When Jose goes out of town, I have nothing to do but blog, apparently.
Over the Christmas holiday of 2003, I made a t-shirt quilt using the race t-shirts from my first 30 races. The t-shirts had begun to pile up, and a quilt was a really fun project — not to mention a good trip down memory lane. But it’s been more than three years since then, and I’ve amassed far more race t-shirts. I don’t even know the number, as I was too scared to count.
But today I narrowed down this:
To this, maybe 20% of what I started with:
I saved the t-shirts from big events like the marathon and half marathons, and saved a few just because I like the design. But the rest are gone! If you’re looking for practically new t-shirts, check your local Goodwill, because I probably provided enough for the whole city. 
It begs the question: what do all my other running friends do with their own mass quantities of t-shirts?
Here’s an idea: races could offer “with t-shirt” and “no t-shirt” registration options! Sure, it’d be another logistical detail, but having organized a race myself, I suspect that it would not be too hard to deal with, at least for smaller races. One of the hardest parts of ordering t-shirts is guessing how many you will actually need to account for race day registrations, and while this wouldn’t change, it wouldn’t be any harder of a decision if you let pre-registrants opt out of getting a shirt. You’d just assume that all race day participants will get a shirt and that’s the price they pay for signing up late.
Now, some people, myself included, like a nicely designed t-shirt, and if the shirt design is nice, I’m always glad to have it. But so many races have ugly t-shirts! So here’s the second part: races could publish the t-shirt design in advance to help people make their t-shirt or no t-shirt decision.
Now, I know the t-shirt is a big draw for some people, so races need to offer them. But I run so many races that I’d rather have $5 off the entry fee and just not get a shirt.
Something to think about. Perhaps the Yuri’s Night 5K next year will allow this option!
Well, Sarah…it’s like this. I’m old. And that means I have grey hair. Lots of it, and it grows fast. Too fast to get in to get it colored every time more of it shows up.
So I use the t-shirts I don’t like to wear when I color my own hair between times when I pay to have it done. Exciting, eh?
What I really wish is that more gave the correct size in technical shirts (Surfside people, I’m talking about that humongous shirt you called a medium this year that really was an XXL in my opinion…)
Sarah – I realize you don’t take compliments very well, so you might want to stop reading now. The rest of you can read on – I think this is classic ‘Sarah’ – see a problem and think of easy and logical ways to fix it. Me – I seem to be good at coming up with ways to make easy things more complicated. Perhaps that’s why you have an important job and I make cute PowerPoint presentations
When extra small is available, I get them for my kids. Although Taylor is getting into small and medium now. I usually get a strange look when I ask for the smallest shirt they have.
I’d gladly pay more and get a technical shirt on Yuri’s 5K.
A lot of races do offer no T-shirt options.
Really? I haven’t seen many (if any) races in Houston that offer that. My race could be the first!