Ever toss your race shirt straight into the charity bin?

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davemunger
davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
My drawers are overflowing with race shirts -- some technical, some cotton. I like to keep the nice ones but lately I've had a string of duds. Even when I do well in a race I don't want to wear a crappy cotton shirt just because the race name is on it. So lately I have just been throwing them straight into the bin we use to collect clothing we are planning to give to charity.

Somehow it seems wrong, though. Anyone else do this? Any other ideas for what to do with unwanted race shirts?
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  • KateRunsColorado
    KateRunsColorado Posts: 407 Member
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    Once I get enough, I want to make a quilt out of all my race shirts!
  • RunFarLiveHappy
    RunFarLiveHappy Posts: 805 Member
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    No judgement but aughhhh this makes me sad lol. I'm not very fast and have only been running competitively for 13 months but I cannot imagine not keeping every single race momento! I wear the cotton ones (kind of rare for me) when I'm running errands, cleaning, lounging and the tech ones when I'm training. Maybe find someone that quilts? That would be AMAZING to have a quilt made of all your races!
  • RunFarLiveHappy
    RunFarLiveHappy Posts: 805 Member
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    Dang it kavery has faster thumbs and isn't as long winded as me. Lol.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    No judgement but aughhhh this makes me sad lol. I'm not very fast and have only been running competitively for 13 months but I cannot imagine not keeping every single race momento!

    I was just like you a few years ago, but then I just started getting so many! Then I started replacing the old ones with newer ones and now I kind of regret not saving some of the older shirts. So now I'm trying to be picky and only getting rid of shirts that aren't as nice. I do keep all of my marathon shirts, though!
  • DavidMartinez2
    DavidMartinez2 Posts: 840 Member
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    Tech shirts I keep, cotton go to my kids to wear as jammers. If they don't have something that will meet those requirements I'll just not take the shirt.

    Different subject but I am really starting to like races that do things other than shirts. My last half gave out some pretty nice hats and a glass; if you do their whole series you get a matching growler.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    I absolutely charity bin some of mine. Not all of my shirts actually fit me - I'm small, so the sizing is sometimes off. I totally want someone else who needs but maybe can't afford a nicer tech shirt to be able to run in one.

    It's no big deal to me, I have the memories I need. Now what I feel guilty about is getting rid of medals, but I was thinking of sending them to that charity that gives them to kids. I could definitely live with that.
  • pobalita
    pobalita Posts: 741 Member
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    I have just not taken shirts a couple times. I know I paid for it in the registration fee, sometimes if it's ugly, I just don't want it. I save all my bibs as those mean more to me than most of my shirts.

    I like it when they give you the option to purchase the shirts.
  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
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    Nope ... Those I don't like I have used for 1) yard work or 2) mowing or 3) cut them up and used them to clean furniture.

    However I have saved all my bibs.
  • RunFarLiveHappy
    RunFarLiveHappy Posts: 805 Member
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    Sorry to sidetrack but I saw a bib in the trash after a race a week or two ago. I seriously almost got teary eyed. All my bibs are hanging on my "running wall of fame" with all my medals and other such stuff ❤️
  • ZenInTexas
    ZenInTexas Posts: 781 Member
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    I just cleaned out my closet and gave all the cotton ones to my daughter's to wear as pajamas. They love it.
  • davemunger
    davemunger Posts: 1,139 Member
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    Sorry to sidetrack but I saw a bib in the trash after a race a week or two ago. I seriously almost got teary eyed. All my bibs are hanging on my "running wall of fame" with all my medals and other such stuff ❤️

    Somehow the bibs don't do it for me. I know some runners keep notebooks of them and write down their time / place on them, but I figure I have all that on Garmin so I don't need it.

    I do keep all my marathon and half marathon finish medals, plus any awards from shorter races (until I run out of room that is).

    14005384443_b4eff29e93_c.jpg

    [also apparently an ethernet USB adapter, lol!]
  • RunConquerCelebrate
    RunConquerCelebrate Posts: 956 Member
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    I do not have that many so do not have that problem.
  • TheBrolympus
    TheBrolympus Posts: 586 Member
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    Lately all I am getting is crappy tech-tees, so I have been excited when I get a race shirt that is actually cotton. The last MTB race I did, the race shirt was a super soft cotton t-shirt. It was very nice. :)

    I use the crappy shirts for work/painting shirts and they go into the trash after they get nasty.
  • sinister2014
    sinister2014 Posts: 92 Member
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    alot of mine end up in the charity bin because i have found out that a 'runner sized XL' doesn't actually mean a real life XL and alot of race shirts don't even fit over my shoulders.

    i keep most of my race medals though and the medal from my most recent race is hanging from my rear view of mirror of my car.
  • graceire
    graceire Posts: 323 Member
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    For the first time, just the other day. It was a bit painful to do, as I've not been running long so each is still 'special.' :ohwell:

    But it was huge (most have been either too small or right on target for sizing), not a very nice color, and had huge lettering of <religion I have issues with> all over the shirt (which I wasn't aware of when I signed up for the race).

    I keep all my finisher medals and bibs, though.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Back in my earlier running days, I did a special needs awareness 5k, and bless their hearts, they let one of the kids design the shirt and it's horrendous. I just can't be seen in it, but I can't bring myself to trash it either lol.

    I'm starting to want cotton shirts and notice a lot of races are giving out cottons and selling tech tees, or vice versa. I feel like a jock sniffer wearing a tech tee out in public if I'm not racing, and let's face it, I like to take my time in Target.
  • EEfromJersey
    EEfromJersey Posts: 219 Member
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    A good question I keep mine even though I don't wear them so it will probably go in a bin, just cause I need some room in my drawers though I will keep the cool ones.
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
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    When I first started running and learned that technical fabric was WAY better than cotton for running I BOUGHT a bunch of donated race technical shirts from our charity store. LOL So, thanks for your donations - because they've helped get me started.

    I don't do a lot of races, in fact I'm only coming up on my 2nd road race, so I only have 1 technical tee, and I wear it running. The cotton shirt that I got from the mud run last year I cut the neckline to make it a looser tee for sleeping in.

    My 2 medals and my bib are on the mirror above my dresser and I cherish them.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
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    No, but I did throw the shirt I was wearing straight into the trash after my ultra.
    alot of mine end up in the charity bin because i have found out that a 'runner sized XL' doesn't actually mean a real life XL and alot of race shirts don't even fit over my shoulders.

    Yeah, I have a few XLs that I can't wear. I'm hanging on to them to see how I feel about them after some weight loss.
  • greypilgrimess
    greypilgrimess Posts: 353 Member
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    I only keep the ones I like. My last half gave out white tech shirts that were far too see-through for my liking, I couldn't imagine ever wearing it in public so it went straight to the charity bin.

    I wish I had kept my bibs. My first one was from a Tough Mudder so it was wrecked by the end, and it didn't occur to me to keep bibs in other races after that. But I do engrave my times on the backs of my medals.