I feel like we all have our little quirks when we go on vacation in relation to things we like to pick up. I have a bunch of friends that like to get new shot glasses, or pilsner glasses, or even tshirts. I am definitely one of the people who like to pick up a treasure when travelling, but my little indulgence is not any of the ones mentioned before. I like to get coffee cups!
Now, I’m not talking just a coffee mug either – my favorite ones to find are from races that I have done. It all started with the Turkey Trot that I have come to know and love. A few years back, they started giving out mugs to the Top 100 finishers. The first year I earned one, I knew I had to do so each year after that. So for the past 7 years, I have come home on Thanksgiving with a new porcelain cup! (Not sure where the others are at the moment – biggest culprit -> the dishwasher). After that, it all kind of went down hill. I picked one up in NYC for the New York City Marathon.
And I had to grab one in Boston! I mean, honestly – its Bahston!
I have not been able to find the mugs at all of the other marathons that I have run unfortunately. I was also given a few for my performance in the Michelob Ultra Challenge for the Gasparilla Race Weekend. Finishers that complete the race in the top 10% of their age groups earn a mug, and since I did all 4 races…. well, you get it – I got a box mailed to me with 4 new coffee mugs!
I’ll be on the hunt in Chicago for another mug to add to my collection. Just don’t tell Marcus…. I think it drives him a little crazy! We have a few mugs in our cabinet 
My favorite part of my little collection is that every time I use one of the mugs, I think about the race, and the experience I had while competing in it. When I give so much of myself in my training, I think I earned the mug, and I want to be able to hold on to that experience for years to come!
I kinda collect tattoos?
now to start getting to the racing piece of it all….
I collect scrapbook stuff from my races. This is the first year I have really gotten into running so I am trying to do one page for each race.
So basically, try and get tons of pics, brouchures or anything else I can glitter and glue in there!
I like the coffee mug idea but I think I would break them and then be sad. ;(
That’s a great idea! I used to scrapbook a lot more, but now my blog is pretty much my scrapbook
Okay – Love the tile behind the pictures!
Also – I LOVE COFFEE MUGS!!!!!!
I haven’t collected things before but I LOVE the idea of it to have something else to remember a race by. You know – something you use more often than a race medal.
I’ve never seen a coffee mug with a race on it!! I’m going to have to keep my eyes open. I don’t really collect anything. So you might have just started a monster.
I collect pint glasses from races
I save race bibs and t-shirts, plus pint glasses if I win one.
I have so many t-shirts, though, that I sent a bunch of them away to be made into a t-shirt quilt–best idea ever. Now, I need to figure out what to do with all the race bibs. When I go on vacation, I love collecting coffee mugs, too.
Oh that’s neat. I didn’t think of doing something like that. I usually save my bib.
John and I collect coffee mugs too!
[...] found my marathon coffee mug! I have so many things from everything that I have run over the years, so I don’t usually buy [...]
[...] very usable age group award. We were given to-go coffee mugs, which was so so exciting! You all know how much I love coffee mugs! And how cute is the shirt we were given for participating as well?! Love love love the chevron [...]