Medals at events

[MG22]

What happened to proper medals (zinc, metal) etc. I notice that over the last few events that I participated in we received PASTIC medals. Really horrible tasteless pieces of plastic as medals. This is quite disappointing when you pay R200 to enter and then get such a shitty piece of pollution. It would be better not to issue any medals!!

It is not my main motivation for participation but it is just disappointing to be handed such cheap plastic at the end of a race. 

For example : today’s Winter Fast One plastic medal

Am I alone in this opinion? Maybe there is a good reason for the move to plastic medals?

[Furbz]

This thread is useless without pictures

[Thomo]

28 minutes ago, MG22 said:

... you pay R200 to enter ...

Bargain.! ☝️

I appreciate medals at the "weekend warrior monuments" ... CTCT, 94.7 etc but generally not too fussed whether we get or not.

Would also be nice if they served some additional purpose like a bottle opener or something. ????‍♂️

[love2fly]

I've long wished that instead of medals organizers donate to value to get kids cycling or some form of excercise and nutrition etc....I have so many medals accumulated over the last 22 years it's nuts...

[RocknRolla]

Winter? 
which hemisphere are you posting from?

[love2fly]

Just now, Thomo said:

Bargain.! ☝️

I appreciate medals at the "weekend warrior monuments" ... CTCT, 94.7 etc but generally not too fussed whether we get or not.

Would also be nice if they served some additional purpose like a bottle opener or something. ????‍♂️

Or as a  asserted lockring tool which I need to go and buy....  ???? 

 

[ACE Cycles]

21 minutes ago, love2fly said:

I've long wished that instead of medals organizers donate to value to get kids cycling or some form of excercise and nutrition etc....I have so many medals accumulated over the last 22 years it's nuts...

You can donate them

https://www.goodthingsguy.com/people/chemo-medals-sa/

[Jbr]

43 minutes ago, Furbz said:

This thread is useless without pictures

Even with pictures ????

[Nico van Loggerenberg]

The Portlandia skit "Instant Trash" comes to mind. I don't need more kaggelkakkies lying around, I know I finished, that's what strava is for. 

[NotSoBigBen]

1 hour ago, RocknRolla said:

Winter? 
which hemisphere are you posting from?

It was supposed to be in 'winter' but had been postponed a few times due to the 'rona ... 

[robbybzgo]

Even the alternate to medals like the Gears for Ears bottle cap remover or the Route 622 copper bracelet (nice design) goes unused. 

Someone needs to come up with a rad idea...

[Me rida my bicycle]

R200 for a entry is cheap (unless it's for a 5km race ????)

Events prices as with everything else these days have skyrocketed. 

I like to ride events that have unique/special trails something that you just can't go and ride (like Piket-bo-berg) 

So I like to have something to remember that by. I have a little display in the bike/gym room and it's lekker to look at thinking of how fun it was or how close to dying I felt ????

[TheoG]

12 hours ago, MG22 said:

What happened to proper medals (zinc, metal) etc. I notice that over the last few events that I participated in we received PASTIC medals. Really horrible tasteless pieces of plastic as medals. This is quite disappointing when you pay R200 to enter and then get such a shitty piece of pollution. It would be better not to issue any medals!!

It is not my main motivation for participation but it is just disappointing to be handed such cheap plastic at the end of a race. 

For example : today’s Winter Fast One plastic medal

Am I alone in this opinion? Maybe there is a good reason for the move to plastic medals?

I still have a big box full of medals from my younger years (mostly metal ones), have no idea what to do with them.  imho, any kind of a medal for the entire field is a waste of money that could have been put to much better use elsewhere.

Not sure what the alternative is though, water bottles/T-shirts etc, piles up very quickly and also becomes a waste.   Maybe rather use the money to make sure the event is "perfect" and well stocked water points and a free drink at the finish line.

[JA-Q001]

A participation medal is such a waste. Its nice for one day and then gets tossed into a bin. If I had to hang all my medals a wall would collapse.

When I was younger there used to be someone at the finish that would engrave your finish time and position onto the medal for a small fee, at least then you had recollection of what was achieved at that event.

I would rather say, people that want a "memento" or "participation award" should buy one at entry, for an additional fee. This can be something where the use a small frame, styled for the event and in it is a finish photo stating also finish time, distance and placing for the event. This then gets mailed to all finishers that paid for it.

 

If you did not finish, send them what was your bad luck with a photo of that, at least then you also get a reminder.

[Paul Ruinaard]

Why do we need medals. After your first or second participation what do you do with the medals? I eventually had a bag of them that i took to cyclelab. Especially in this day and age when we reducing costs be done with medals other than for kids races. You can do so much more and if you want you can print out certificates etc. This is so last year and so wasteful.

Same with goodie bags, expos etc. All are paid for by you in advance in the fees so you think you are getting a lekker goodie bag but all they are doing is turning your entry fees in to cheap tacky samples. Whats the point.

You can easily do it all by chips and or number boards like MTB. No expos, no queues, fees reduced.

Its a racket to drive people to retail and to keep prices inflated.

[Paul Ruinaard]

13 minutes ago, TheoG said:

I still have a big box full of medals from my younger years (mostly metal ones), have no idea what to do with them.  imho, any kind of a medal for the entire field is a waste of money that could have been put to much better use elsewhere.

Not sure what the alternative is though, water bottles/T-shirts etc, piles up very quickly and also becomes a waste.   Maybe rather use the money to make sure the event is "perfect" and well stocked water points and a free drink at the finish line.

you can take them to Cyclelab and they give them to the hospitals who give them to kids having chemo - at least thats what i did with my bag.