, 2016 at 7:56 amYou should try it… it’s so much fun!