This time it's personal
Following on from my last post about marathons, last weekend saw at least two big race events in the UK – the Manchester marathon (https://www.manchestermarathon.co.uk/home/) and the London Landmarks half marathon (https://llhm.co.uk/).
The photographs on social media of runners completing the event, celebrating, grinning sweatily into the camera only tell a part of the story. They may have thrown their arms in the air for a photo as they passed their families en route, but we know that they will have spent so much of the race in agony – mental and physical.
So why do we put ourselves through these challenges?
Last time I talked about the joy of the piece of bling, that medal that signifies conquering the miles. Display it proudly on one of my solid oak hangers and pat yourself on the back every day that you see it.
We know there is more to it than that though.
The medal is a symbol of our achievement but often it is also a symbol of why we chose to do something so hard in the first place.
Many people put themselves through these physical challenges to raise money for causes dear to their hearts. They know people who have been through challenges that make a marathon look like a piece of cake, and they want to put themselves through something difficult to show solidarity with that person and raise vital funds to help others in the same situation.
Everyone who undertakes a marathon, or other physical challenge, does it for very personal reasons. You will not find anyone who decided on a whim “hey, I think I’ll run 26 miles this weekend”. They have put that race on their calendar and worked towards it because it means something to them – a personal challenge or a testament to someone they know who has faced a battle.
We see tears at the end of the races and it is not only because of the physical exertion and relief that it is over! The tears often come because completing that race is so meaningful to the runner.
How to adequately mark that then, and honour those personal reasons for running in races like those we saw last weekend?
This is where personalisation comes in.
All of my products can be personalised, so that your medal hanger not only displays the symbols of your achievements but also includes a motto that recognises why you took on that challenge in the first place.
If you have someone in your life who has accumulated race medals, as a personal test of strength, as a way of supporting an important cause, or for any other reason meaningful to them, why not gift them a personalised wooden medal hanger?
There is a reason we say that difficult things are “like running a marathon” – these races are one of the biggest physical tests we can put ourselves through. Why we decide to do that is always personal.
I would be delighted to honour that for you.
Posted on April 11th 2022
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