I mean no offense to those folks who start and contribute to one of these threads before every big race…but…
I have asked this question before & haven’t seen a logical response. WHY do people get excited about seeing their bib numbers way in advance?
So people can track them
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Probably a combination of general excitement and also superstition.
It’s like when you hear the first Christmas song on the radio, doesn’t make Christmas any closer, but it gets you in the mood.
Also, I like to take the digits of mine and add, subtract or multiply them as necessary to come of with some form of one of my lucky numbers.
Seb is right – people can track them.
It’s the final race confirmation – the last step in preparation.
You can spot fellow ST’er at the race.
What type of logical response are you looking for? I get excited because it is a part of my race-day identity.
It makes it REAL
Plus, I can email all my friends who are tracking me from home. Most people spell my last name wrong, so giving them a bib number is just way easier.
I also do the add subtract game to try to make it a lucky number
Jodi
For me it’s just part of the excitement before the race. Even though it doesn’t indicate a “seeding” (well except for some of the pros), I look at it similar to how I looked at Psych Sheets from my days of swimming. Some of it is names-to-faces. People I “like” or “dislike” I make sure to make not of their bibs and then tell my wife to watch for them at the race…
I remember that everyone would be freaked out waiting for our coach to post them once he got the fax, and how everybody would be do the retarded Prelim seeding thing on their fingers trying to figure out what lane and heat they’d be in, and who’d they’d be next too…
You have a last name???
I think I need to sign up for remedial stalking class.
I also do the add subtract game to try to make it a lucky number
Jodi
Sometimes you get lucky with just getting a lucky number. Last year my number for IMMoo was 777. Doesn’t get any luckier than that!
I was hoping for 1313…
Jodi
1409 is my lucky number…since I didn’t get 666
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I was hoping for 1313…
Jodi I got my bar results back on the 13th of the month, many years ago, and 13 has been my lucky number ever since so I would be very psyched to race with the number 1313. But, with a little effort, you can make almost any number unique or lucky some way.
13 was always my number in softball growing up and my favorite number
2033 is pretty cool too. Feels lucky!
Jodi
Thanks for the responses, all. I really was sincere with my question.
Quite coincidentally, just today I rec’d an email from the Kansas City Marathon folks touting this new service…
http://www.wearyournumber.com/
You can get a custom shirt already imprinted with your race number. I assume this means you don’t have to wear the paper number?
So I guess there’s one more reason to be excited to see your race number.
Exactly… It just gets me excited, it means the race is VERY close and we can see fellow STs…and somehow, like Jodi said, it makes it seem REAL.
i once got 808 for a local duathlon. and was really stoked, but i had one of my poorer races… go figure
Didn’t you see The Jerk with Steve Martin??
The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity I need! My name in print! That really makes somebody! Things are going to start happening to me now.
I like to memorize my main competitor’s numbers. That way I can get depressed when they pass me.
I actually got 666 for a sprint a couple years ago. If they had posted the bib numbers ahead of time, I would have worn a costume.
Wearing the number during the race was no big deal, it was walking around in public afterwards with 666 tattooed all over my arms and legs.