Friday Five - Race swag

It's time for the Friday Five and linking up with Mar, Cynthia and Courtney.   I love this week's theme, race swag!  I have many reasons for running that don't include race swag but free stuff is always a nice bonus.

Most races give a shirt, and I've gotten some nice shirts, but my favorite pieces of race swag are the ones that are a bit unique.

1.  I my be biased since the Richmond Half Marathon was my first half marathon, but I loved their swag!  After you finished the race, you got a blanket in addition to the medal.  The blanket is super soft, we have it on the couch in our basement, and I use it all the time.

2. The Richmond races also gave finishers a hat.  This has also come in useful for runs in the rain.  In fact, I wore it at the Rock and Roll half and it was invaluable since it kept the rain off my face for the whole race.

3. Of course, medals are always great :) My favorite is still the one from my first Disney race, the Tower of Terror 10 miler.  This may also be because it was my first longer distance race.

4.  Speaking of medals, I love finisher premiums that aren't exactly medals but something with some practical use. The Pike's Peek 10k provided a bottle opener.  And I just read that the Park's half marathon (I'm going to be volunteering at that one) is going to be having a medal which is also a wine bottle stopper.  Love the creativity!

5.  Does food count as swag?  I always love a race that has a fun after party with great food.  I was sad that I couldn't enjoy the Rock N Roll Half after party because of the rain.  Hopefully next year will be better.  But the Pike's Peak 10k had a fun after party and of course, the food couldn't be beat at the Fit Foodie 5k.

Fresh squeezed orange juice after a race tasted amazing!

I hope everyone had a great week and a great weekend ahead of you :) I'm looking forward to the Rockville twilight 8k tomorrow but it looks like it might end up being another hot one.