bib numbers (Read 315 times)

 

Imagine if you got 123!

The one who did deserved it, he finished 25 minutes ahead of me.

At one point I wondered if I would ever get a repeat bib number.  Sure enough, the next race was a repeat, I had the number 217 two races in a row.  Then a couple months later I got another repeat bib number.  Anyone else?

Bib # highlight of my running career:

I got the bib #1 for the 2001 NCAA Div. III XC Nationals... had qualified as an individual with my team finishing just a couple of spots away from a team bid at regionals.  Numbers were assigned to individuals alphabetically by team, and my college started with an A, so I got the first number.

It was not a great race, cold, snowy conditions and I was far from motivated after a lonely 3-4 days in Spokane with my coach and no teammates.  I finished mid-pack (around 140th or so) and got randomly selected for NCAA drug-testing.  Because it was cold, the end of my season, and I was just generally bummed, I opted to skip a cool-down with my drug-test follower (some local runner assigned to make sure I didn't swap my pee with somebody else?!).  This all meant that I was first into the drug-testing tent, well before the winner and other top-ten guys who would also be subjected to a pee test.  Just about everyone in the tent looked at my bib number and assumed that I had won the race, finisher #1.  I got a lot of hearty congratulations, enthusiastic high-fives, and questions about my race.  I was bewildered at all the attention until the star treatment stopped abruptly when the actual winners arrived following their cool-downs...

I don't recall getting #1 since then.

I have always wanted to get #42.  Still waiting.

Close -- in August, I had #148 at a half marathon, and in September, I had #147 in my next half. Tomorrow, my bib # is 5225, which is kinda cool. And I had 314 earlier this summer -- the first three digits of pi. And I like pie.

I once heard about a girl who refused to run in a school meet when she was given the bib # 666.

I honestly don’t remember a single bib number I’ve had. But now I will share two thoughts…

But I do remember, back in college there was this “bar” way off the dirt road path. It was called “Opps” (purposely misspelled, and the “joke” was you would go and ask why it was called that, and the bartender/owner guy would shrug and say “oops” – rural north Carolina humor I guess). Anyway, it was literally two double wide trailers on blocks connected, with the bar in the front trailer and three pool tables in the back. And because of whatever leftover dry county laws, or for whatever crazy legislative throwback reason (something to do with serving liquor I think), the place was designated a “club” and you had to have a membership to drink there. My buddy Brian and I went there with our fake IDs freshman year, and became members – cost a dollar. He got member number 666 and I was 667. We were the only two students I ever remember seeing in there, and we went there pretty often, mostly to get away from people. According to the googles, the place is still there, called something else now. Brian loved that 666 card.

And on another note, you know when you’re at some raffle drawing, and the number is pulled and it’s “5664” and the guy next to you says “damn, I was 5665, I was so close, almost had it”? That always bugs me. Always.

 

That would be a cool one to have. I might even keep that one. Big Rush fan.

Me too--I'd be thrilled to have it! I'm one of the ten female Rush fans.

oh, I definitely toss them after the race. I might keep a bib if i got the number 1 though!

Just to provide an opposing viewpoint, I could not give a rat's ass what my bib number is.  I use the bib for the race then it gets chucked in the recycling bin when I get home.

^ Yes, that's very interesting because it's the same number upside down.

It would be fun to run Chicago and get bib number 25....or 624.