What's with the all the people wearing Marathon medals for a week?

[bellrae]

I don't usually wear my medals for a lot of time, but that's only because I find the ribbon to be super uncomfortable. The edge feels sharp on my neck, and the Velcro closure is bulky on the back of my neck, but it looks lopsided if I adjust it to a lower position. Otherwise I'd be wearing that bling for days!

You asked about the shirts, jacket and hats. Those don't mean the same. Most of those items can be purchased by anyone willing to go to the expo. (Well, if they get there before the eBay sellers...). The actual race shirts are only for folks who register, but you could still decide to skip the race.

The medal is the one thing that you have to actually show up for. (And some mornings just getting to the race corral feels like an accomplishment- catching a 3:30 am bus to go stand out in the cold for a few hours is not a normal vacation activity.)

A lot of folks here sacrifice a lot of time to train, and many run hoping to achieve a certain pace. A year or more of training vs a week of wearing a medal? Why not?

Note: I was not offended by your question but I can see why others would be. I'm not really a runner, though, so my perspective is probably different. I hope one day to be trained enough to have a goal for this or that pace. So far my only 3 goals for my Disney races have been:
1. Don't get swept
2. Don't get injured
3. Have fun

(I've been meeting my goals )

You ran the race - that makes you a runner

 

[Dave Rolen]

You ran the race - that makes you a runner

Yup. The term runner is pretty easy to get for those willing to start and stick to it. Before you know it you'll be a marathoner! And then, in a bit of exuberance you'll sign up for that 50K and be an ultramarathoner and see that anyone with the will can do it.

Never say never.

 

[ohMom]

It's appreciated that's this post has been brought back around to civil conversation.....should it take a turn in a negative direction again please report it using the 'report' link and I'll be happy to come back and take a different course of action

 

[ANIM8R]

In addition to the medal, I think I'm going to start wearing my bib around the park next year!

But maybe not...if I wear my bib, people can search the bib number for my time and see how slow I am. OK. Just the medal.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

I know a Disney race is a lot of people's first ever half or full marathon. There's even more pride than usual involved. I know that when I finally manage to finish that first half-marathon I will wear that medal ALL WEEKEND PROUDLY.

 

[Vijoge]

In the extremely unlikely event that I ever run a marathon I will never, ever, take my medal off!

 

[jhorstma]

In the extremely unlikely event that I ever run a marathon I will never, ever, take my medal off!

Welcome to the slippery slope...

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The enormous effort and sacrifice that marathons require is something special. I have seen so many people start crying when crossing that finish line, each for their own reasons. I have been one of those people myself. I love seeing all of the people walking around WDW with their medals, pins and shirts.

My advice - if you want to understand why, participate. You might learn something about yourself. Join our community. We are happy to help.

 

[Ariel484]

The enormous effort and sacrifice that marathons require is something special. I have seen so many people start crying when crossing that finish line, each for their own reasons. I have been one of those people myself. I love seeing all of the people walking around WDW with their medals, pins and shirts.

My advice - if you want to understand why, participate. You might learn something about yourself. Join our community. We are happy to help.

Guilty! No shame.

 

[SunDial]

Guilty! No shame.

Same here too. Even thinking back on it and another special running events!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

if I wear my bib, people can search the bib number for my time and see how slow I am.

lol. I resemble that remark.

In the extremely unlikely event that I ever run a marathon I will never, ever, take my medal off!

Remember that rundisney starts at the 5k distance for adults.

I have seen so many people start crying when crossing that finish line

Shocked myself by tearing up as I crossed the line this morning! Wasn't a pr and I hurt with every step (I was on the way to being fully trained when I hurt my back and then my knee) but it was a faster run than I anticipated. So that was cool.

 

[Vijoge]

Remember that rundisney starts at the 5k distance for adults.

LOL I have hip and knee problems as well as pretty severe spinal stenosis. Right now, anything more than 5-10 minutes on my feet causes extreme pain. I think I'm safe from the evils of running and the ever-present concern over how long I should wear my medal. Now, if anyone wants to challenge my power chair, I'm good with that. Maybe like a 5k rolldisney??

 

[Disney_traveler]

LOL I have hip and knee problems as well as pretty severe spinal stenosis. Right now, anything more than 5-10 minutes on my feet causes extreme pain. I think I'm safe from the evils of running and the ever-present concern over how long I should wear my medal. Now, if anyone wants to challenge my power chair, I'm good with that. Maybe like a 5k rolldisney??

Omg! That's it! This is all purely in a joking manner on my part but wouldn't it be neat to open it up to maybe bikes, skateboards, wheelchairs, etc! Cmon surely they would like to accommodate and not discriminate against those mobile in other ways!

 

[camaker]

Omg! That's it! This is all purely in a joking manner on my part but wouldn't it be neat to open it up to maybe bikes, skateboards, wheelchairs, etc! Cmon surely they would like to accommodate and not discriminate against those mobile in other ways!

All joking aside, it really wouldn't be neat to do that from a safety standpoint. The courses already pack a very large number of runners into an area with narrow course portions. Adding the vehicles for the differently mobile to the course would be unsafe for all parties involved.

 

[jhorstma]

All joking aside, it really wouldn't be neat to do that from a safety standpoint. The courses already pack a very large number of runners into an area with narrow course portions. Adding the vehicles for the differently mobile to the course would be unsafe for all parties involved.

Maybe not during a RunDisney event (aside from the hand-cycles), but a BikeDisney event series would be awesome!

 

[Disney_traveler]

Maybe not during a RunDisney event (aside from the hand-cycles), but a BikeDisney event series would be awesome!

That's what a I meant @jhorstma . I guess it was just time to cue this thread's version of the "stroller/ECVs are a nuisance" argument.

 

[DOOM1001]

Yup. The term runner is pretty easy to get for those willing to start and stick to it. Before you know it you'll be a marathoner! And then, in a bit of exuberance you'll sign up for that 50K and be an ultramarathoner and see that anyone with the will can do it.

Never say never.

42.195 kilometers is enough for me,at least in one day!!I have 7 fulls and 20+ half's under my belt and I really want to continue increasing those numbers but I've never felt the urge to do any race over marathon distance,I know just how far it is and that's more than enough for me.As far as like a lifetime goal I would love to hit a combined 100 half's and fulls,75 half's 25 fulls,something like that!!

 

[VAfamily1998]

It certainly sounds judgmental. I'm confused as to how wearing the medals for the week is apparently unacceptable while wearing the shirts hats and jackets isn't. People are still on vacation at Disney and it's nice to get the congratulations from CMs and other guests that come with wearing the medals. I think they are enjoying the atmosphere and aftermath of a large accomplishment before heading home where the vast majority of people don't care what you just did and the medal becomes something that hangs on the wall (or lives in a drawer) at home.

I haven't seen this outside the Disney races, but I think it's a byproduct of the vacation destination race situation. Ultimately it's just an accessory that someone has chosen to wear on vacation. My question to you would be "why do you care?" It doesn't affect you in any way and apparently it's part of these folks' enjoyment of their accomplishment and vacation.

I don't know about several days after, but I have seen people wearing the medal the day after the event for other races. Specifically, at Ironman Mont Tremblant this past summer, people were wearing their medal the next day.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Disney is probably the only place where a non-Olympian race participant can do this. It's simply fun. It's a nice way to chat with others in the parks if you know you've had the shared experience.

I did the second to last tower of terror run, and had grown tired of wearing the medal. But we had a DHS day and I brought it to meet wreck it Ralph (who could not have cared less about the medal, which made me sad bc I never meet characters but thought it would be fun with him and vanellope given the medal story in their movie) and to wear on TOT. I put it on for those things. Forgot to take it off after tot and met someone else who had started to feel silly about his medal, and we buoyed each other up so much with shared experience that we vowed to leave them on the rest of our trips. Where else can you wear them???

This is something that has actually always worried me about wearing my medal in the parks after a race--and I specifically thought of it on TOT--did you hold it down or tuck it in to your shirt? I've been worried the medal would fly up, hit me in the mouth, and chip a tooth!

 

[camaker]

That's what a I meant @jhorstma . I guess it was just time to cue this thread's version of the "stroller/ECVs are a nuisance" argument.

That's not what I did at all. I simply stated that the idea you were proposing was a safety concern in the context of a race. In that situation those vehicles are not a nuisance, they are a danger to both their riders and other competitors. As for it not being "what you meant" you came to a RunDisney thread and said "it would be neat to open it up to" the alternate modes of transportation. That's a very clear implication that you are referring to the races.

Out of curiosity, have you participated in a RunDisney event as a runner? If so, I would like to hear how you would safely incorporate the vehicles into situations where conditions are so tight on course that runners back up and are slowed to a shoulder to shoulder walk.

Strollers and ECVs are necessary to facilitate mobility and access within the parks and property. I'm not making any statement as to their being a nuisance in that context.