Medal, Medals and MORE MEDALS!
>> Thursday, June 18, 2009
Irony but it’s true. Runners go for medals and I have lots of them. Each time when I received a medal, the feeling is “ I deserved it”. I believed this is what other runners felt.
In any track and field events, only the best 3 gets a medal.
In marathon races, the story is different. It is a race of the masses. Everybody feels that they are capable and strong. They are racing not with each other but rather themselves. That is why organizers now gave finisher medals to every runners to honour their effort.
10 years back, there’s no such thing as finisher medals. You really have to fight to win it. Races like Penang Bridge Run offers up to 500 medals. PJ Half – 300 medals. These two organisers were known to be the most generous during that time. The rest mostly offers 100 medals or less depending on the category. So, to win a medal during that time is really, really, really motivating.
There’s one race, if I am not mistaken at Port Dickson where runners struggled to grab medals from the organizers. It was chaotic. This happens when the organizer did not hand the medal immediately to runners when they came in. After awhile, everyone seems to be claiming that they are the rightful one. When the organizers finally brought a bag of medals out, guess what? I believe you could visualise. See how valuable MEDALS is to runners.
There are also cases whereby medal was obtained the unrightful way. As for me, I would never do that. I have to earn it. Only once I got a 3rd. placing medal not through my effort but from a top runner friend from Subang. I did not ask for it. Out of the blue, he just hand it to me. I said no but looking at his sincere gesture, I accepted it finally.
To my friend Yasan, I salute you. Maybe you might have forgotten, but I still remembered, and always will! That is one great motivation to me.
How I wish I could emulate your generosity, but who would want my no placing medals?
HAPPY RUNNING !
