Sports

I have almost retired from being a race director but still act as a consultant to organizations that want to put on a fund raising event and want some direction. One of the questions that groups ask about putting on a race is what age groups should they include and what type of an award for the winners in these age groups. Looking back at some of the awards I gave to runners and some of the awards I received when I ran in races it seems the difference is how many of the awards are still around. Early races were mostly a wooden or tin column of various height with a figure on top. The figures were of a runner or a victory woman standing with her arms above her head. Occasionally the race came up with a unique figure that represented the name of the race. I had some that were horses, longhorns, and half-moon figures if the race was in the evening. There were races that gave out various sized medals that you could hang around your neck. The medals ranged from a nice 4 inch diameter with a design logo on it to a small 2 inch medal that had the standard runner logo on it. I was never one to have a trophy shelf for the various awards so different locations in the house were temporary spots for them. With house renovations and moving furniture the trophies have been lost.