Racing Tees

What do you do with your racing t-shirts?

Do they sit in a drawer folded up, never to see the light of day until years later when they're transferred to a shopping bag heading straight to Goodwill? Well, I must admit, that's what happens to most of mine. Some, which I purposely order extra-large, I use as pyjamas, or is it pajama? Hmm. I think I like pyjamas, just for the juxtaposition of the three letters that extend below the writing line. It's both awkward and thought-provoking, the thought being "is that word spelled right?"

Anyway, where was I?

I think the most use I've ever gotten from a t-shirt is my 2007 Phoenix YMCA Half Marathon. It was the only long-sleeved shirt I've ever received from a race. It's just the thing for my early morning winter runs when the temperature here can dip well below 50 degrees. That's right, desert living. Then, there's my favorite Human Race T-shirt. This one doesn't count because I had to buy it myself. You can read an older blog post about it here.

T-Shirt Contest

One race had a very good idea to get their runners to wear the Race T-Shirt. Their website has a little monthly contest. People are asked to send in a photo of themselves wearing the race t-shirt from any year in an exotic or unique location. The prizes may differ, but this month 3 winners were selected and won this years technical training tee. Yay, another t-shirt!! Woot-Woot!

This t-shirt contest is for the race called the Bay To Breakers organized by ING. I've run this race at least 4 times and probably still have all 4 t-shirts. However, I have yet to find myself anywhere exotic or unique to take a picture with it. This months winners were sporting their race shirts in front of the Sydney Opera House, some ancient cemetary in Ireland and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. I guess the Bay to Breakers attracts a lot of well-traveled participants.

Maybe, I could save on some airfare and photo-shop this old pic of me in Macchu Picchu. But I'm sure they can spot a shopped pic a mile away. I guess I'll just have to remember to pack my Bay to Breakers race shirt the next time I head over to Peru, whenever that will be. Better yet, I'll take all my Bay to Breaker shirts there and get a group shot of the Incans wearing a T-shirt from all the different years. That should be good enough to win me another t-shirt, right?

A conversation piece?

It just so happens, I was wearing my 2009 Rock N' Roll Marathon, Phoenix shirt to my sons tee-ball practice last week. It actually became a conversation starter for me with another mom who ran the marathon, too. No, she wasn't wearing her race shirt at the time, but wouldn't THAT have been funny? We started talking about races and running and made the whole hour of tee-ball practice just fly by.

She told me about a neighborhood race coming up this Sunday, The Run for Ryan House 10K in DC Ranch. Ryan House is a wonderful non-profit that hits close to home. They are raising money to build the regions first palliative care facility in Phoenix. Construction has already started. From their website, "When complete, Ryan House will be a safe, comfortable place where care, typically given at home, will be provided by an experienced professional staff to some of Arizona’s most challenged children. These children and their families deserve an opportunity to focus on being families and living life to its fullest."

Running for Ryan House

It is named after a boy who is a student at my son's school. He was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy. Ryan's mother is modeling Ryan House after one of the facilities they stayed at when Ryan was just a toddler in England.

This was perfect - a race close to home, with a distance I can manage (after I've been slacking-off since the marathon, 10K is probably all I can manage now), and best of all, it's for a wonderful cause. The t-shirt from this race, I will be happy to wear, proudly.