Worst prize you have won at a race

I would always be just oustide the prizes (all in local competitions!) 6th place, prizes for 5 etc.

After steadily training for 10 years and never winning a single race, I managed to eventually finish first in a small fell race organised by the local fire brigade. As I crossed the line with a crowd of one (the time keeper wisely keeping out of the heavy rain & still in his car) I thought now for my prize!

A badge with the fire service logo on it, same for all finishers! Still it accurately summed up my level

I have run multiple races in which I won Christmas ornaments. Perhaps I should run more summer races.

I once won a Nike "shoe bag"...a black nylon bag with a drawstring that you put your shoes in. I've never used it.

caveman: a hollowed out small bowel

Indeed, that's a mighty odd prize.

I won the M40-49 Division in a 5K and was awarded a Twister game. That struck me as a little bizarre.

Amway energy drink.

Flagpole wrote:

I once won a Nike "shoe bag"...a black nylon bag with a drawstring that you put your shoes in. I've never used it.

Just give it to one of your kids for their spikes, they may need it.

I got a Los Lobos vinyl LP back in the 80's one summer. Stuck it in the car and then hung out a bit longer after the race. Took it out of the sleeve when I got home and the car had gotten hot enough to warp the record.

Tried to listen to "Don't Worry Baby". It was pretty garbled but somewhat amusing.

Coincidentally I ran a different road race 3 years (87 or 88) later and won a full sized single disc CD player then purchased a receiver to go with it. Then bought my first CD.

I've gotten a popsicle stick several times.

I think the last thing I won at a race was this nice stuffed tiger (ZooRun at Pt. Defiance Zoo in Tacoma). Some friends came out to watch and they brought their baby, so I gave the tiger to the kid to play with (I intended on giving it to him to keep anyway). Within five seconds the kid barfs all over it, a huge eruption of green peas - straight out of the Exorcist. "Looks like he just won himself a tiger." Poor mom was horrified.

A random polo shirt at a local 5K. One of the sponsors was a company that embroiders uniforms for businesses and sports teams so for awards they just cleaned out their excess inventory. I got a black polo with some company's logo on it. This would not have been too bad except the shirt was a size XL and too big to wear under a sweatshirt.

A shower head from a local plumbing supply store. Still have it, but never used it.

Won a box of papaya at a 5k one time... delicious, but i guess that's what you get since papaya is a big crop in HI.

I once won a golden artichoke for winning the Pescadero Artichoke Festival half marathon...it was a dried artichoke sprayed gold. I also won the birj Dubai of trophies at the Statuto 8K...what do you do with a 3 foot tall plastic trophy adorned with little plastic runners, fake marble columns and laurel wreaths? I also think I ran that Norweijan festival race mentioned earlier, except when I ran it, I picked up a $250 gift certificate to Nike Town for 2nd place.

The all time worst prize was a plaque with a picture of the race director on it.....thank you Hood to Coast.

Anatomy and Grammer wrote:

caveman: a hollowed out small bowel

Indeed, that's a mighty odd prize.

Beats winning the large intestine.

snowed in, what race was that? I go to Allegheny College and was looking into some races at Titusville in the spring...

10 free rounds of golf was a nice prize, but i don't golf. so, i gave it away.

traveled to a thanksgiving race and won movie passes, but i was leaving after the race, so i gave those away, too.

also won a gift certificate to a sporting goods store, but once again didn't live nearby so gave it away.

best prizes were $35 cash and a $50 gift certificate at the same race. one was for overall and the other was for age group. i didn't protest about the double-dip.

Team won the 1977 AAU XC Championships in Bloomington. Plaque was a piece of stone from the local limestone quarry in the shape of Indiana with a metal engraved piece of steel on top of it. Probably made by some bicycle racers's dad in "Breaking Away!"