Goody Bag Ideas for Runners

For some runners, goody bags are the highlight of a race. The bags full of T-shirts, food, coupons and other goodies can bring joy to even the most exhausted racers as well as provide memories of their special accomplishment. It can even allow racers to overlook other flaws of the event. According to Mary Wittenberg, director of the New York City Marathon, "The last thing you want to do is run out of goody bags. That's when we hear complaints." The goody bag also offers a chance for companies to get their products in front of a willing audience.

  1. Shirts

    • Shirts, or at least some type of clothing option, should be a staple of the goody bag. Depending on the level of competition, the shirt can range from a cotton T-shirt to a technical, sweat-wicking, polyester training shirt for competitive 5K and 10K races and marathons. Having a race logo is always a benefit--for the race, sponsors and participants. The race and sponsors benefit when the participants wear the shirts and the participants have a new shirt to train in and a memory of their participation.

    Food

    • Food is the fuel that gives the runners the energy to complete the race. Athletes are always looking for a food that gives them a competitive advantage either in training or on race day, so free samples or coupons for free food are a great addition to a goody bag. Even food that is unrelated to running can sometimes provide a valuable addition. In 2006, Dunkin' Donuts offered a free iced latte to all New York Marathon participants because it coincided with their new slogan, "America Runs on Dunkin'."

    Partication Medals

    • Even though everyone can't win a race, many people don't enter to win, but rather to finish. A medal is a great way for people to remember their completion of a race. Many races have customized medals that have images of the race engraved on them to make the medal meaningful to the participants. These also serve as advertisements for races because runners who display their medal will likely be asked about their experience, and, if it was positive, the runner will often recommend the race to friends and training buddies.