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I seem to recall the volunteer asking me if I wanted a medal after I crossed the line, so they were trying to ration them early on it seems.... so clearly they were concerned about running out as it was clear that had more starters and less DNF's after the swim than anticipated. If I knew they were short on medals I probably wouldn't have taken one. Maybe they should have asked if folks wanted a coffee mug or $20 IM store gift card... I'd rather have either instead.
PM me if interested.
TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com
On the other hand, why can't you wait for WTC to send you a medal? Do you feel totally inadequate without one? You did an Ironman, what else do you have to show?
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I seem to recall the volunteer asking me if I wanted a medal after I crossed the line, so they were trying to ration them early on it seems.... so clearly they were concerned about running out as it was clear that had more starters and less DNF's after the swim than anticipated. If I knew they were short on medals I probably wouldn't have taken one. Maybe they should have asked if folks wanted a coffee mug or $20 IM store gift card... I'd rather have either instead.
PM me if interested.
For being a stand up guy I just donated to your fund raising efforts. Thats pretty decent of you to help a stranger.
Chris Harris
I wouldn't buy a medal online b/c I would still have hopes of receiving one properly. And I'd probably also email again and again until I got that medal in the mail. Maybe its silly, but I'm insanely proud of each of my medals and they are on display in my apartment.
I wouldn't buy a medal online b/c I would still have hopes of receiving one properly. And I'd probably also email again and again until I got that medal in the mail. Maybe its silly, but I'm insanely proud of each of my medals and they are on display in my apartment.
there's nothing wrong with that. After you race for a few years though they sort of lose their lsuter. I made a bunch of mine into refrigerator magnets and have a bunch in a drawer.
Andy Mullen
Team Zoot
Your story doesn't check out. That race doesn't exist!
On the other hand, why can't you wait for WTC to send you a medal? Do you feel totally inadequate without one? You did an Ironman, what else do you have to show?
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He did a half Ironman didn't he? Not that anybody's keeping track...
Find out what it is in life that you don't do well, then don't
do that thing.
But that's just me and there is clearly nothing wrong with wanting a medal as they are hard earned and great symbols of accomplishment.
All that being said - If WTC is going to send you one, I would not buy one. If your medal was lost, stolen or damaged and you wanted a replacement, then I'd say go for it...
I guess you could buy that one and bill them for the cost of it. I'm sure they'd be ok with
that arrangement.
I was talking to the RD for the Rotorua 1/2 IM about the medals a few years back. I said save the money as not that many people actually want them. He said nah, they cost less than $2 NZD each from his Chinese source.
One year he included race shirt and shorts in the entry fee. Average quality Chinese stuff, but nice to try and up the ante for what's included in the entry fee. The shirt and shorts cost him very little ($15 NZD for the set), but you get what you pay for. The Chinese manufacturer put the sponsors logo on the side of the leg of the shorts, upsided down! As you'd cycle, the logo would go from vertical to upside down as you'd pedal, when it should have gone from vertical to upright. Some people still wear those shorts to races. I giggle every time.
TriDork
"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"
All,
This was more of a rhetorical question than anything else. The question actually came from someone who completed the race (their first HIM) and didn’t get a medal. She has contacted M-Dot multiple times and can’t get any response back. I simply poised it to see what public opinion was. Personally, I think someone selling their finishers medal is about as lame and someone buying it to say they did the race.
We had several people in our tri club that were racing their first half IM. Getting a medal was an extremely big deal for them. I saw one guy I know pretty well who decided to sign up that week and has done multiple IM and HIMs, wheel his bike off at the end of the day with a medal. I also saw another woman I know who trained for year, it was her first HIM and signed up almost a year ago burst into tears because she didn't receive a medal. What triggered it was one of the guys in the finishers chute saying "You should have run faster" to her after 7+ hours on the course. Then the tears came.
I didn't get a medal either (I was told I was the first one to finish that didn't get a medal. I received the same "You should have ran faster" response from a IM official on the course. Pretty lame.
We managed to get some of the first timers their medals within our group. I think M-Dot’s response is what the issue is for me.
For the record, I am not planning on buying a medal and will wait for the one I rightly deserved (and paid for) to be delivered to me. Not because I need it. I just think race medals are totally cool and some day when I am not able to physically compete in races any longer, I will break them out and reflect on what used to be able to do.
My personal view is that race medals are important. It is more important for various reasons and to varying degrees based on the individuals needs. This was not my first HIM. While I appreciate the offers from others to send me their medals, I would prefer them to go to someone who was a first timer that didn’t get one. I am certainly willing to wait. If this were my first HIM, I would probably feel different. I do like getting medals. Probably since I didn’t play little league when I was a kid and never received trophies for this sort of stuff.
However, I do think the question is valid. It says a lot about how Ironman Corp views their participants in races. Don’t get me wrong. I am a fan of IM branded races and the mystique that surrounds them. This is my first issue with M-Dot at all in several years of racing. The deeper I get into this one-time issue, the more pissed off I become.
I have called and emailed multiple times IM Headquarters without a response. It is as if their offices are deserted at all times. No receptionist, no race directors answer the phone. It is a total ghost town. To test this, I have called up a few times and had a few other people in our group that didn’t receive medals call as well. No response at all.
Poor customer service really pisses me off (regardless of the company). I paid a big chunk of change to do the race and completed it. They didn’t plan well and should have some form of customer feedback in case there is an issue. Silence is a horrible customer service policy.
I would think Ironman corp would pay more attention to their customer service but apparently they can’t be bothered. They could at least send an email apologizing for their blunder. There has been absolutely no communication from M-Dot on when the medals will be mailed out. I know several people who have called and emailed. So far, silence. The Chicago Marathon had a few boxes of medals stolen in 2012. Cary Pinkowski was on it. The people that didn’t get a medal were bombarded with emails, letters, phone calls, etc… because he knew that the Bank of America reputation was at risk. M-Dot seems like they could care less about their brand or reputation. Their races fill up without issue so maybe they don’t need quality control any longer since their product sells without too much issue.
My two cents.
Thank you. I appreciate it. I will pass. If you can give it to a first timer that didn't get a medal, I am sure they would appreciate it. There are quite a few of them out there.
Cheers!
On the other hand, why can't you wait for WTC to send you a medal? Do you feel totally inadequate without one? You did an Ironman, what else do you have to show?
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I don't come on slowtwitch that often. When I see dickish replies like this, I am reminded why I rarely frequent this site.
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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"
Crickets.
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The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. -- A fake Albert Einstein "quote"
No action taken by WTC.
I ran a "9.11K" race this weekend and they had them there. Nobody
needs a junky medal in the shape of the World Trade Center for 38 minutes of running.
It's sad but a lot of people there were only doing the race for that tacky thing.
Find out what it is in life that you don't do well, then don't
do that thing.
I ran a "9.11K" race this weekend and they had them there. Nobody
needs a junky medal in the shape of the World Trade Center for 38 minutes of running.
It's sad but a lot of people there were only doing the race for that tacky thing.
Do people get married without exchanging rings?
Do people graduate college and not get a diploma?
Do people die and get buried without a headstone?
Sure. For some people those things are important. I don't judge one way or another how people decide.
However, when you advertise that as part of the race, then don't deliver, then have crappy customer service, I take issue with it.
WTC should be better. But they aren't
I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Adam Savage