Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I got a response

It was nice of the SRRC President to get back to me so quickly on my email regarding Avenue of the Giants finisher medals. Come to find out, the 10K runners won't get one this year, either. Just the marathoners. Still sucks, especially since they've been giving out finisher medals for every distance for the last several years.

Oh well. Here is her response:

Dear Michelle,
I am sorry to hear that you are disappointed. Thank you for your input which may make a difference in the future. We who have been running for a long time sometimes forget how meaningful these souvineers are. It has always been standard operating procedure, nation-wide, to give medals to marathoners but not to anyone else. The Avenue of the Giants marathon, for the past few years, has been very generous with its give-aways, but has also lost a lot of money in spite of the relatively high entry fee.
I have not received my newsletter yet so don't know what you are referring to. The 10k runners will not be receiving finisher medals but only place awards.
I do promise you that I will bring your complaint up at the next board meeting and we will discuss whether to reinstate the medals. We had the discussion last month to eliminate them due to the cost but perhaps we made a mistake. I forwarded your e-mail to the race director and I will let you know her response.
Thanks again for your input,
Karen

Yes, she's the one who spelled "souvenirs" wrong.

Maybe this will make a difference for next year. Still doesn't make me feel better about this year, though. :-(

2 comments:

Mary Gee said...

I ran a half marathon this month and didn't get a medal - or anything to eat - and I really wondered what I paid $50. for. I hear ya sister.

David said...

Sounds like they need to address their sponsors, not their runner experience items. Either they don't get enough funds to run the race and do all they need to, or they are splashing too much money in places that could do with less.

Glad you got a response, though.