Do you still remember the rush of finishing your first race? I do. It was the Globe Run for Home in 2009 and I had just done my first ever 10-kilometer run outdoors. I crossed the line and was handed a finisher certificate, which was soon wrinkled, dripping with my sweat, and promptly lost in my bag. All I had as souvenirs from that race were the bib number, race singlet, and the selfies I took.
Fast-forward six years later and I have raced so much I’ve lost count of the bibs, singlets, and finisher medals and shirts I’ve received. With every clean-up of my wardrobe I’ve given away a few singlets and finisher shirts, keeping only those that have plenty of significance for me. But what else can you do with these trinkets other than keep them inside your cabinets and shelves? What then makes them different from just clutter and junk?
One enterprising runner contacted me many months ago to tell me about the laser-cut medal hangers he designs. Fit Feet’s Feats by Joric Gonzales is only one of a number of suppliers in the country who have come up with novel ways to keep and display medals.
I asked for a custom design, and this is what I received by express mail just two weeks later:
The kit comes with screws, spacers, and everything you need to fix the hanger to the wall of your choice. Since my family has plans of moving house, I attached the hanger to my shelf with 3M adhesive tape which can hold up to 3kg of weight.
just a selection of my favorite medals
I quickly realized I didn’t have enough space on the hanger for all my finisher medals, so I had to choose which ones to have out. Maybe when I have more wall space I can order more hangers. For more info, check out Fit Feet’s Feats Facebook page.
other designs by Fit Feet’s Feats
I’ve also got two clearbooks full of race bibs, which will eventually become wallpaper for my new room. SWIMBIKERUN.ph admin Carlos de Guzman has already put his triathlon race bibs up on his office wall:
Ultramarathoner Jael Wenceslao has been all over the world racing and has amassed a collection of finisher shirts. Unlike me who threw away most of mine, he instead sent his to a seamstress who turned them into a beautiful quilt:
Not only were the shirts sewn together, but they were definitely quilted, with stitching that follows the shirts’ design. This also makes the quilt quite durable and washable. Awesome! I got contact details from Jael if anyone’s interested in turning finisher shirts into quilts. Contact Ms. Edna Rosas at +639178465272.
I now kind of regret throwing away a majority of my finisher shirts, and am thankful that I’ve hung onto the medals and bibs. They are the tangible reminder that we have challenged ourselves and tested our mind and body’s limits and came out alive on the other side. They thus are worth much more to us than what they cost to produce. Don’t leave them moldering in a box.
How about you? What do you do with your finisher gear?
Great collection of hard work
Really really cool
whoa!! ganda!
Nice! Mine hangs in the living room shelf.
In the box .. It was hard fought
Keeping it and share with my future kids to inspire them to be fit and active as early as possible
The quilt idea is very nice! π
Yes! But now I have to collect more finisher shirts. Or maybe when I wear out my favorite finisher shirts that I wear after workouts, I’ll have them turned into quilts.
You can take pics or scan your bib and then stitch all the bibs (photoshop) into one poster. Place a white border so u can write something at the bottom Ie. 2015 RACES
That means the originals are still sitting in a box somewhere gathering dust. Let’s try to minimize useless clutter and turn these things into art or decoration.
Karl Kevin Regala para sa mga finisher medals o
Hi, san po makakabili nung medal hangers?