What’s your feeling on race T-Shirts, almost every triathlon and running race gives them away.
What is their value?
Is it important for you to get one?
Would a better route be an option to buy one at the point of (online) registration?
Go!
As far as the event T-Shirt, If I had an option to take a registration discount I would everytime. Not much value for me.
Don’t get me started on everyone gets a medal/trophy thing either…
They have value when they are good quality “tech-tee” shirts that I can use for running… if you buy a Nike Dri-fit at Sports Authority it would be $30 easy. However I don’t have much use for 100 tech tees lying around, so now I usually request different sizes so I can give them away to family members. My dad wears them playing tennis and my kids wear them as art smocks in school…
Actually more & more races are making it an option which is good. I don’t want to have to add on to my house to store more race shirts.
Mine go right in the bag for the next trip to Goodwill.
I vote for no race shirts. Plus, at the last few races I traveled to, I was embarrassed to be a triathlete because everyone only wears race shirts, hats etc. everywhere they go. Its ok to wear a nice shirt to a nice restaurant for dinner. Everyone knows you are a triathlete because of your low body fat and the fact that you are at the location in the first place. It is not necessary to wear m-dot everything and compression socks and an m-dot or rev3 or whatever visor out to dinner. At least with no more race shirts, maybe a few less people will wear them everywhere they go.
In general, the value of the shirt is dependent on the value of the race in my mind. If it’s a key race that I’ve been training for, then the shirt serves as a sort of memento. If it’s more of a training event, then I don’t really care about the shirt. The same goes for medals. However, I’ve done a few races that were more for training but the shirts were very nice and fit well. In those cases, the shirt adds to the likelihood that I’d do the race again.
There’s a local running club that allows you to opt out of getting a race shirt and they take about $5 off the registration fee. I’d like to see more races do this, that way people who don’t want a shirt can opt out.
A bike ride event didn’t give out shirts but Polar water bottles. I thought this was cool.
Maybe I’m the exception, but if it’s a technical Tshirt, I basically send it straight to goodwill. I either run shirtless or in winter gear, so those tech shirts are useless to me.
If it’s a high quality, comfortable, well designed cotton shirt, I’ll hold on to it for years.
I agree 100% cotton-race shirts with long sleeves.
Anybody who races a lot doesn’t want more race t-shirts. I have a pile of them I use to clean my bikes. 1 timers love them though so a purchase option is probably a good idea.
I love races that give out different stuff that I use and need. Like head sweat beanies or lightweight gloves for cold weather running. Lightweight running hats. Socks. Headband or visor …etc.
I’d also rather get one cool little item than a whole pile of junk that I throw out. The latter is wasteful.
I agree 100% cotton-race shirts with long sleeves.
Except long-sleeved shirts, cotton or otherwise, never fit. Sleeve length is always a problem.
What is the purpose of handing out shirts? Somewhere to put the race name and show off the sponsors? Is the T-shirt really accomplishing much in the way of marketing?
Or is it really just a swag item to make people feel like they’ve got their monies worth?
Maybe I’m the exception, but if it’s a technical Tshirt, I basically send it straight to goodwill. I either run shirtless or in winter gear, so those tech shirts are useless to me.
If it’s a high quality, comfortable, well designed cotton shirt, I’ll hold on to it for years.
I always wear my tri suit when I race or workout. Train like you race, right…
If shirt, then pick cotton long-sleeved.
If given the option, I’d go for no race shirt.
And no finishers medals for any event less than a HIM (and then optional)
I say Yes to your ?s.
My last event in October, I got a long-sleeve shirt and it fit nice. Each event has a special memory for me and I’m proud to relive the event by wearing the shirt.
I would rather something like a tshirt than a medal. But I do like it when they mix things up a bit. Hat,buff, etc… One new tech T a year is enough.
Give me an accurate course (or accurate advertised distance: if the 10K is 9.7K or 10.3K because there were no other options, I am fine with that but at least publish it!), appropriate and nice nutrition on the course and I am happy.
While I understand the need for the t-shirt (i.e. sponsors). If you go that route, at least go with high quality cotton or tech shirt that fits nicely!
& get rid of those unnecessary medals as well. What a waste of money or make it optional!
ETD: medals.
Fred.
95% of the time: NO
Of all the shirts I’ve accumulated over the years I wear on occasion only two. What do they have in common? A simple, nice and small race logo and no sponsor adds. One is a tech tee from the LA Tri back from the early 2000s and the other is a cotton tee from a local half marathon from 2007. The other 50+ are a waste.
On the other hand I can always use more garish cycling socks.
I like them. Every once in awhile you get a really nice one. Most of the time, they end up as “sweat rags” for when I am on the trainer. I wear them so that I drip less. Some other my daughter took and wears to bed.
{edit}If given the option to buy, I would never ever buy one{/edit}
I like them. I only keep one out of every ten or so, but the others go to charity and the ones I keep (tech or cotton) I really like. It’s hit or miss on quality, fit, and style, but when all three come together it’s great.