In the last 12 year of running, I earned a lot of favorite medals. I could argue that all of them are favorites, but there are really a few that do stand out. Let’s take a look.
Florida Striders Memorial Day 5K (2013)
This was the first medal I ever earned in the first formal race I ever ran. There is something super special about a first, don’t you think? It’s certainly not the biggest or the shiniest, but it was the OG and I treasure it.
Space Coast Half Marathon (2013)
Speaking of firsts, let’s take it back to the 2013 Space Coast Half Marathon. I registered for this race before I even ran my first 5K, and completing 13.1 miles on purpose was such a huge victory for me i so many ways. It didn’t hurt that this medal was HUGE, and also part of a five race series, with two bonus medals for completing all of the offered events. I earned them all.
Walt Disney World Marathon (2015)
Somehow, someone talked me into turning 13.1 miles into 26.2. Ridiculous, but this medal means the world to me. I never believed I could accomplish something like this, and I’m not sure I want to ever do it again, but here we are. Did I choose the race for the medal? Not in this case, but I think it worked out well.
Ragnar Trail Alafia River (2016)
Somewhere along the way, I got the brilliant idea that I could run a trail ultra. While camping. Outside. What was I thinking? Well, in an absolute shock to me, I loved camping, did well at this event, and came away with one of my favorite medals of all times: it doubles as a functional multi tool. So cool!
Cottonmouth Quarter Marathon (2020)
Another useful medal, which pulls double duty as a bottle opener. The Cottonmouth Quarter Marathon was my first race back from the pandemic, AND my first race back from my broken leg. It wasn’t fast, and I was an absolute mess the whole time for many reasons, but this medal symbolizes a return in so many ways. It’s such a wonderful reminder of overcoming, and I love it for that.
Do you have a favorite medal? Tell me about it!
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It’s the stories behind the medals more than the medals themselves – this is a great collection!
Truth!
All my medals have stories. Obviously the half and full marathons mean the most. Plus up here we rarely get medals for other distances.
And there it is. The one good thing about Florida lol.
The medals for the Florida Striders Memorial Day 5K are cute! I’ve heard great things about the Space Coast Half Marathon but never ran it.
Honestly, it’s probably one of the best put on races I’ve done. Great swag, gorgeous medals, cool theme. The course is awesome. Crowd support is historically great (although I’m not sure how it’s been lately). EARLY start (6:30AM, which I love). Pancakes and diet coke and beer after the event. Cool challenges. I would do it again, but it always falls on Thanksgiving weekend, so that makes it challenging for the family.