Today’s installment of Fitness Fashion Friday is a bit of a stretch in terms of fashion…Today’s post is all about putting your name on your shirt for races!
Actually, as you read on, you might think this is more of a fitting debate…please share your thoughts on the topic!
You can see from all of these pictures that I am most definitely a fan of putting my name on my shirt for a race.
I did it for the Flying Pig Marathon in 2013:
I did it for the Outer Banks Marathon in 2014:
I did it for the Berlin Marathon in 2013, where many spectators cheered “GO YESSIE!”…Loved it! I think I’ll go by Yessie from now on.
Those Yessie cheers came when I still had all 6 letters of my name on my shirt. That obviously didn’t last the whole race!
I even put my name on my shirt at the Tokyo Marathon where 90% of the people surrounding me did not speak English. A few spectators did cheer for me by name though, and it was grand!
Here’s an embarrassing one. I probably shouldn’t be posting this next picture on the internet…
For my second marathon (Twin Cities Marathon), I wrote my name on my arm….while looking in the mirror. Yep. That didn’t work so well!
#blondemoment
Ah, the joy of being young…
So, I’m clearly a fan of putting your name on your shirt for a race.
Why? The biggest and most important reason is that as a spectator, I LOVE being able to cheer for you by name.
I feel like it helps make it a more personal experience. I’m cheering for YOU! You’re doing a great job! Not just “Go Runner!”
As a runner, I think it’s nice too. For most of my marathons, I don’t have friends and family in the crowd (since we are traveling for most of them) so it makes it feel a little more like I do have friends and family in the crowd when I hear someone cheer for me by name. I usually am able to give a smile, but hey, if I can’t give a smile, that’s okay too.
So you may be wondering, HOW should you put your name on your shirt?
I call it “electrical tape” but I guess its just plastic tape that I bought at Target.
If you use this kind of tape, you’ll have several options for color. Be sure to pick a contrasting color from whatever you’re wearing. Maybe try to coordinate with the whole outfit for the Right Fit!
Using tape means you can remove it after the race and wear the shirt again, versus permanent marker. Generally (except for the Berlin Marathon as pictured above) the tape stays on pretty well. Using marker would probably be better though if your race is especially wet/rainy. But normally this kind of tape says on well and using tape means you can readjust the spacing of the letters or re-do it if you mess anything up.
I suggest putting your name on the front of your shirt across your chest so people can read it as you approach. If you put it on the back, no one will see it until you’re passing by!
My normal routine is that I cut out the letters the night before (it’s kind of therapeutic) and lay it all out with the rest of my race outfit. When “planning” out your name, be sure to start in the middle and work your way out to ensure you have plenty of space for the whole thing.
Putting your name on your shirt for a race, however, does seem to be a bit of a “fitting debate” amongst runners. Not everyone agrees with this fitting idea.
Some people think it’s distracting or silly. Others say its just one more thing to worry about that they don’t want to deal with on race day.
Check out this webinar I did recently with a few other Grandma’s runners:
Around 21:00, you’ll hear a few thoughts from those who don’t wear their names. Dustin doesn’t wear his name on his shirt either and I don’t love him any less for it! But if I were cheering for him from the sidelines and didn’t know him, what would I say? Go handsome fella?? 🙂 I’d definitely prefer to cheer for DUSTIN.
Is it the hard-core, fast runners who wouldn’t bother? Is wearing your name something only middle-of-the-pack runners do? Do the speedier sort not need a spectator’s cheers?
I understand and respect everyone’s opinion! It’s personal preference, I know, but my personal preference is definitely to wear my name. What do you think?
Corny? A good idea? Please let me know your thoughts in this FITTING DEBATE!
Good luck to all my fellow Grandma’s Marathoners tomorrow. See you at the finish line!
I actually love when I run for charities and my name is on my shirt. That said, it might annoy me with the tape not moving very well on the clothing. I’d love if you could get some kinda non- permanent lettering.
I do think its a pro/casual difference- I know people who don’t much like being cheered because they want to focus. I love a cheer though!
Yes, its the best when the bib/shirt already has your name- then you don’t have to worry about it. Tape works okay, but you’re right, another non-permanent option would be great…Velcro? Hmm..
Definitely seems to be a pro/casual difference 🙂 Dustin said he doesn’t do it because he wants to look “serious.” I guess I think it’s good to remember that we are doing these races because they are FUN!
I’m all signed up to track you! Have a great race and maybe I’ll see you out on the course 🙂
Thank you so much Hyedi! I hope to see you out there too. I’m wearing a blue singlet and a yellow hat. Black shorts. And my name across my shirt of course 🙂
I think I would put my name on my shirt if I ever were to run a marathon or even a Half. I’m definitely middle-of-the-pack at best, so I would need every cheer I could get!
Also, are you familiar with Inknburn running clothes? I have a friend who is obsessed with it! Makes me think of your Fitness Fashion Friday posts. They have some really cool looking stuff and I was just wondering if you’ve tried it before. 🙂
I need all the cheers I can get too 🙂
I haven’t heard of Inknburn. I will check it out on line this weekend. Thanks for thinking of me!
Yessie, I think the “not having to worry about it” is my main reason. Also the tape moving around and interfering with the bib.
That said, if there was a service that would do it for me…
I’m putting Yessie on my shirt tomorrow.
Let me tell you a story about ‘Kevin’. At 2014 TCM ‘Kevin’ was right on pace with me from roughly mile 5 to mile 20. ‘Kevin’ had his name on his shirt. Smart guy. For the 2+ hours that I ran within earshot of ‘Kevin’ I became increasingly annoyed and resentful towards him. Why should ‘Kevin’ deserve so many accolades? I’m working just as hard! I tried to drown out the well-wishers to no avail. When we started seeing the SAME spectators say “Hey! There’s KEVIN!” at subsequent cheer zones, I lost it. I’d like to think that all the… Read more »
Ha! I love it. I think I was “Kevin” to several people at Grandma’s this year. I’m pretty sure people were annoyed. But it made me smile and I was thankful for those cheers 🙂 and fortunately I didn’t fade out at mile 20 (at least this time).
With what charity are you running TCM? Congrats on the Minneapolis Marathon! I’d be curious to hear how you liked that one.
Minneapolis was good, but challenging. I’ll never complain about that hill on Summit again! Happy with my 7 minute PR and inching closer to that BQ. Trying really hard to increase my weekly miles to bring that time down.
I’ll be on the Twin Cities charity team for Children’s Hospitals of MN. My husband works for them and I thought it would be a great way to celebrate the healthy kids in my life by giving back to such a great organization!
Great job again on your huge PR at Grandma’s!
I am in TOTAL support of your name on your shirt. Spectators WANT someone to cheer for – it’s more fun that way! So it’s a win-win – you’re letting them know your name so they can cheer for you, and you are getting a lift on the course!
Exactly! Glad to hear you feel the same way Becky!
[…] this old post about putting your name on your shirt, I forgot to mention that I cut the tape in half, otherwise […]