On the way to packet pickup for LifeFEST on Saturday, I was discussing race shirts with my mom. (Ok, I was babbling while she was nodding in semi-appropriate places. It would be mine turn to feign interest next.)
While I realize tech tees are the “it” thing in the racing world, I really wish some events would go back to the plain old cotton tee. Yup, I said it: I hate technical shirts!!
They never, ever fit. They’re cut for a munchkin torso. Trust me, nobody wants to see my sweaty belly when I reach up to wipe my hair out of my face.
The real reason I hate them? I can’t wear them in public. (Ok, I could…but I’m told it’s trashy to flash your belly at the grocery store.) When I do a race, I want to wear the shirt. It’s a badge of honor. A conversation starter. A souvenir.
(Plus, it helps you justify the entry fee when you get a shirt you can actually wear.)
Back to LifeFEST. BEST. SHIRT. EVER.
I’m obsessed.
Soft, comfy Under Armour. It’s a tech tee, but a comfy kind. A kind that fits everyone.
I can run it in. I can wear it to the grocery store. I can wear it to the bar. (Don’t underestimate my sense of style.)
Now I’m not saying people pick a race based on the goodies. But I’m not ruling it out it. Tiffany’s necklace anyone ?!
The t-shirt set the standards high. Otherwise I might not even have blinked twice at the rest……
(I realize the following has the potential to sound petty & whiny. That’s not how I mean it, so don’t take it that way.)
If you promise me something when I register, you better deliver. On all accounts really.
You say health & fitness expo? I want a health & fitness expo.*
You say aid stations with gel & electrolyte drinks at every mile? Yeah, I’d like to see that.*
You say custom finisher’s medal? You betcha, I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
The thing I love about running is that literally anyone can do it. You don’t have to be good at it. You don’t have to pass a test, or qualify (mostly), or have experience. You just need to have the courage to show up.
There are people that will cherish their race bibs forever. They may tuck them in a corner, or display them on the wall. But they still cherish them. And their medal. Whether they came in first or last, walked or sprinted.
Honestly, it probably means more to the person who finished last than the person who finished first.
So why tease runners with the lure of a medal, then hand them a generic reject from the local trophy supply store? And then give $10,000+ in prizes to the winners.
A race with 200 runners does not need that much given away in prize money! Fork over an extra dollar from our overpriced race fee and give us a stinking medal. Or just don’t set our expectations so high next time.
Here’s a bit of advice to future race organizers: don’t make this into an exclusive sport for the elite. It’s for the “the rest of us” too.
But thanks for making an awesome shirt. Feel free to do that part again. 
Any tips you’d like to share for race organizers?
*Just to clarify: an un-manned booth with brochures about your county is not a “Health & Fitness Expo”. Gels at miles 1 & 12 are useless if you think you’re also getting them at 2-11.
**Oh and yelling at someone using the Galloway method to get off the course unless they’re going to “race” is w.R.o.N.g with a capital W R. (I think perhaps this is the part that made me mad in the first place….)
On the way to packet pickup for LifeFEST on Saturday, I was discussing race shirts with my mom. (Ok, I was babbling while she was nodding in semi-appropriate places. It would be mine turn to feign interest next.)
While I realize tech tees are the “it” thing in the racing world, I really wish some events would go back to the plain old cotton tee. Yup, I said it: I hate technical shirts!!
They never, ever fit. They’re cut for a munchkin torso. Trust me, nobody wants to see my sweaty belly when I reach up to wipe my hair out of my face.
The real reason I hate them? I can’t wear them in public. (Ok, I could…but I’m told it’s trashy to flash your belly at the grocery store.) When I do a race, I want to wear the shirt. It’s a badge of honor. A conversation starter. A souvenir.
(Plus, it helps you justify the entry fee when you get a shirt you can actually wear.)
Back to LifeFEST. BEST. SHIRT. EVER.
I’m obsessed.
Soft, comfy Under Armour. It’s a tech tee, but a comfy kind. A kind that fits everyone.
I can run it in. I can wear it to the grocery store. I can wear it to the bar. (Don’t underestimate my sense of style.)
Now I’m not saying people pick a race based on the goodies. But I’m not ruling it out it. Tiffany’s necklace anyone ?!
The t-shirt set the standards high. Otherwise I might not even have blinked twice at the rest……
(I realize the following has the potential to sound petty & whiny. That’s not how I mean it, so don’t take it that way.)
If you promise me something when I register, you better deliver. On all accounts really.
You say health & fitness expo? I want a health & fitness expo.*
You say aid stations with gel & electrolyte drinks at every mile? Yeah, I’d like to see that.*
You say custom finisher’s medal? You betcha, I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
The thing I love about running is that literally anyone can do it. You don’t have to be good at it. You don’t have to pass a test, or qualify (mostly), or have experience. You just need to have the courage to show up.
There are people that will cherish their race bibs forever. They may tuck them in a corner, or display them on the wall. But they still cherish them. And their medal. Whether they came in first or last, walked or sprinted.
Honestly, it probably means more to the person who finished last than the person who finished first.
So why tease runners with the lure of a medal, then hand them a generic reject from the local trophy supply store? And then give $10,000+ in prizes to the winners.
A race with 200 runners does not need that much given away in prize money! Fork over an extra dollar from our overpriced race fee and give us a stinking medal. Or just don’t set our expectations so high next time.
Here’s a bit of advice to future race organizers: don’t make this into an exclusive sport for the elite. It’s for the “the rest of us” too.
But thanks for making an awesome shirt. Feel free to do that part again.
Any tips you’d like to share for race organizers?
*Just to clarify: an un-manned booth with brochures about your county is not a “Health & Fitness Expo”. Gels at miles 1 & 12 are useless if you think you’re also getting them at 2-11.
**Oh and yelling at someone using the Galloway method to get off the course unless they’re going to “race” is w.R.o.N.g with a capital W R. (I think perhaps this is the part that made me mad in the first place….)