You all have some great bling!
Last week I shared my special medals with you and learned about your favorite awards! Several of you shared some pics and stories with me as well. Thank you! Here’s our community album;
KYLE
My favorite (thus far) is my first. I ran the St. Jude Half Marathon in 2011. It was a goal to complete a half before turning 30 – and beat it by a few days – and a milestone after fighting to lose weight.
Kyle blogs as Running Large
JENN
Here’s me wearing my favorite medal. It’s from the 2013 Florida Striders Memorial Day 5K in Orange Park, FL.
It’s really nothing amazing, medal-wise, but this was my first medal for my first 5K, and so it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Jenn blogs as Runs with Pugs
LISA
This is a picture of my husband and I at the Marine Corps Marathon 2012. This was his first marathon and my third. I love this one because well, 1) it’s just awesome! 2) we ran for an awesome charity – Team Fisher House and 3) I got to run with my husband for 26.2 miles and we never get to run together.
HEATHER G.
All my medals are from rowing. I think Vic and I have a few that we earned together. Similar theme to everyone else – it was my first. Also, the ONLY medal I got in college. Four years of HARD work rowing Division 1 and that medal (and a watch) are all I have to show for it! (Don’t worry; I’ve won a bunch since this one, all in rowing.)
The medal is from the Atlantic 10 conference championships in collegiate women’s rowing. On the back it says:
Rowing
Quad
2nd Place
2000
I’ve only recently started running and have yet to get a medal for it, but I’m working on it.
KARIEN
It is from the Nike We Run Jozi 10K race in 2012 – a race that took us through the township of Alexandra – one of the poorest townships in South Africa. I initially entered this race just to be a part of the experience ( it formed part of a series of races held simultaneously in 34 cities and 17 countries, with a total of 400 000 runners taking part), but I got so much more out of it. It touched my heart.
We ran past shanties and shacks, with the poorest of the poor lining the streets and cheering us on with all they had. Old ladies were dressed in their Sunday best for the occasion; little kids dressed in threads shrieked with delight as runners high-five’d them; and grey-haired old grandpa’s shook their heads at the passing spectacle. This the medal reminds me to count my blessings and celebrate life!
Karien blogs at Running the Race.
SUZAN
My first one, Suzan said of the September 2011 Jailbreak 5K race. I had no idea how good that thing would feel. I had only been running a few months and from that moment on, I was hooked.
HEATHER B.
It was July 11, 2010 it was at Angels Stadium, The Big A in Anaheim it was called the MLB All-Star Game 5k.
I’m a life long Angels fan so getting to run through the stadium was awesome. The atmosphere was fun, I mentioned to a fellow runner that it was my first run, she told her friends and they were all super excited for me. AND my bestie drove up from San Diego to cheer me on.
Heather blogs at Heather in the Middle
MER
I’ll admit, one of the first things I look at when planning to do a race is whether it has a medal. No shame at all, that’s how I roll (not that a lack of medal dissuades me).
One of my favorites is from Philadelphia’s Broad Street 10-miler in 2013. I heard about this race when I was new to running and it was the first ever that I placed on my bucket list. There were many emotions as I ran that day and it easily ranked as one of my favorite races that I’ve done thus far.
Mer blogs at Scoot and you can find her on twitter too!
ME
Look at my shiny new medal! Just kidding. This gold medal from the 2012 summer Olympics in London belongs to Jenn Suhr, who lives just outside Rochester, NY, and last fall came to visit the paper I work for to speak about her Olympic experience and thank us for our coverage. She graciously allowed reporters and editors to hold and pose with her medal. It’s really heavy, by the way.
Oh, and she congratulated me on running Chicago Marathon 2 days prior, telling me how incredible she thought that was. Did I mention Jenn Suhr is pretty darn awesome?
(Side note. I really look short in this pic. I’m not. Jenn is incredibly tall and lean!)
Have you ever run a race just for the medal? Did you ever dream of going to the Olympics, like Jenn? What sport was your dream sport? (me? Swimming!) Tell us in the comments.