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5k Finisher's Medals (Read 320 times)


Latent Runner

     

    This makes a lot of sense to me. I always think it's a little awkward when some 33 yo dude gets 2AG while finishing 45 OA.

     

    Hmmm, I guess I'm missing something, to me at least, those of us who've crossed over various age group boundaries should be given a way to compare ourselves with our age group peers.  That some 33 year old guy finished second in his age group, or even second overall is irrelevant to me and my times as I'm now closer to 60 than I am 50.  That said, if/when I get fast enough to place in my age group, I'll be mighty proud to accept a medal or ribbon or a beer mug commemorating my finish.

    Fat old man PRs:

    • 1-mile (point to point, gravity assist): 5:50
    • 2-mile: 13:49
    • 5K (gravity assist last mile): 21:31
    • 5-Mile: 37:24
    • 10K (first 10K of my Half Marathon): 48:16
    • 10-Mile (first 10 miles of my Half Marathon): 1:17:40
    • Half Marathon: 1:42:13

      You're missing that you should be rewarded for beating that guy. As a 33 yo he "should" be faster than you (a 50+). You beat him and finish 8th in your AG, yet he's walking around with the future landfill plastic. I mean, you are actually rewarded with simply beating him, in the sense that your name is higher up on the list. But if physical awards mean something to you, it's just kind of weird. To me.

      Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues
      We're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes


      Latent Runner

        You're missing that you should be rewarded for beating that guy. As a 33 yo he "should" be faster than you (a 50+). You beat him and finish 8th in your AG, yet he's walking around with the future landfill plastic. I mean, you are actually rewarded with simply beating him, in the sense that your name is higher up on the list. But if physical awards mean something to you, it's just kind of weird. To me.

         

        Funny thing about this current era of running, I find the 40 somethings and 50 somethings are often faster than the 30 somethings; this was certainly not the case when I was in my 30s.  This phenomena first dawned on me last September when I ran only my second 5K in the last 34 years and ended up 9th in the Men's 50-59 age group, however, I would have finished 5th had I been in my 30s.

        Fat old man PRs:

        • 1-mile (point to point, gravity assist): 5:50
        • 2-mile: 13:49
        • 5K (gravity assist last mile): 21:31
        • 5-Mile: 37:24
        • 10K (first 10K of my Half Marathon): 48:16
        • 10-Mile (first 10 miles of my Half Marathon): 1:17:40
        • Half Marathon: 1:42:13
        jEfFgObLuE


        I've got a fever...

           

          Funny thing about this current era of running, I find the 40 somethings and 50 somethings are often faster than the 30 somethings; this was certainly not the case when I was in my 30s.  This phenomena first dawned on me last September when I ran only my second 5K in the last 34 years and ended up 9th in the Men's 50-59 age group, however, I would have finished 5th had I been in my 30s.

          Perhaps their 40's and 50's might have more time to train if their kids are grown/moved out as compared to people in their 30's.   Depends on how old you are when you have your kids of course, but I think a lot of people nowadays are swallowed up by young kids stuff while in their 30's.

           

          Back to the OP, I think 5k finisher medals are dumb, unless there is something epic about the race that makes just finishing it an awesome achievement.  5k AG medals are fine -- good way to measure yourself against your peers.

          On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

            It's not that the 40 and 50s are faster than the 30's, it's just that there are more of them (for the reasons Globule mentions.) When you go to a race with a decent concentration of all age groups, like say New Bedford, the 30s are always faster than the 40s, who are always faster than the 50s.

            Runners run


            MoBramExam

              Perhaps their 40's and 50's might have more time to train if their kids are grown/moved out as compared to people in their 30's.   Depends on how old you are when you have your kids of course, but I think a lot of people nowadays are swallowed up by young kids stuff while in their 30's.

               

              That is true to an extent; however, people in their 40s and 50s are swallowed up by...well...being in their 40s and 50s.  Being / getting old while trying to stay towards the front of the pack sucks.

               

              To me, finisher awards are overkill, up to and including HM.  AG awards are fair to all participants.  Age-graded scoring for the overall is almost always interesting; although, would not suggest that is the best way to award OAs at local races or "fun runs".

               



              LedLincoln


              not bad for mile 25

                The swag has different meaning to each person who receives it.  It might be cool for a 5K to give First Race Ever medals to the appropriate people, but to most others, it's just more junk.

                fitfatboy


                More cowbell!

                  Stripling--there are many summer 5k races down here in Fairfield County that would fit what you are looking for...cheap, with AG awards, and no finishers medal for everyone. A few of these I run every year are the Memorial Day 5k, the Baltimore Festival 5k in August, the Sweet Corn Festival 5k right before Labor Day, and the United Way 5k in November. The best place to find these type of races is runohio.com. They also always have the ORRRC races that a prior poster mentioned. On another related note, I am a new RD who put on a 5k/10 mile race this past fall. We did not give age group awards the first time, only bc we had no idea how many would show up. We had 37 finishers for each race, IMO a healthy number to try again next year. So next year, we will do AG awards. But what we did do was give each runner a finishers bracelet. Why a bracelet? The race was an event to raise funds for an orphanage in Haiti, and I discovered an opportunity to provide all our runners with a bracelet made by Haitian workers, so we were able to both support a group of Haitian families by buying the bracelets, and to give our runners something unique, a la the ceramic arrowheads that they give to the finishers of the Hocking Hills Indian Run. So with all that said, I agree with another poster who said finishers medals should only be given if the race is epic. I would just add only if there is an epic reason for one to be given as well.

                  STILL HAVING FUN!!!

                  daisymae25


                  Squidward Bike Rider

                    The local 5K that runs in conjunction with our half marathon gives out finisher's medals, and also has age group awards.  It is also a very beginner-friendly race, so I'm sure that's partly why they do the finisher's medals.  Of course, the other part could be that the 5K'ers may have at one time complained about not getting a finisher's medal when all the half marathoners were.


                    Gang Name "Pound Cake"

                      Stripling--there are many summer 5k races down here in Fairfield County that would fit what you are looking for...cheap, with AG awards, and no finishers medal for everyone. A few of these I run every year are the Memorial Day 5k, the Baltimore Festival 5k in August, the Sweet Corn Festival 5k right before Labor Day, and the United Way 5k in November. The best place to find these type of races is runohio.com. They also always have the ORRRC races that a prior poster mentioned. On another related note, I am a new RD who put on a 5k/10 mile race this past fall. We did not give age group awards the first time, only bc we had no idea how many would show up. We had 37 finishers for each race, IMO a healthy number to try again next year. So next year, we will do AG awards. But what we did do was give each runner a finishers bracelet. Why a bracelet? The race was an event to raise funds for an orphanage in Haiti, and I discovered an opportunity to provide all our runners with a bracelet made by Haitian workers, so we were able to both support a group of Haitian families by buying the bracelets, and to give our runners something unique, a la the ceramic arrowheads that they give to the finishers of the Hocking Hills Indian Run. So with all that said, I agree with another poster who said finishers medals should only be given if the race is epic. I would just add only if there is an epic reason for one to be given as well.

                       

                      Thanks fitfatboy. I'll look for those races. The bracelet sounds like a wonderful unique thing and totally appropriate given the purpose of the race.

                      - Scott

                      2014 Goals: First Marathon - BQ2016 <3:40 (3:25:18) - 1/2M <1:45 - 5K <22:00

                      2014 Marathons: 05/04 Flying Pig (3:49:02) - 09/20 Air Force (BQ 3:25:18) - 11/01 Indianapolis Monumental

                      NHLA


                        All of our $35 5ks have AG awards.  Most give finishers medals to kids 10 and younger.

                        Best swag I ever got was at Apple Festival 8k.  A great soup mug and a years worth of chicken.  52 meals from chick-fillet with fries and drink. The problem is I don't eat chicken so I gave them away.

                        jpdeaux


                          Ooh, thanks for the reminder...

                           

                          like say New Bedford

                           

                          ...okay, done.


                          Fanilow

                             

                            I can think of a number of races where I'd be pretty proud to be the last finisher.

                             

                            Yes.

                            2014 goals

                            Well, there's always next year.

                            DDXD


                            Slower than I look

                              I ran a 10 miler in October and my in-laws were convinced that I must have placed or something because I had a finisher's medal.  The medal did seem pretty irrelevant for just "completing" a distance that I regularly do in training, but that's all relative isn't it.  With all the 5k programs out there, I suspect 3.1 miles is quite a distance for some and an accomplishment to be memorialized with a medal.  I've only run 1 half-marathon so far but one of the first things I remember thinking when I crossed the finish line was "That wasn't very hard".  But the medal is still cool for the memory value.  The shirts are decidedly more useful though.

                              wcrunner2


                              Are we there, yet?

                                I was never a fan of finishers medals for any race (ultras excluded since I had no experience with them), but then until this year I had never run a race that handed out finishers medals. This year I ran three races that gave out finishers medals, two marathons and my first ultra. Of those one I could care less about and the other two I value very highly. The value is in what they represent in terms of the experience and the emotional impact on me and sharing those experiences with my friends who supported me in my efforts. I can envision that a 5K can represent those same things to some runners.

                                 2024 Races:

                                      03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles

                                      05/11 - D3 50K
                                      05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour

                                      06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.

                                 

                                 

                                     

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