My Top 3 Favorite Running Medals
I have so many medals from races. I started racing in the early 2000’s so the medal hangers in my office are full. I have medals from small races, medals from half marathons, marathons, trail races, and medals from relays. Some of the medals are big, some are small. Some even double as bottle openers or the a fork, spoon and knife like the one from the Ragnar Trail Relay.
When it comes to picking the best medal that I’ve ever received it’s hard to pick just one so I’m going to go with my top 3!
This marathon runs through the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont from “Fly to Pie”. It starts at a tiny airport and ends at Parker Pie, a cool little pizza place. I ran this marathon kind of on a whim. I had the marathon miles under my belt so when I discovered this race with a friend we decided to run it. You can bike it too. Most of this marathon runs on back dirt roads which are lovely to run on. This marathon was on a somewhat cool fall day perfect for running and the field of runners was small so small in fact that when all was said and done I was the female Winner of the Marathon. First Place! I don’t remember my time for this race, it wasn’t that fast but a win is a win! It is cool to be able to say that I won a marathon! The medal for this race is perfect, small, made out of wood with a leather lace.
I ran the Vermont City Marathon in May of 2012 in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2013. I knew that I had the training under my belt but on that day I went out too fast. Crash and burn is an understatement. So long story short, I ended up going out too fast and getting dehydrated and ending in the med tent. I finished but a BQ was not in the cards. What to do next? I knew I had the training to qualify so I looked to see if there were any other race possibilities. What I discovered was a tiny little race called Marathon Around the Lake in Wakefield, Massachusetts. This race was also an ultra and the format was weird. The race was in July and started at night and the course . . . 8 laps around the lake and a bit of extra. Sounds terrible right. Well for me it wasn’t. It was the perfect scenario. The temperature was just perfect and once I ran the first lap, I settled into my pace and focused on keeping it even. With two laps to go, I knew I had the BQ in my sights. I picked up my pace. I felt strong. I felt ready to accomplish my goal. I crossed the finish line. There was no fanfare. The race was small. Many runners were still continuing on in their ultra journey. The medal is small, with a simple green ribbon. It was just perfect and what I had worked so hard for, That Boston Marathon Qualifying time!
This medal is more than just the race itself. This medal is from the Boston Marathon 2013. I raced my best race that day almost matching my PR. It was everything that the Boston Marathon should be until it wasn’t. I finished, I ran strong, I celebrated with a phone call to my coach. I had re-qualified for 2014 then everything changed. The bombs went off, the race was stopped. Sheer terror filled Boylston Street and the streets of Boston. I was left that day with PTSD from the horrible events that took place. This medal has come to represent the struggle to overcome what happened that day. It has come to represent the hard work that I have had to do with myself to not be fearful. This medal represents the inner-strength that I have had to find again. This medal will forever be a special one.
Today I am sharing my top 3 Favorite #Running medals. What are your favorite medals that you have ever worked hard for? #runchat
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What are your top three racing medals that you have ever received. Why?
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That Boston medal is something to treasure! I would say that my favorite medal has to be my Ragnar medals. I love how we all worked together as a team to achieve them
Deborah Brooks recently posted…What It’s Like To Take A Live Peloton Class in Studio
The most meaningful medals to me are somewhat similar to yours – the marathon that I BQ’d in which was RNR San Diego marathon, of course the Boston Marathon and the NYC Marathon which was the marathon I didn’t expect to be selected right a few months after I gave birth to my second child. Congrats on the Kingdom marathon win and I love the look of that medal.
Oh, how gorgeous! I love the stories behind them, as well.
I think my favorites are my WDW Marathon medal (first marathon), my Ragnar trail medal (it’s a crazy multitool!) and my Memorial Day 5K medal (my first ever race).