I think we all know that medals are my love language, so it’s no surprise I can document my running year in bling. It wasn’t quite as prolific of a year as I planned, but it wasn’t bad, either. Next year will bring more races and more medals! I can’t wait!
January
We started the year with a freezing cold Resolution Run. This was a great medal to kick things off, and I remember really enjoying this event. It’s also probably one of the coldest races I’ve ever done, with morning temps in the high 30s. Brrr.
February
Next up was the Ortega River Run, a first for me. I loved this event, even though I thought it was a 5K, and it turned out to be a 5 mile race. Oops. Again, there was some pretty lovely weather, and fantastic river views. Two thumbs up.
March
March is a huge month for races, with the Gate River Run 15K, as well as some other local events. I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to run the Gate, but then I did. It’s just how I roll.
I followed these rainy 9.3 miles, with a 3K at the Alligator Farm. This is such a fun family event, and I love to do it when I can.
April
Moving right along. I ran the Mission Possible 5K in Flagler Beach. Medals were only for age group winners, which I was not, but they were pretty all the same.
May
Things turned around in May, when I ran the DONNA Mother’s Day 5K, yet another new to me event. I loved all the pink and the great riverfront course.
And I wrapped the month with an old favorite, the Florida Striders Memorial Day 5K. This is the one little event I try to run every year.
June
I doubled up in June, starting with the Run For The Pies. This is a race I typically don’t love, and the fact that this started with an epic lightning storm did not help the cause.
I made up for it with the Inaugural SUP Bridge the Gap 5K, which went back and forth over the new Shared Use Path in Jacksonville. Again, we had some rain, but I made it work.
July
I tossed in a little patriotic action with the annual Celebration Run. This one is always brutally hot and ugly, and this was no exception. J and I pushed it as hard as we dared, but we were spent at the finish line. Every year, I know what this race will give, and every year, I go in anyway. Sigh.
August
Nothing doing here.
September
Another miss.
October
We are back at it, with the Pink Up The Pace 5k. This race moved from downtown St. Augustine to St. Augustine Beach, which I appreciated. Oceanfront views are usually superior to everything else.
November
I had two races in November, and both were out of state. The first was the Casa Superhero Run 5K in Montgomery, Alabama, where I scored this cool bling.
The second with the Turkey Day Run 5K in Charleston. No bling for this one, but that seems the norm for turkey trots, so I’ll give it a pass.
December
So far, no bling in December, and I’m really debating if I want to change that.
What’s your favorite piece of bling for the year? How many races did you run?
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I love how you feature your medals in all your races! I should start doing that too!
You did a lot of races and it always looks so much fun.
Which one is the medal that you treasure most?
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Of all time? Maybe my Ragnar trail race medal. That was a trail relay with camping (my first time), and that was a big deal. Second most favorite was the Space Coast Half – it was my first half marathon, and it was epic.
We don’t get medals for most 5K’s here, unless they’re AG awards, or it’s a BIG “national” event (with a local venue). Not a deal-breaker. Great job getting all those races, especially the out-of-state ones!
Not a deal-breaker here either, but I will opt for a medal vs. not, if it comes down to it. It’s just the way the races do things down here.
What a great year… you got a medal almost every month. Here we usually only get medals for long races or awards.
I ran 16 races – sounds like a lot but not for me LOL
But it’s quality not quantity.
My hardest race was the marathon and although it went miserably, it is the medal I treasure the most.
Yes it’s very different with medals down here. Very few events DON’T offer them.
I bet you do treasure that medal, even though it was so difficult. I would, too.
Wow, Jenn, you ran a lot of races in 2023, congrats! I only ran one and they didn’t give out medals, even for age group winners. Instead, they made a donation in our honor to a local charity which i think is awesome. I did get a participation medal at the Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder which kind of surprised me because most bike events don’t usually give out medals.
oh, wow! I haven’t heard of a medal at a bike event like that! That’s kind of fun!
Great job! Those are all fun medals. Honestly, I am not a big fan of them and have given most of them away.
I will probably donate them at some point, but I wouldn’t even know where. I have a lot of 5K medals, and I know the main companies only want 1/2 marathon or higher.
I always love the “Year in Bling” posts because I get to see so many unique medals. I love the Run for Pies medal – so cute!