Your Most Prized Running-Related Possession

That Eluid blanket is pretty cool. For me, it’s my collection of Millrose Games programs. I only have the ones from the past 5 years at the moment but I’m hoping it’ll be much larger someday in the future.

A personally autographed team Kenya Nike singlet signed by Kipchoge after he ran 2:01:39. Also an autographed picture from Peter Snell.

nikeman wrote:

A personally autographed team Kenya Nike singlet signed by Kipchoge after he ran 2:01:39.

Mind if I have it?

?

Many great memories of competing and spectating in the best venues in America alongside some of the best athletes in the history of the sport.

Helping kids gain confidence in themselves and positively impacting their lives for 33 years and counting.

Friendships with many people who share a passion for the sport from authors/historians to athletes/coaches, announcers, officials and fans i only see and converse with at big meets across the country. I have a shared moment picture with a variety of athletes including Calvin Smith, Jim Spivey, Billy Mills, Henry Rono, Steve Ovett to name a few that many would know.

Of course ticket stubs, meet programs etc...that maybe my kids will throw away after I'm gone....

But my top possession goes to the poem a mother gave me after her son graduated my 4th year of coaching.

Coach.....

You took a child who was afraid

and made him fear not.

You to a child who was weak

and taught him to be strong.

You took a child who lacked confidence

and showed him his self worth.

You took a child with no stamina

and taught him to endure.

You took a learning disabled child

and disabled his disability to learn.

You took a child who was no one

and made him a champion.

You saw in this child potential

and took it to its highest.

You took a child from the bottom

and showed him how to run to the top.

How can I ever thank you?

Mother's Signature.

Framed and prominently displayed to remind me of the "why" of coaching/working with young people.

I heard Coach McGuire at U of Missouri say "Win kids with track, not track with kids" at a clinic my first year as a coach. Nailed it!

Framed/signed poster by a well known artist from winning a half marathon

Some racing singlets from pro running groups I found cheap on eBay

Shirts from races in various foreign countries

My son had his bib number signed by Matt Centrowitz and Eric Jenkins at the 2016 5th Avenue Mile.

This was just a couple weeks after Centrowitz had won the Olympic 1500m.

Hardloper wrote:

Framed/signed poster by a well known artist from winning a half marathon

Some racing singlets from pro running groups I found cheap on eBay

Shirts from races in various foreign countries

Why wouldn't you just say who it is? Is is a bit embarrassing?

Grew up in the Pittsburgh area and raced the John Woodruff 5K numerous times. In those days Woodruff used to start the race and give out the awards. I placed in my age group a few times and before I went up to get my award, my father handed me a scrap of paper and a pen from his pocket to get Woodruff's autograph. I was young and almost too embarrassed to ask for it but I did and he was more than happy to sign it. I have had it framed on my wall for about 35 years.

Have met and gotten autographs from a few other runners, like Bill Rodgers, Emma Coburn, and both John Kelleys of Boston fame.

I still have the race T-shirt from my very first race in 1986 and the race number from the first road race I won overall. But those wouldn't mean a thing to anyone but me.

bambam wrote:

Hardloper wrote:

Framed/signed poster by a well known artist from winning a half marathon

Some racing singlets from pro running groups I found cheap on eBay

Shirts from races in various foreign countries

Why wouldn't you just say who it is? Is is a bit embarrassing?

Most of the Cretans on this board would have no idea who he was referring to had he used the proper name. It’d be a waste.

That said, the right spiked shoe of Hägg after breaking the mile WR in September of 1942. It is signed, but continues to fade. My grandfather was a teammate at one time (Kälarne), and he passed it to me prior to his death.

Oh man. Tough choices as I have so much crap from over the years. I guess that the one that means the most to me is a coaches pass from Milrose in 1996 signed by Bubka.

Got to MSG early and had the chance to get out on the track during warmups. Bubka had just come out and was getting spiked up when we made eye contact. I made the "will you sign this please" hand motion. He waved me over and signed my pass and shook my hand. Dude had the biggest paws!

Bubka jumped like 19' from a short approach (the track was so small that his normal approach wouldn't fit in the infield) that night.

34 years of running logs

The laurel wreath from Spartathlon.

Nothing else comes even close it it.

I couldn't care less about medals and trophies but this delicate thing has been always on my walls since 92.

Alphaflys

Beautiful poem, thank you for sharing

A medal from a certain event.

malmo wrote:

https://imgur.com/a/820o2fY

Very cool. I just bought a house that’s a 5 minute jog from Drake Stadium, and I have dreams of acquiring some signed mementos from future Championships. Hard to beat that, though.

svenska wrote:

Most of the Cretans on this board would have no idea who he was referring to had he used the proper name. It’d be a waste.

That said, the right spiked shoe of Hägg after breaking the mile WR in September of 1942. It is signed, but continues to fade. My grandfather was a teammate at one time (Kälarne), and he passed it to me prior to his death.

A cretin is a stupid person—a Cretan is a person from the Greek island of Crete.

With that out of the way, what an incredible keepsake to have.

John Wesley Harding wrote:

I’ve recently been lamenting losing my autographed (first edition? I believe so) copy of Peter Snell’s autobiography “No Bugles, No Drums” due to carelessness at some point over the years.

How about you? Let’s hear it.

I have a copy of Watership Down with "Snell" written on the inside cover. I bought it from a garage sale his daughter was having for 10 cents. She said it was her dads book. I like to pretend it is an autograph, as opposed to just his name so if he lent it out, it would return to him.

That is my most prized possession.