After you have been running for a while you will have quite a collection of medals. Some people are all about the “bling” and love to display their medals, some people just throw them in a box and don’t think about them again, there is no “right” thing to do with your medals, however, there is an organization which will take your medals and re-purpose them.
Medals 4 Mettle was started in Indianapolis in 2005. Here is some back ground information rom their website –
“The day after he finished the 2003 Chicago Marathon, Steven Isenberg, M.D., a head and neck surgeon in Indianapolis, paid a visit to a colleague who was hospitalized. The two men were a study in contrasts. Dr. Isenberg, 53, was on a post race high. Les Taylor, who had prostate cancer, lay flat on his back with tubes running in and out of him.
At a loss for words, Dr. Isenberg pulled his finisher’s’ medal from his pocket and placed it around Taylor’s neck. “I want you to have this,” he said. “You are running a much more difficult marathon than the one I completed.”
Before he died, Taylor told Dr. Isenberg how much he treasured the medal. Those words inspired Dr. Isenberg to start Medals4Mettle in 2005, as a vehicle to collect runner’s medals which could be donated to those who are battling serious and debilitating illnesses and who have demonstrated similar courage and mettle in fighting those illnesses.”
We have our own chapter of M4M here, Joe Burns, who is also the Race Director for “Back the Beach” is in charge of collecting medals, re-ribboning them with a M4M ribbon and distributing them to local hospitals. Joe has collected thousands of “earned” medals, which means medals which people have donated after completing their training and race. Medals 4 Mettle does not use “leftover” medals from races, they must be “earned” and donated. You can donate your half marathon, marathon and triathlon medals to Joe and they will go to area hospitals. IF you are a part of the Back to the Beach Race, you are helping to support Medals 4 Mettle since Joe started that race to support the Medals for Mettle program. If you can’t run, then consider volunteering.
After the medals are donated, Joe re-ribbons them with a Medals 4 Mettle ribbon and takes them to local hospitals like Children’s and Beaumont. With the parent’s permission, the volunteer lets a child pick out any medal that they would like. While runners may look at the medals and see one from Boston and think that is a “desired’ medal, a child may see one that has a palm tree or a guitar of a certain color when they choose. It is an honor to be present when children and adults get to choose a medal.
Joe Burns is often at the finish line of Detroit, he also has a booth at many expos where you can donate your earned half, full or triathlon medals. If you don’t want to donate your medals, you can consider donating money to help defray the cost of re-ribboning the medals.
For more info on M4M check out their website. If you are interested to contacting Joe to donate medals or money, let me know and I will get you in touch with him.
Please consider supporting this amazing organization right here in the Detroit area through Joe!