After my little sprint triathlon last Sunday I was presented with a medal. Of course I took it, but it doesn't really mean anything to me. I guess I'm asking for your perspective. In my opinion I really don't think a race needs (should?) give out a medal unless it's at least a marathon and at least a half iron triathlon. Maybe a half marathon? Maybe. Or not. I made this statement to my wife and she said that is an elitist point of view and that even people who can only do shorter races deserve medals. Really? I say, inspire them to go further.
Does this go all the way down to the participation award trophies that every little boy or girl in America gets when they play any kind of organized sport regardless of their win/loss record? I don't know. I know I didn't receive any thing unless we won the championship game.
Anyway, I made the statement and I stand by it. Most people can do more than they think they can, maybe a medal out there will motivate them to do it. Am I way off base?
By the way, this cold I have is really putting a buzzkill on my running jones.
8/18 3.33 @ 9:00
8/20 4.33 @ 8:46
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- AZ
- 2010 goal is a marathon each month. 2011 is an iron distance triathlon. Read about how it goes down.
Currently Training For...
- Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2011
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The next (scheduled) race starts in (give or take a day):
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Personal Bests
- 5k 18:31 Jan. 31, 2007 Oda Field Time Trial
- 10k 40:48 Feb. 4, 2007 Kanagawa Half Marathon
- Half 1:28:18 Feb. 4, 2007 Kanagawa Half Marathon
- Full 3:18:13 Feb. 18, 2007 Tokyo People's Marathon
- Half Iron Triathlon 5:49 June 9th, 2009 Liberty Triathlon
- Olympic Triathlon 2:42 June 2008, Oshima Japan
Followers
5 comments:
I thought maybe it was just me... I have received medals at sprint tris and it just seemed odd to me. It just didn't feel like a big enough accomplishment for a medal but maybe my standards for what is a big enough achievement are warped...
I think that everyone is different in terms of ability...something that might be hard for one runner (marathon) might be impossible for another. There are people who do 5Ks who worked so hard to accomplish getting to cross that finish line! I am glad that they give medals out for half marathons:) I worked my butt off to get to that distance:)
Happy weekend!
I'm voting with your wife on this one although I see your point. I say be generous and assume that everyone is pursuing their own goals and dreams and deserves a pat on the back. One of the great things about running is that it doesn't have to be a win or lose sport and not everyone has to run a long distance to accomplish something. Just remember, it's all about the t-shirt anyway. :)
i see both sides... i wouldn't really want a medal from a smaller/shorter race either though. there's some program that donates medals to kids fighting health issues in the hospital, maybe you could donate it to them?
as far as kids... they are awfully coddled these days. no red ink pens in school, "everyone wins" attitudes. now i'm not saying kids need to be put in their place or anything, but i do think they need to be given more realistic view of how the world works.
When I come home with a medal from a half marathon, Chrissy always shouts "You're all winners!"
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