What is the worst prize you have ever won at a race?

I won a turkey. A living, breathing turkey, at the Turkey Trot. Gobble! Gobble!

I would finish 6th and they had prizes to 5, 4th and on top 3

Finally I won a small fell race organised by the local fire service. Everyone got some fire station badge as a medal including me and that was it.

I once won 4 tickets to a NHL playoff game. Only catch was that it was for the second round (if they made it). I watched in horror as my team lost the first round series on an overtime goal. What I thought was going to be an awesome age group prize turned out to be a week of anxiety followed by heartache and disappointment. I keep the unused, invalid tickets as a reminder that sometimes even when you win, you don't really win.

I got an apple pie. The pie wasn't the bad part, the bad part was that all the age group winners got a certificate and an apple pie while I, the overall winner, just got a pie.

Got 2nd at a local 5k. They were giving away bottles of wine as age group awards, but seemingly at random. As they announced the awards from high age group (60+) to low, I saw that there was going to be plenty of wine left, and started getting excited. Finally it was my turn. I got ready to accept my wine (consolation for a really bad race) and what did they hand me? A frickin deck of cards.

The other top winners got similar screwed, however. Overall female got a subway gift card for $10 that had been used partly already. Overall male got a coupon for a local restaurant. Never going back to that race.

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

Finished in 2nd place overall. Got a set of steak knives. You will NEVER guess what 1st place got....

A set of steak forks?

I don't really care to much about prizes but it is funny what you get sometimes...

-First time I won a race overall the prize was a citronella candle.

-Did a relatively low-key 5k a few years ago that was being held to raise money for research for an obscure illness. Was on pace to smash my PR but the course ended up being .10 short, so I got duped out of a legitimate new PR (but got a ridiculously fast fake one). At the award ceremony after the race they handed me an envelope which I didn't think about opening until a girl who I was chatting up asked me what was inside. Open the envelope and inside is 3-4 crisp new $100 bills. Immediately felt guilty and handed the cash back to the organizer as a donation.

-Won a gift certificate to an out-of-business restaurant at a 5k.

-Won a frozen turkey at a Thanksgiving 10 miler, which would normally be a decent prize but I'm a vegetarian. Family members couldn't stop laughing when they called me up to take the turkey and made me stand there for a minute holding the turkey up for photos.

-$5 gift card for winning a 20 miler that cost 50 or 60 bucks to enter.

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

Finished in 2nd place overall. Got a set of steak knives. You will NEVER guess what 1st place got....

I'll guess wrote:

A set of steak forks?

Close. Steak spoons.

I won a 6K and got a jar of hard candies, and they were weirdly spiced and pretty much revolting. I didn't even talk them home.

Gift certificate to Fleet Feet.

Seems Like a Lot wrote:

I won a 6K and got a jar of hard candies, and they were weirdly spiced and pretty much revolting. I didn't even talk them home.

That must have been a long ride home for the both of you, with you giving the candy the silent treatment and all....

1982 in Maine, 7.5 mile race. Second overall. I got a pair of women's running shorts. I'm a guy.

Not so bad, but amusing: 1973, 8 mile race. My friend won the race. Got a power lawn mower. He had driven up about 80 miles to race in his volkwagen bug. He lashed that thing to the car and headed home. (He was 7th man on a DI XC winning team one year.)

I get the same damn participation medal as people walking 5K in an hour. Worst prize ever!

I once won a flimsy piece of cloth for coming 1st in an inter schools 800m.

I won a golf tournament once and got a used right-handed 6-iron. I am left handed

Not worst but 2nd in age group and won a lb of pork chops. 3rd place won a pound of bologna. My teammate and I drove 1.5 hours to the race so I tried to trade 3rd place for the bologna so we could make sandwiches for the ride home. He wouldn't trade though.

Won a small race the first two years It was held. The third year I won again but was surprised to get a $50 gift certificate to a running store. The store was 2 hours from where I lived and 45 minutes from the race so I waited until I was going to run a race near the store to use it. That was about 4 months later. Happened to look at the gift certificate as I was getting ready to leave and it had expired after 90 days.

I got a box of tampons once.

I'm a guy :(

the first race i won was an autumn themed one not local to where i was living at the time. i won a big trophy and a pumpkin, and i took a train to get back home and then had a 2.5mi trip between train and apartment. i was a student and i was too cheap to take the subway for just 2.5 miles so i walked back.... heaviest pumpkin ever. ugh.

i did a trail race last year whose 1st place prize was a rubber chicken. i got like 3rd, so luckily i didn't have to worry about winning it and then chucking it in the trash...

Won several races where nothing was given. Even once won a 10k (semi competitive) in around 32:00 - they said the'd send $50 and ended up getting nothing.