I was looking at a Lance poster on feepay/ebay and at the bottom, the website displays items that are related to your search.
One item was a Chicago marathon finisher’s medal. There were multiple bids for it! I almost cannot believe that someone would buy that medal.
I suspect that some finishers might fail to get their medal and want to commemorate their finish, but if I were in that position, I would have no qualms about contacting the RD and telling them that I didn’t get my medal, lost it, etc. I would expect the RD to give me the medal that I earned, tell me that they have no more, or offer to sell me a medal at a fair price (after verifying that I had finished).
Who are these finisher medal buyers? Are they the Biggest Losers?
I recently moved and lost one of my IM finisher medals. So I contacted the RD and they don’t have anymore so now I’m scouring ebay hoping someone puts one up. Sucks that it won’t be my ‘own’ medal but I still want all the finisher medals for the races I’ve done. I’m hoping the Chicago Marathon medal is same case since it would be ridiculous to have a medal for a race you didn’t finish.
PM me - I’ve got a few IM finisher medals. You can have mine if it is the one you are looking for. No judgements on my end why some people covet these things and others (me) could care less.
I care so little for finishers medals…sorry i know they represent something to some people but I just can’t personally see whats special about them. When you see stacks of them at the end of races…it’s kind of silly really. Cover a distance, get one of these. Even local AG trophies or top ten medals (not that I am winning lots of them) or such don’t do it for me. Olympic medal, world championships yes if i earned one of those id keep it but otherwise it’s just clutter. I can remember the race just fine if it had meaning to me so what does a cheap medal do for me?
Another possibility could be that the buyer may want to put the medal they buy in a shadowbox and keep the one they earned out of the frame. Or vice versa
Yes, but I think to some people, a finisher medal from a marathon, means as much as an Olympic medal would mean to you.
I guess I feel there is a difference. Showing up and finishing something is great but unless you are physically challenged or morbidly obese it’s empirically not much of a “victory” IMO. Training for years, forgoing any meaningful career (home depot is OK I guess), alienating family and friends, giving up a normal life and managing to compete against the world’s best at something and winning…that I think is worthy of a metal trinket you can hang up on a wall. Everyone else, keep em in the closet
Yes, but I think to some people, a finisher medal from a marathon, means as much as an Olympic medal would mean to you.
I guess I feel there is a difference. Showing up and finishing something is great but unless you are physically challenged or morbidly obese it’s empirically not much of a “victory” IMO. Training for years, forgoing any meaningful career (home depot is OK I guess), alienating family and friends, giving up a normal life and managing to compete against the world’s best at something and winning…that I think is worthy of a metal trinket you can hang up on a wall. Everyone else, keep em in the closet
Again, just for the record…I hardly did any of that, never made a national team or anything and never won anything that I’d tout the hardware from past the day of the event.
Maybe I’m being a bit harsh here, I guess if it gives someone satisfaction go for it but I personally get nothing from them. Anyone on here who wants a NYC marathon, Virginia Beach Half (yeah, they seriously give medals for that…), Philly Marathon, Jersey Shore marathon finisher’s medal (not sure the years…I mean if you didn’t “earn” the thing whats the harm in writing a different year on it?) or myriad of rowing crapola is welcome to make use of it as they fit.
