Do you ascribe to this race shirt theory?

[Mushe]

I am still active on my BMB from when my son was born, and this topic came up. Someone asked if they can wear their race shirt in the race, and more than one person said you are not "supposed to," and have to earn it to wear it. These are mostly casual runners, and the context was a 5k.

Honestly, I find that really stupid, and said that there have been tons of people wearing them in every race I've done.

What say ye, H&F?

[Mushe]

I will say, I don't ever wear a race shirt in a race because I'm pretty picky, and usually don't like them. To be a PITA, I said I'd wear mine in my half tomorrow, which means I need to do laundry tonight.

[Raggedeannie]

I say 5k fun runners can and should wear their shirts. This also makes for great group pics!

For longer or serious runs, it's more important to wear something that will make you comfortable.

[Deleted]

I've seen it done all the time, but still refuse to wear a shirt I didn't earn. I have a shirt from the Detroit Marathon my mom gave me from her race here in 2005ish. I won't wear it (it was her PR race, so I won't get rid of it either!).

[Stingyshark]

I know a whole lot of people that do not go by this "rule."
When I used to race I didn't wear race shirts because most of them were giant, and/or gross material that was way to hot; I also wouldn't race in a shirt I had never worn before.. chafing sucks.

[jchokie79]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Wear whatever is comfortable and if that means the race event shirt then by all means wear it. If the shirts had to be "earned" they'd be passed out at the finish line not at packet pick ups!

[gt7301b]

Well folks can do whatever they want, but I'm not messing with the race Gods:P I also think it is a little different for a local 5k, especially if it is a cause race.

[hannahb]

Apr 25, 2014 19:47:49 GMT -5 @sessalee said:

I've seen it done all the time, but still refuse to wear a shirt I didn't earn. I have a shirt from the Detroit Marathon my mom gave me from her race here in 2005ish. I won't wear it (it was her PR race, so I won't get rid of it either!).

This is me too

[cinco]

I don't wear the gear until after the race, just as a stupid superstition thing. I don't care if others do, and am pretty sure I'm the weird one. I have not been able to run a few races b/c of injury/last minute schedule issues and I still will pick up the race shirt and wear it. I'd be highly amused if someone told me I didn't earn it.

[sassystace]

We always say it's bad luck to wear the race shirt before the race (or during). But mostly I wouldn't b/c it might be very comfortable and I wouldn't want to risk that(plus bad luck.)

[texassmith]

I don't wear a race shirt until after the race. Not because I feel like I have to "earn" it, but just because...I don't know.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using proboards

[melmel48]

I was told it was bad luck and since I am obnoxiously superstitious, I do not wear my t-shirt. I also don't always like the material of the shirts or they are big, but the main reason is because I was told it was bad luck and I do not need anything to jinx me! :?    

[Mushe]

Interesting! I'd never heard anything like this before, so I was surprised by her question.

[bluedaisyus]

Oh yeah, I know plenty of people who follow this. I do, although I didn't start out that way on purpose. A lot of it is just that I usually get the shirt a day or two before and would rather run events in something I'm used to. Not that I'm gunning for an AG award or anything, I'm WAY too slow for that, but I want to be comfortable. Or sometimes it's cotton or just a bad shirt. Like tomorrow's 5k that I'm walking with my mom, the shirt is huge (ladies medium my ass), has a punctuation error that bugs me, and frankly I just don't like the design very much so it's one I'll probably never wear or only use for layers.

And now...well yeah, also because I don't want the "bad juju," as a friend of mine says. I often wear them race day after it's over and I've showered.

[biomaj5]

I'll never wear the race shirt to the race. It's bad luck, and breaks the "nothing new on race day" rule. I don't care if it's a 5K or a marathon. Also, they hardly ever fit me anyway, and I won't wear cotton when I run. I also don't think you should wear a race shirt unless you ran the race or volunteered in it, but that's just my opinion.

I ran 2 races on the same day in October last year, and I did wear the race shirt from the first race (a half) when I ran the second race (a 5K).

[agswife]

I don't check bags at races and so I either forego the shirt (I've only run in two races where they offered XS) or I've received the shirt at the end of the race or before at the expo. Plus I don't really find them all that comfortable.

[runaways]

I don't wear them just because I don't...they usually aren't very comfortable and I'm picky. I think the idea of having to earn them, especially for a 5k fun run, is pretty stupid.

[violetbaudelaire]

I *totally* believe it's bad luck to wear the shirt during the race and I'm feeling a little crazy that I am in the minority! I'm legit worried I won't finish the race or my leg will fall off or something if I wear it while I'm running. My favorite tradition after switching into flip flops after a race is showering and putting on the race shirt.

[foundmylazybum]

I hardly ever race in tee shirts with sleeves

But I definitely will put on the shirt right when I finish.
You make your own luck

[clseale]

Add me to the "this is a dumb rule" camp. I don't get it. It's not a finishers shirt, like a finishers medal. It's a race shirt. None of my shirts say finisher on them. If it was something to be earned, only after the race, why not give them out with the medals? Or if people think it's the same, why not put the medals in your race bag? Lol it's different. Basically, I don't give a crap what people do, and I don't understand why others care so much. From 5ks to marathons, people always wear the shirts.

I don't wear them, but that's because I'm picky & almost always in tanks. Most of my race shirts sit in a box.

[libbygrl109]

I never typically wear it during the race. I'd much rather be comfortable in my own stuff. The only exceptions were the couple of times when I was doing a race with DH and there was no bag check. The shirts were huge and it was ridiculously cold, so I used as another layer under my jacket. I'd never wear it during a race when it could actually be seen.

[Mushe]

I'm actually kind of excited about tomorrow's shirt - it's a new balance tech tee and actually came in XS.

So, I'm going to test this bad luck theory!

[Deleted]

Honest truth is that I rarely wear them. I don't run in short sleeves, like, ever.

[jordylee]

I don't wear them for several reasons. First, and maybe I will get flamed a little, but I would feel like a dork wearing the shirt to the race. Like wearing the band's shirt to the concert. If someone else wants to, I don't snicker or judge.. I just wouldn't do it myself. Second, "nothing new on race day" is a mantra I follow religiously. Third, I'm superstitious and think its bad luck. And fourth, my tradition is to wear the shirt the rest of the day... I wouldn't want to do that if it was gross and sweaty.

[bostonmichelle]

It depends on the race. If I can pick up the shirt beforehand, I tend to wash and wear it the day of the race but up until this point I haven't had a lot of great shirts to run in. I never heard of this superstition until now.

[Mushe]

jordylee I like the band tee analogy!

I agree, @sessalee, I rarely wear short sleeves either, so these are mostly a waste, but now I really want to tweak my friends.

[G22]

I don't wear them to race in but thats only because I already have my outfit picked out. For longer races, I prefer to run in something that I know is comfy and won't chafe. No superstition or anything here.

[ebeth]

I would never do this but not because I didn't 'earn it'. I've just heard its bad luck to wear a shirt from a race you didn't complete. I too superstitious for that business. That's just my thing. You do you boo.

[emuni04]

I don't ever wear them at races. Frankly, I hardly ever wear them post race either because a lot of them can be ugly and/or ill fitting on me. The Miami half shirt was, however, pretty nice this year and I wore it tonight while sipping on a glass of red wine and watching the Teen Mom 2 reunion.

[shorewife]

I don't but that's because for shorter races they are usually cotton tees and longer races I would not want to try out anything new. Also a lot of people do it and I usually want to stand out from the crowd! ?