The great floridian just e-mailed me and said awards went 10 deep. I placed 9th in the 35-39th AG in my 1st IM. Do I spend the money and get the award, or will I be extremely disappointed when it’s nothing…
All it would do is go in a box in the attic for my kids to find when I die.
well GFT was my first IM back in 1999 and I got 4th in my age group! It was a trophy and let me tell ya going home from your first IM with a trophy was cool!! 
Spend the $8!! It was your first, so ya got to get it!!
I blew over $8 bucks on lunch today. So $8 bucks for an award is not much. But then again, I haven’t placed in the top 10 in over 8 years (pretty much ever since I stopped seriously training).
Your kids will be able to get your money back on the amout they get from the yard sale after you die.
Lets see…1st IM thats a vote “for”. 9th thats a vote “against.” $8 is pretty cheap, though would have been zero if you’d stayed for the awards, thats barely an “against.” Kids and death comment, I’d say thats a “for.” Oh, kids and death trumps the $8 easily so I vote ya just send them the money.
Kevin
I realize it’s the Great Floridian is an ironman but it’s for ninth place. Do you really want an award for ninth place? How many in you age group?
I got an award for the half there and it was a nice plaque(sp). I would hope that the awards for the full are as nice or nicer.
that comes across with absolutely no taste whatsoever.
how about how many could have been there?
the hardware was earned.
Dude it’s 8 bucks! Cut on the coffee for two days and get that award on top of your fireplace!
9th or dead last… you are still an IM!
Go get your reward buddy, you deserve it, and like the others said, what’s $8. Worst case, you think it’s cheesy, sell it on Ebay. I bet there will be someone out there that’ll pay more for it even if they didn’t race 
Plus, I’m in the 35-39 age group. Not an easy age group by far!!!
Chris
That’s exactly what I thought… I just was watching “Meet the Fockers” and I think it was for 9th place for somthing that Dustin Hoffman had that shrine built… I can just see Robert Deniro coming over to the house.
59 or something like that…
67th overall - Not sure how many started… 350?
It was my first marathon too.
lemme get this straight. They want how many hundred bucks for an entry fee and now they want you to pay for an award?
I’d tell em to stick it where the sun don’t shine.
I didn’t stick around for the awards… Never in a million years did I think I would have been top 10 in the 35-39 AG, even at a small IM like GFT.
I didn’t stick around for the awards… Never in a million years did I think I would have been top 10 in the 35-39 AG, even at a small IM like GFT.
Still, they could mail the damn thing to you after all the cash you dropped entering their race. I’ve had awards mailed to me from little rinky dink races that I wasn’t expecting to pick up…a couple of bottles of wine once which musta cost a lot to ship.
Tell them to hang on to it and you’ll pick it up next year…they’ll probably get sick of it sitting on someone’s desk and mail it to you on their dime.
**The great floridian just e-mailed me and said awards went 10 deep. **
Congrats.
**I placed 9th in the 35-39th AG in my 1st IM. **
Impressive
**Do I spend the money and get the award, or will I be extremely disappointed when it’s nothing… **
Spend the money.
**All it would do is go in a box in the attic for my kids to find when I die. **
That’s to bad.
FWIW, I won’t think any less of you if you show some sign of being proud or happy. Seriously, I won’t. I might even get the idea that you really enjoy what you are doing and take pride in putting up some quality/respectable results. =)
Honestly, it seems that you’re trying really ahrd to “play it down”. Please be aware I am not judging you, but I am just going by what I’m reading. You mention that you rocked in your first IM, but don’t whether the $8 is worth it for the trophy? As someone else said, I spend $8 on lunch (or McD’s breakfast as the case may be).
Get the trophy. Give it to your kids. Take it to work, and let your buddies/co-workers make fun of you for awhile. Give it to your spouse. Do something positive with it.
I don’t know how my post is going to come across, but all I want to say is that you should get your trophy, be proud of it, be thankful for it. Yes, it’s a little plastic trophy … but there are plenty of people out there that would kill for the opportuity to just run, let alone race, let alnoe do an ironman, let alone do well in your first one. Let your trophy be a simple reminder of how fortunate you are to have the blessings you have, and the will power to take advantage of them.
Anyway, great job on the finish. I’m impressed. Good luck on top 3 next year! =)
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This is fresh in my mind, b/c last weekend cleaning out the basement, I found all my old baseball trophies and game balls. I started reading all the stats on the balls, and team autographs, and I saw names of players that had a ton of desire, but little talent. I saw names of people that have since been killed in car crashes, etc. I look at the “meaningless artifacts” of my accomplishments, and they meant something. If nothing else, it meant that I was part of something special (a great team, a big event, etc) and did well in the process. I was doing something that many people would love to do. While I totally took it for granted back then, I sure don’t now. Get the trophy. If nothig else, your buddies can tease you about it. “Awww, wook at da wittle trophwee” Heh Heh.
GFT, has some nice awards, my buddy brought mine to IMFL and gave it to me since we didn’t hang around after the half to get mine. I guess it depends how often/much hardware you take home from races. Myself this was my third season in the sport so I was stoked to get it, for others maybe not so much.
I can not believe all the people that put that ‘9th place’ down…
it is all relative. It is a pretty competitive age group and even if not, it is still an award for the first IM
as for that 9th place, I still value my 10th place trophy from the Disney Olympic distance race way higher than other trophies that place me first or second in my age group but with slower times and at less competitive races.
I know very well that the GFT is not the most competitive in the world, (I raced it twice) but for some people that trophy may mean a lot…even if 9th place
can not believe that elitist attitude…kinda sad really!
besides, forgot to mention, they have kind of nice awards at the GFT, two years ago it was a nice plaque for the 1/2 and last year a nice trophy for the Full…
I say get it for sure…
I can not believe all the people that put that ‘9th place’ down
I’m not putting down his race. I asked if he wanted the award for it, and he seems to agree that it’s not important. It’s the racing that’s important, not the award. Most of them get thrown out eventually anyway. My wife and I keep them if we get matching ones, but the only one I’ve held onto is from my one and only 1st overall at a running race years ago. It’s a nice bronze statue of a runner and looks like a small version of the Heisman. (and believe me, I don’t take something home from every race)
Last time I placed top ten at anything was the Punt, Pass and Kick when I was 8 and I didn’t even have to train 6 months straight to get it. Get your award and be happy!!!
Dude, are you serious??!? Get the award!!
I did my first 1/2 IM this year at the Florida Challenge (run with the Gt Floridian), and I didn’t win an award, so I got a frame with 4 spots in it and framed 3 pictures and my medal, are you kidding? I’ll built an f’in shrine when I do my first IM, much less WIN anything!!
I’m like a mynah bird, I love the SMO. If I can come home with the “Shiney Metal Object”, I’m just delighted.
You gotta understand, though, I’m also an electronics and gear head. That’s just me.