We didn't have a p.c. and our log-book was a simple checkered notebook:
To know the official results of a race we had to wait and buy the local newspaper or a running magazine:
The GPS watches were far in the next future and we used a normal watch with the chronometer:
We ran in the middle of the traffic and we wore paper bibs (dec. 1986):
The post race party was only with fresh local fruit (sept. 1990):
The t-shirts were in cotton and not tech:
The races were not crowded and often we ran alone for long distances:
What are the memories of your first races?
I love this blast from the past! There also were no race photos that you can instantly download off the web like nowadays... I remember some of the older races where you physically had to go to a table or booth after the race to have a hard copy photo printed out!
ReplyDeleteYes, the same here too, at the end of a race you could get a hard copy photo. I remember it was an expensive service, but the memories are priceless!
DeleteI have giant cotton man-sized race shirt from my first Chicago Marathon.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started racing there were no medals at all.
Fun memories!
When I started racing we got medals but they were as big as a coin.
DeleteI haven't been running that long so it's so cool to see how things were done "back in the day"!
ReplyDeleteI like to remember those days also to remember many friends that now run in heaven.
DeleteWell, being on the slower side, I often run alone in a longer race. :)
ReplyDeleteI only started running 10 years ago, but I definitely did not have a GPS watch when I started. It too running my first half marathon to realize I needed that.
My first half was chip time, and many of my first races, but they were the ones you had to tie to your shoes and I remember angst trying to figure out how to do that.
Many race tees even 10 years ago were still cotton!
But thankfully I've never had to run in the middle of the road -- frightening! On the side with traffic, yes, sometimes, but thankfully not too often.
As I can see we, the runners, have many common memories even if we live in different parts of the world.
DeleteHow fun is this!! My first race was about 10 years ago, right when running was on the up and up. The Disney races were much less crowded for sure, and you could still register up until a couple of weeks prior to the race (without it being to capacity)!
ReplyDeleteSo you are a pioneer of running too!
DeleteHere we can go over the capacity but we must pay the same amount without getting the swag.
Great flash back! I've been running for 14 years, so some of my earlier races (and training runs) were run in COTTON shirts & socks (#ugh). I still prefer my old school stopwatch to the Garmin because it was much less complicated and caused me much less stress due to the limited stats/feedback.
ReplyDeleteIndeed you are right, the stopwatch causes less stress because we don't check every moment our pace.
DeleteSo you have been runnning for 36 years! That's a great achievement, considering that you are still in good shape.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to fresh local fruit, I remember we also had water melon after a race a few years ago. We ran a 10 km race in Tuscany.
We got fresh local fruit also in Canino but in Tuscany, usually, the post race parties are better.
DeleteOh, this is great. I didn't race until the 2000s but I remember watching races and everyone was in cotton vests and short shorts and half or especially full marathon running was a thing so few people achieved!
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at the old pictures I cannot believe how the times change fast: landscapes disappeared, old cars, other kind of vests and, unfortunately, many runners that now run in heaven.
Delete