WHAT DO RUNNERS PREFER FOR AWARDS?

In the 70s, I was a member of the North Medford Running Club. They hosted many of the road races in the New England area. Fred Brown was one of the pioneers and leaders of the club. I remember some of the entry forms of his races where he included the following line:

“Entry fee is $5.00 for the race. If you want a trophy, add $2.00 to your total.”

You could actually order a trophy in advance and many people did! Fred lived only a few houses away from me in Medford and I occasionally went to his house and helped him assemble these trophies in his garage. Those were unique times...or were they?

Recently, I was curious how much things have changed and what age group runners in particular are most interested in receiving for an award? I actually polled all my Facebook friends thinking that would be a good random sample of what the market would want (not the most scientific study but it works for me). 

As I expected, the responses were all over the map. The overwhelming favorite, however, was that receiving some sort of recognition award was the preference. I was also curious as to whether the responses would have any correlation with how long someone had been running in road races. That is, if the runner had accumulated lots of race awards, would their preference be impacted by this fact, and is their current preference different from what they would’ve wanted years ago? Again, the responses varied from person to person no matter how long they had been racing.

Out of 130 responses, here is what I found:

Trophies / plaques / plates / medals = 56 (43%)

Most wanted some sort of recognition award for their accomplishment. Most wanted a plaque or plate or even a trophy with the name of the race, date, and their place. Some were okay with a special medal but most felt they had enough finishers medals so it would be nice to receive something different than another medal. And, some did comment that they thought it was strange to receive a finisher’s medal just for running a 5K race but for others this is a major accomplishment for them at this stage in their running career. Many, however, are fascinated by medals and only run races that offer them. Many running friends of mine would do the Dopey Challenge at the Disney Marathon (5K, 10K, half, full) not only because of the physical challenge but also because you ended up receiving six medals for your efforts!!

In my opinion, this makes a statement that people are proud of their accomplishments and want others to know about it. Nothing wrong with that. How many times do you see folks post a selfie on social media immediately after having finished a big race while proudly displaying their finisher’s medal (and sometimes even biting into it – why do they do that anyway?)? I’ve always felt that one of the most important things in life is for each of us to feel good about ourselves. This is the very foundation by which we all accomplish everything else in our lives. If placing in a road race does that for some folks, then good for them.

An interesting sidebar question is what do people actually do with all these medals and trophies and plaques and ribbons? Some are lucky to have an “ego room” (I say that only in the politest and supportive way) where there is plenty of space to proudly display their winnings. Others are not as fortunate and everything just gets shoved in a drawer or in a box in the basement! For me, I have a “clothing tree” in my home office that I simply toss all my medals on. Soon this tree is going to come crashing down and I’m going to have to come up with another scheme.

Gift certificates = 19 (14%).

Many felt that they have enough medals and trophies and rather have the option of using a gift certificate to purchase something they want and need. Some commented, however, that if it was from a local store and they had to go there to redeem it but they were from out of town, then that would create a hardship.

Merchandise = 15 (11%).

Some suggested merchandise awards, mainly unique clothing with the name of the race screened on it. I remember in the 70s and 80s where some races simply placed all kinds of merchandise on a table, announced the winners of the race and just said, “OK, just pick what you want.” I once won a hibachi and then got called up again for a second award and was able to pick out a bag of charcoal for the hibachi! Those were the days!

Glass / mugs = 11 (8%).

Surprisingly to me, a number of respondents suggested the concept of a beer glass or beer / coffee mug with the name of the race on it. I suppose if you did that from year-to-year and someone kept winning their age group, they would eventually end up with a nice set of glasses or mugs! We give away mugs at the New Balance Falmouth Road Race every year and they are a huge hit among all of the runners.

Entry fee waved for next year’s race = 8 (6%).

I have done this in the past for a few of my races. I think generally speaking it is well-received. However, many said they wanted this AND some sort of recognition award, too!

Depends on size of race = 8 (6%).

This was an interesting response. In the case of an iconic race (e.g., Boston), the preference would be a medal, trophy, plaque type award. However, if it were a smaller, local event, then the preference was a gift certificate or merchandise award.

Local connection prize = 7 (5%).

I’ve always been a fan of this concept, that is, coming up with something that is creative, unique, and something you can’t buy anywhere that has a connection with the local community. Those who suggested this mentioned some of the unique awards they have received in the past and to this day continue to cherish. A few examples were granite from a nearby mountain, a clam shell, ceramic horse, carving board with local scene, and miniature hippie VW bus.

Money / cash = 6 (4%).

I am sure you could guess that those who probably win races overall and regularly would almost always want a check if they had a choice! This reminds me of the beer commercial where the guy in a bar says to the girl, “Can I buy you a beer or would you rather have the money?” Ha! 

Race directors also have to consider the value of each award and sometimes make sure 1st place is a little better than 2nd place and that 2nd place is a little better than 3rd place, etc. And, do you allow winners to double or triple dip, that is, win more than one award?

If a race is able to secure merchandise or get gift certificates donated, then they most likely will go this route rather than spend lots of money out of the race budget to purchase awards, especially if it is a charity event hoping to maximize their fundraising. 

So, what does all this tell us? It tells us what we all already know—you can’t please all the people all the time. Race directors have to decide for their race what they believe is best. The best responses I received from this poll where from people who said, “I don’t care what they give out for awards or if they even have awards. I’m glad I am alive and healthy enough just to run in road races!” Now if everyone felt the same way, that would solve this race director conundrum once and for all.