Wearing hats/shirts of races you didn't do..... (Page 2)

I have a couple shirts from races I didn't do...I think I've worn them...

I look at it as more of a promotion of the race then a hey, look what I accomplished. When people see the shirt, I think their mind goes more towards the race (if they are in that circle) then thinking what a badass I am for doing it.

They know how cool I am simply by my natural awesomeness....

I personally only happen to have shirts from races that I've done, but who cares?

I wear a Red Sox shirt, but I've never played for them!

I hear you on the people asking about the races which is why I wouldn't wear apparel from more universally recognized events.  If there is a local race that has a cool shirt I don't have a problem wearing it if I didn't participate.

I have some really nice Ironman Hawaii 70.3 shirts that I like to wear and if I'm in a restaurant or at the airport someone always asks me "You did the Ironman in Hawaii?"  Takes me five minutes to explain that "yes, I did AN ironman race in Hawaii but it wasn't THE big race but was a HALF Ironman, but I HAVE done an ironman distance race that was in California, blah, blah, blah..."

I volunteered and the race director gave me the same shirt they were giving to the racers and also another shirt from another event they put on.

Didn't race in either, but like promoting the events for them.

I have an Ironman Visor that I got last year at Ironman Louisville when my dad did it.  I wear it almost all the time when running and at road races.  

I had a guy actually chew my a*s because I hadn't done an Ironman...But the visor is amazingly comfortable and means a lot to me...

It depends. Free clothing from races tend to pile up & I usually end up painting/working in them or other activities that usually require a 'disposable' shirt etc. In this case it doesn't matter what's printed on them.

With that said though I wouldn't wear clothes from races I'm not in some way associated with - ex. racing, volunteering, or supporting a significant other. At the same time it's not my business if someone buys an IMNZ shirt off ebay, having never been down under.

I have a shirt from Kona 2008 (not a finisher shirt).  It's my favorite run shirt! 

I've even worn it two runs in a row without washing it!   /sarc...  sorta, maybe......  

yeah, but did you shower between wearings?

Depends on whether or not I went to the pool.  If yes, then no.

Yes in North Conway they had one at least 25 years ago.

1. Unless it's a tech shirt, I don't hang on to race shirts (the exception being my cotton OWS swim race series shirts). Last year, I donated almost all my cotton race shirts to a friend who was headed to Haiti. She's a nurse and volunteers her time at an orphanage; she gave the shirts to the kids at the orphanage. She's wants to encourage them in sports.
2. The only race shirts I have that are races I didn't actually do are the (now) 2 tech shirts from the Florida Ultra Tri race. I volunteer my time (I'm part of race staff) and the race director has 2 tech shirts - one for Finishers and one for his race staff. I feel kind of funny wearing a shirt for a 281 mile race, but since I was there from Friday 6am and didn't get home until almost 8pm Saturday, I figure I can wear the tech shirt. A couple of years ago, someone gave me a really cute Adidas long-sleeve tech shirt, but it had the NYC Marathon embroidered on it. I gave it away because I didn't feel right wearing it since I haven't done the race.
3. I have one (very pretty) tech hat for the last year that the Gasparilla marathon was run; it was the year I was doing the half marathon. They didn't have a hat for the half, but I wear it anyway. Cuz it's pretty. I've done the Gasparilla marathon in the past, so I don't mind wearing the more current version.
4. I don't care what other people wear. Not in the least. I don't size people up based upon what races they do, so why should I care what race shirts they wear?

I am going to donate my various finishers medals; my nurse friend will take them to Haiti and give them to the orphanage director to give to the kids for their games/competitions.

No one has asked b/c no one really cares. Or maybe they just don't notice. And if they did, xxx race would mean nothing to most people. However, if I see someone with a race shirt on , I assume they ran it. Maybe they did maybe they didn't.  I don't care enough to ask.

I see lots of people wearing Harley Davidson clothing. I would bet most of them do not own one.

I guess that's my point.  That's why I voted for wear whatever you want, nobody cares what you (or I) wear.  

I don't care if others wear event shirts/hats they didn't do.   But I won't wear one that I have not done!!

While saying this,  I certainly would not mind wearing a nice Orioles hat or tech shirt.  Never played for them though. 

I think when most people see a race event tee-shirt they naturally assume the person wearing it did the event. 

Awkward conversation:

"Hey, Rocketman 2009!  I was there too.  Man, that was a great race wasn't it!  The headwind out of T1 was killer wasn't it?!"

"Uh, I didn't actually do the race.  I just wear this to impress the chicks!"