How, when or for what reason do you wear race and finishers apparel? Are you ever hesitant to wear race wear especially IM stuff?
Just curious as to everyones “wearing” etiquette?
~Matt
I wear mine to work around the house in and that’s about it…
Jim
I rarely wear my IM finisher shirts, and usually only to the store or around the house. In fact, I have yet to wear my 2005 LP shirt. I’m proud of doing the race but every time I see someone wearing IM finisher gear I think they look silly, like they’re bragging about it. They gave us a nice running hat at the finish line this year, unfortunately it says finisher across the visor so I rarely wear it.
How, when or for what reason do you wear race and finishers apparel? Are you ever hesitant to wear race wear especially IM stuff?
Just curious as to everyones “wearing” etiquette?
~Matt
WHo cares what people think…if you want to wear it, wear it. What is pathetic is the 200 or so idiots here in town who were given IronMan Kona Finishers hats…and most have never been to Kona, let alone done an Ironman…
You have to earn it before you can wear it…then there is Kevin…IronMan tattoo…with a giant “Speedo” in the M…LOL…and he as never done a Tri of any distance…that we know of.
Rarely wear my stuff. There isn’t anything wrong with doing so, it’s just not ‘me’ to the advertise races I’ve competed in.
Never done an IM, but have lots and lots of race T Shirts, and I wear them all of the time. What else are you supposed to do with them? Collect them and perserve them for posterity like a wedding dress?
rule of thumb… if there’s any chance of it getting you laid - wear it. Otherwise, leave it in the drawer.
I think that non-IM race apparel is so common that wearing it is a non-event. I’ve never done an IM but I’m impressed with anyone who has knowing how hard it is to train for and finish one. Besides, there is nothing terrible about letting the world know what you have accomplished through your attire. For example, my wife proudly wears her wedding ring to show off her being able to land a guy like me. Uh, no need to forward this to my wife. Uh, uh …her e-mail address is under repair or something.
Right - wear 'em like I would any other T-shirt (i.e. around the house, working in the yard, etc.). Obviously, anyone here has no need to buy a T-shirt (I don’t think I ever have). Why do people by a T-shirt from some damn vacation place - to advertise they were there? I don’t know the mentality, but being a triathlete is pretty obvious anyway (shaved legs, up early in the am, bed early, road rash wounds, etc.)
I think IM finishers especially seem “fearful” of advertising their accomplishments since to them they realize it is no big deal, but the general public thinks it so impossible a feat.
I wear them all of the time
Of course I’m a jeans and T shirt guy
jaretj
.
if it’s a nice shirt and on the top of the pile I’ll wear it whenever it comes up, who gives a shit about when to wear etiquette;) A lot of the uglier shirts never make it on to my back and head right to the rag pile. I guess I don’t wear my Kona shirt very often though as it has that dumb big white Ironman logo thing on the back, front is nice, ugly back.
These threads always crack me up… Sure it’s one thing to go to the company bbq with a IM visor, t-shirt, and temporary M-dot tatoos etc. However, if you wake up in the morning and grab a t-shirt that happens to be from a race who the hell cares.
How many of you who wouldn’t be caught dead in a finisher shirt have shaved your legs before going out to a social gatering, huh? Oh yeah, that’s in case you get road rash while playing croquet at the party right?
I run or work out in the 50/50 or poly shirts, hang around in the all cotton ones whenever. They are grea conversation starters (I’ll have to ask the wife about the “getting laid” effectiveness) and some of them have cool graphics (I love my Catfish Open Water t-shirts).
I already have a few runners hats so I rotate through those.
I wear my IM medal every evening at the dinner table to show the ladies who’s the boss. Oh yeah, and to bed too.
just please don’t be “that guy” signing up for a sprint with his IM Hat, IM Finisher Shirt, IM Shorts, IM wind breakers, and IM Socks (the low cut ones so he can show off his IM tatoo on his ankle) with his IM water bottle to get hydrated for tomorrows .5m/12m/3m tri.
Please.
I wear the shirts from the more obscure races or my IMFL volunteer’s shirt down to the beach all the time. Because when the beach is overrun with tourists, I’m hoping to give off a certain “hey, actual local here” vibe by digging out the Valparaiso Heritage Festival Museum 5K or Gate to Gate Run shirt.
The bigger or out of town races, those shirts are usually the ones that end up at the bottom of the pile.
The only people who really notice you are wearing IM logo stuff are other triathletes. 99.8% of the people in the world don’t give a damn. Wear what you want to wear if you earned it. I wear my Boston Marathon jacket occasionally, and I have yet to have 1 person ask me about it, and I doubt anyone really notices anyway.
If one of the Ironman finisher t-shirts is at the top of the t-shirt pile ahead or one from any other race, I wear it. Its just another T-shirt.
I wear my Boston Marathon jacket occasionally, and I have yet to have 1 person ask me about it, and I doubt anyone really notices anyway.
After doing IMC in 1994, I bought a bunch of shirts with logos on them for my friends and coworkers. I was proud of my accomplishment, wore my finisher’s shirt about once a week and no one ever asked me about it (outside of my circle of friends, etc.)…my buddy, for whom I had bought a nice polo for, would get asked about it pretty much everywhere he went when he wore his…beer gut and all.
Sigh.
Yes, I wear my finisher’s stuff from time to time. I’m not embarrassed by it, not one bit. I don’t flaunt what I do—in fact I talk very little about the sport, even when people act all awe struck about it asking questions…“just keeps me in shape” is usually the extent of my conversation about tris.
I had worn my IMH race shirt to lunch, and had a lady in a fast food joint (on the way to the beach) mind you, come up and congratulate me. It made my day. And this was 4 years after the race!!
IF I ever finish an IM you are going to have to pry that shirt off my cold dead body. Hell ya I’m gonna wear it.