Mans medal for daughter

[CurtainsAndCords]

I'm cross and have name changed.

I'm a runner.

I'm pissed off that last week Runner’s World tweeted and article about hairstyles for the Marathon. WTF? No female I know training for VLM was considering the benefits of braids vs ponytail.

Today my daughter completed a triathlon. The medals have a man on the front in the three disciplines.

I'm cross that this medal that she deserves looks like it's for a different event.

I've tweeted both companies separately but I feel very alone with my anger.

Ignore the critic CurtainAndCords. You don't have to defend your self to someone who makes unpleasant comments about your perfectly reasonable comments. "Healthy enough to indulge"? "exclusive"

Someone's letting their jealousy issues show.

I did post for opinions. Not to be unanimously told I’m right.

I think it’s interesting hearing other thoughts.

When I say I’ve complained to the companies I have just sent a polite email explaining why I’m disappointed. Not that I represent a body of people who are going to boycott them.

I’m just requesting fair representation. I’d theyd do that for males (post about insta hair) or hand our medals to everyone with females on them fair enough. But I don think that’s the case.

Oh and I’m not demanding a response or compensation or anything. Just consideration.

If the photo doesn’t show here’s a link to the article.

here

I have long hair and often have to think about hairstyles etc for triathlons. Men don’t tend to have the same issues unless they’re also fans of extensions so there is a need to discuss this stuff along with periods, privacy in transition and toileting, different nutrition and socialisation, different physiology, different needs.

I’ve also completed two Ironman triathlons and as a female I’m an Ironman rather than an Ironwoman

@SwimmingKaren good point about Ironman

Some of the hairstyles on the article are crazy though!

Like art. Specifically for photographing. Not functional.

Curtains, I'd be pissed off about the hair stuff and about the medals.

The hair article isn't about practicality - it's about looking 'good' on a post-race photo. Ffs!

And I'd be angry for my daughter, too, getting a medal with the image of a man on it.

You're not making a fuss about nothing.

Thanks AuntieStella - my swimming hats ping off too unless carefully selected and proper hair management underneath, so not sure if it would work, and I've wasted so much on hairbands that promise everything and deliver nothing.

On its own it's insignificant. But when you put it alongside all the other little insignificant things they begin to add up. For example my daughter yet again winning 'man of the match' (how fucking hard is it to say player), the lack of female match attack cards that she loves to collect, the Man city top being in the boys section in the shop, the small amount of newspaper inches given to female sport in her favourite section in the paper. It chips away, telling her that sport isn't important if you're a girl.

@Yinderling you've expressed it much better than me.

Sorry but you're being unreasonable... It's just a random athlete on there that they presumably give to all runners. It seems narcisistic to need the athlete on there to look like your daughter.

Well if I really wanted them to look like my daughter then I'd make a point that she's black too.

And it's 3 men

The hair article isn't about practicality - it's about looking 'good' on a post-race photo. Ffs!

That's the issue. Running with long hair is a PITA but how I look after a race isn't. And the silicon headbands pull so I hate them. I can run with one brand, which they bizarrely only sell on the ferry near me. So if I want to replace them I have to sail.

And the 'it's just a random person'? Default people being male is an issue. Unless you've ever been to an athletic event where all the default people were female. I haven't.

MrsTerrypPratchett

I was musing out loud the other day about how nice it wouid be if one weekend a year, all finishers tshirts were women's cut. And if men didn't like it, the could be reminded that every other weekend, all the women runners got one not cut for them, and wgphat do they really think of the fairness of 1/52 v 51/52

I end up getting extra large and giving them all to DH. So he gets the t shirt and the credit!

The medals thing is more annoying to me. It's easy to include both, and it is very often done.
I just recently read a thread started by a man on a running forum about nipple chafing, so the hair thing bothers me less. Runners have issues to deal with, and men different to women.
But to look good on a podium? Yeah, pretty awful.

a lot of smaller events buy standard medals to reduce cost liability (otherwise you have to order 6 months in advance and pay a lot for die costs, plus non returnable so you have to take a punt on how many entries you'll get) and there isn't a lot of choice

The Ten Peaks Challenge - a very small ultra-marathon - somehow manages to afford medals that are truly representative of all competitors in both versions of the events.

(Not mine BTW, a family member's.)

I just read the article and it was mostly about keeping hair off the back of your neck (temperature control) and out of your eyes not really the look...

For me race day hair is about minimising irritation- too tight over my head is just as annoying as in my eyes! So lots of things to try is a good thing in my book - am yet to find the holy grail of race day hair. All I know is a simple ponytail does not cut it for me.

If a style is still in place at the finish line it means I haven't had to faff with it losing time... and some people, male and female are all about the race selfie!

Crikey - the last suggestion in the hair article is ‘add a bow’

I don’t think you are being unreasonable op.
The medals could each depict a male and a female runner, or a shoe, or stars and laurel wreaths or whatever. No need for it to be a man.

www.trophystore.co.uk/product-list&Category=159&Sort=4

Add a bow to make yourself stand out to friends/family (if you want) - why not if you're doing a big race and will be in the pack... only so many colours so many runners look similar unless you're running in a costume, did a small town race, half the runners at the back around me were wearing black leggings and Karrimor t-shirt, others were wearing the previous local 10k race finisher t-shirt or local running club vests - why not be visible to your personal supporters if you're not directly in front of them- obviously assuming you have them!

Yep, i am not a sporty person but i think you are right to raise these issues OP. As others have said these things, in themselves often relatively minor, add up to a whole heap of barriers to the full inclusion of women and girls.

My kids have won medals at school (still infants, so of the 'everyone gets a medal for trying' stage - still they find nice medals, that don't have humans on at all - they have laurel wreaths, or some piece of relevant sports equipment, or any one of 10s of alternatives.

They would have actually had to ask for these ones I expect, and I expect no-one even thought about it, which is why this insidious misogyny continues. And then you're told by some on here that you should have more important things to worry about.

I'm sure you do, but this is still a thing, and it's still a wrong thing that is easily avoided. You are right to complain.

And the hair thing - could have been useful, could have been relevant, but then they had to add these sexist edges about bows and being ready for instagram. Of course it's disappointing and sexist.

Male runners do Instagram too! Instagram isn't just a female thing!

Dd does triathlons including one last weekend. I’ve just been to peer at her medals and trophies and most don’t have people on at all. Of those that are left most seem to have one definite male swimming, a cyclist where I can’t decide on the sex and a female runner (ie with a ponytail.)

Her latest one is really nice though as they have one male and one female runner for (roughly) each of the age groups that entered. (She does tri-stars so it is aged 8 to 16.) They start really little and get bigger and bigger as you go along the medal with a definite hint of a bust for the females as well.