Swag
When I was diagnosed as a type II diabetic back in the early 2000s, I started exercising on a regular basis, doing mostly the elliptical machine until I lost enough weight to use the treadmill without killing myself. In 2004 I signed up for my first 5K, the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot around the Sprint campus and Black & Veatch.
(It was largely a disaster, partly because I hadn't done enough time on the treadmill yet so my legs weren't in shape, and also because KC had gotten four inches of snow that week and there was black ice on the roads. Good times.)
Nevertheless, I continued to sign up for a handful of races every year to keep my motivation up to go to the gym.
In May 2011, I signed up for the Heritage Park triathlon and got my first finishers medal. That was much better than getting a t-shirt. So I started looking for races that gave out finisher medals. In 2012, I received a medal stand as a birthday gift that had the ability to hold 12 medals.
(I've participated in a couple of races that didn't have finisher medals, namely the annual 4 mile Trolley Run in April 2013 and the Head for the Cure 5K in August 2013, so it's not like I'm in it completely for the swag.)
With today's Diabetes Dash for Life 5K, I now have 11 of the 12 filled.
Just for fun, here's the total, starting at the top and going clockwise --
1. Stars & Stripes 5K, Lee's Summit, MO, July 2013
2. Heritage Park Triathlon, Olathe, KS, May 2011
3. Olathe Medical Center 5K, Olathe, KS, August 2013
4. Plaza 10K, KCMO, September 2013
5. Glow Run 5K, KCMO, July 2012
6. Hospital Hill 5K, KCMO, June 2012
7. MLB All-Star Game 5K, KCMO, July 2012
8. Diabetes Dash 5K, Leawood, KS, September 2013
9. Plaza 10K, KCMO, September 2012
10. Mustache Dash 5K, October 2012
11. KC Chiefs 5K, May 2013
Not bad for a fat guy.
(It was largely a disaster, partly because I hadn't done enough time on the treadmill yet so my legs weren't in shape, and also because KC had gotten four inches of snow that week and there was black ice on the roads. Good times.)
Nevertheless, I continued to sign up for a handful of races every year to keep my motivation up to go to the gym.
In May 2011, I signed up for the Heritage Park triathlon and got my first finishers medal. That was much better than getting a t-shirt. So I started looking for races that gave out finisher medals. In 2012, I received a medal stand as a birthday gift that had the ability to hold 12 medals.
(I've participated in a couple of races that didn't have finisher medals, namely the annual 4 mile Trolley Run in April 2013 and the Head for the Cure 5K in August 2013, so it's not like I'm in it completely for the swag.)
With today's Diabetes Dash for Life 5K, I now have 11 of the 12 filled.
Just for fun, here's the total, starting at the top and going clockwise --
1. Stars & Stripes 5K, Lee's Summit, MO, July 2013
2. Heritage Park Triathlon, Olathe, KS, May 2011
3. Olathe Medical Center 5K, Olathe, KS, August 2013
4. Plaza 10K, KCMO, September 2013
5. Glow Run 5K, KCMO, July 2012
6. Hospital Hill 5K, KCMO, June 2012
7. MLB All-Star Game 5K, KCMO, July 2012
8. Diabetes Dash 5K, Leawood, KS, September 2013
9. Plaza 10K, KCMO, September 2012
10. Mustache Dash 5K, October 2012
11. KC Chiefs 5K, May 2013
Not bad for a fat guy.