Silverman in Las Vegas (this weekend) gives out transition bags along with the hat, waterbottle, and Tshirt. Probly the best swag around.

a

+1 on the technical tees. Not sure I'll ever be on a podium in my AG, so awards aren't really an issue. But all these race tech tees are definitely saving my workout budget. Now to get a few races to give long-sleeve tech tees!!! Oh, and a few road races around here, e.g. the Annapolis Ten Miler, give awesome finisher's jackets.

big 'ol bag of gels. Hammer Gel sponsors a lot of events in my area so there is typically a lot of that going on in the area. I don't like buying the individual packed gels and only use them when I race. I use flasks for training and like replenishing my gel's at races for free. :)

The best race awards i have recieved are hand made pottery from Paris mountain 20k race.
Last year i got a huge plate thats just beautiful. I bust my butt every dec. just so i can add
to my collection. The worst are stupid fanny packs or mini back packs which i give away to
the closest child that wants it. What sucks for us smaller people as far as the wick shirts go
they just dont make them small enough!:(

At the finish line at the SheRox tri, they handed out little bags that held three beautiful silver bracelets and one had the name of the race and the date on a little charm. I wear them all the time. Not a great prize for the guys, of course. But all the ladies loved it!

Best swag: mugs, drinking glasses, a water bottle carrier/fanny pack combo, quick-dry transition towels, nice technical tees.

Best prize: I was the women's overall winner at an Enduro triathlon a couple years back and got a camping chair that was silkscreened with the race name/date as my prize. I used that one a lot! I've got enough hardware to clutter up a shelf or two, give me something useful any old day.

+1 Coffee mug. Most worthless? Another white t-shirt. (Hey, that might make a good, albeit sarcastic, name for a triathlon: "Another White T Triathlon") I've seen some races that give a coule of dollars off if you don't want the T.

All I asked for Christmas this year from my mom was to help me make a quilt from all of my old triathlon t-shirts.

Technical tees are always cool because I can never have to many work out clothes. At two raced this year they gave out a free bag of coffee. This is always great because it saves me from buying coffee at the store for a few weeks.

I hate it when I get tees that are just cotton and I also do not like water bottles. I already have about 1000 of each.

a turkey at local turkey trot and a pair of smartwool socks. the socks are the best pair of socks I own.

I must be the only one that hates race tech T's. I never find the quality that good. I get much more use out of cotton T's. Sigh oh well one in every crowd I guess.
Fav schwag? The Hamilton On. Boxing Day 10 miler( Boxing Day Dec.26th) Gave out running mitts. Great for the sub 20 degree running weather.

I don't think I've ever gotten a useful prize...other than tech tees.

My mom is taking a lot of my old shirts and making a quilt as Ironmom suggested, which is nice since there are plenty of hideous tri shirts out there I wouldn't wear around.

And I am a big fan of water bottles in the packets, if they are decent quality and not the hard plastic type...I tend to misplace many a water bottle, so am always looking for more.

I love the medals, b/c when I got home the kids think I won

Of course old tech T's make great bike cleaning rags.

+3 or whatever on the technical tees. Even better are the technical running caps (think Finisher Headsweats caps from IM branded events).

cheers
S.

Best schwag I got was a pair of sunglasses from Asbury Park [s]Tri[/s] Du I use for all kinds of races now. Tech hat from NJ State Triathlon is second.

I'd love to add to my mug collection, though....

[quote=Robba]Great for the sub 20 degree running weather.[/quote] Did you just use [i]great[/i] and [i]sub 20 degree[/i] in the same sentence? There nothing great that can come from running in that! :)

[quote=jtrimom]I love the medals, b/c when I got home the kids think I won[/quote]

I'm tempted to give mine away to those who can't race.
http://www.medals4mettle.org/

I hear the kids love the Disney medals. ([i]There's something in my eye.[/i])

Best thing i got was a race belt in my second race...timing was perfect

At a few events I got some really good stuff.

I got a nice windbreaker pullover with the race name embroidered on it.
Lots of races are going with tech t shirts so I like that.
I got a few race belts,
A couple of head sweat hats,

I don't mind the race t-shirts if they are colorful and/or interesting.
My wife loves to sew and quilt so she is going to make me a few race t shirt quilts.

Actually the best things I got from races, were friends I met at them.
Several trifuelers included! ;-)

[quote=beads1985]Actually the best things I got from races, were friends I met at them.
Several trifuelers included! ;-)[/quote]

AWWWW And I just KNOW you mean ME...ehehehehhehehehe

[quote=brittda][quote=beads1985]Actually the best things I got from races, were friends I met at them.
Several trifuelers included! ;-)[/quote]

AWWWW And I just KNOW you mean ME...ehehehehhehehehe[/quote]

Guilty as charged.
You are one of the several. ;-)

Did you just use great and sub 20 degree in the same sentence? There nothing great that can come from running in that! :)

I won't mention the sub 30 I've run in.

[quote=TriSooner][quote=jtrimom]I love the medals, b/c when I got home the kids think I won[/quote]

I'm tempted to give mine away to those who can't race.
http://www.medals4mettle.org/ [/quote]

I've done this. It's a neat cause.

The only sub-30 anything I'm running is a 5K road race!

I've got you all beat for race prizes.

In my first Oly Tri - the Kelowna Apple in 1993, which I signed up for on a whim 2 weeks prior, with no training, never having swum a mile in my life before, I was [i]the last man to finish.[/i] (3:37:00, if you must know.)

At the Awards / Prize handouts they gave me [b]a pair of LOOK clipless pedals,[/b] on which I ride today from Fresh Air Experience: $210.00 Thanks guys! It made my day.

Can you top that?

Oh yeah, and at IMC 2007, NAS gave me a new Cervélo P2SL frame - just because, you know?
Luckily the pedals fit.
[img]http://www.geoffwhite.ws/images/tn_P2SL.jpg[/img]

:D

PoC

wow, PoC, do you play the lottery? Sounds like you have all the luck!

See? It doesn't always pay to come first.
According to Paula Newby-Fraser, (who told me this personally ten weeks ago in Penticton) when I thanked the NAS rep. Michael Lovato, she said that the Cervélo was awarded to the owner of the "crappiest bike in the race!"
That's what she said. She was referring to my old Bianchi.
Kylie, PJT, catwood & kkocan & BBB kindly donated spare parts to help me build it into the race machine you see above.

Friends are more important than winning lotteries.

I still ride the old Bianchi.

PoC
I also have 60+ race shirts in my closet, which I treasure.

My Tri coach has a huge banner he got after one of his first tri's. I liked the idea as a race memento . After this years Flying Pig I was sitting in a bar with 2 ladies I had hooked up with from RW forums. Suddenly it danwed on me that I'd like one of the race route signs. So I grabbed a cab and through broken french and English( he was from Mauritania) we started out following the race route. Finally after loosing much hope he stops and says "is that one?" Low and behold there was a shiny pink Pig Sign. It was mine and no adorns a wall along with several others.
Oh PoC? The race my coach got the banner? The Apple Triathlon.

[quote=TriSooner]+1 Coffee mug. Most worthless? Another white t-shirt. (Hey, that might make a good, albeit sarcastic, name for a triathlon: "Another White T Triathlon") I've seen some races that give a coule of dollars off if you don't want the T.[/quote]

ha ha ha - when I was 14 or so I did a 5 mile fun run and wore a white t-shirt with wording on the back that read "Great, another boring white t-shirt".

One of the race organizers/volunteers came up to me and told me they used white shirts because they were cheaper. Thanks for the econ lesson.

As to the OP - the PBR tri was the first I did and they gave out a (non-white) dry-fit tee, but a size too small. It's awesome motivation - I want to be able to wear the shirt from my first tri! Gotta keep shoving off them pounds!

Check out the sign above POC's P2C.

[quote=gfd]Check out the sign above POC's P2C. [/quote]

classic

[quote=PrinceofClydes]The only sub-30 anything I'm running is a 5K road race!

I've got you all beat for race prizes.

In my first Oly Tri - the Kelowna Apple in 1993, which I signed up for on a whim 2 weeks prior, with no training, never having swum a mile in my life before, I was [i]the last man to finish.[/i] (3:37:00, if you must know.)

At the Awards / Prize handouts they gave me [b]a pair of LOOK clipless pedals,[/b] on which I ride today from Fresh Air Experience: $210.00 Thanks guys! It made my day.

Can you top that?

Oh yeah, and at IMC 2007, NAS gave me a new Cervélo P2SL frame - just because, you know?
Luckily the pedals fit.
[img]http://www.geoffwhite.ws/images/tn_P2SL.jpg[/img]

:D

PoC[/quote]

Awesome, but neither really fits the definition of SWAG, as per the OP.

I'm jes' sayin' we's a little bit country hereabouts.

[b]Another use for race T-shirts:[/b] One of my IMC souvenir shirts is adorning the ceiling of Carlos 'n Charlies Bar in Cancun - along with about 200 others.

PoC

[quote=fastdog5]

Awesome, but neither really fits the definition of SWAG, as per the OP.[/quote]

really? Aww, c'mon fastdog, both the pedals and frame were free, not prizes for winning anything.
The Looks were a door prize donated by Fresh Air Experience, who also donated t-shirts, etc. to give away at the awards gathering,

and the frame was a crapshoot. They were going to give it to somebody. There were other crappy bikes in the pens.

I was the lucky one. :)

PoC

[quote=PrinceofClydes]I'm jes' sayin' we's a little bit country hereabouts.

[b]Another use for race T-shirts:[/b] One of my IMC souvenir shirts is adorning the ceiling of Carlos 'n Charlies Bar in Cancun - along with about 200 others.

PoC[/quote]
Doesn't that place also have womens bras and panties stapled to the wall too? ;-)

[quote=beads1985][quote=PrinceofClydes]I'm jes' sayin' we's a little bit country hereabouts.

[b]Another use for race T-shirts:[/b] One of my IMC souvenir shirts is adorning the ceiling of Carlos 'n Charlies Bar in Cancun - along with about 200 others.

PoC[/quote]
Doesn't that place also have womens bras and panties stapled to the wall too? ;-)[/quote]

ja, some of dem still haf zee girlz in zem!

PoC

[quote=PrinceofClydes][quote=fastdog5]

Awesome, but neither really fits the definition of SWAG, as per the OP.[/quote]

really? Aww, c'mon fastdog, both the pedals and frame were free, not prizes for winning anything.
The Looks were a door prize donated by Fresh Air Experience, who also donated t-shirts, etc. to give away at the awards gathering,

and the frame was a crapshoot. They were going to give it to somebody. There were other crappy bikes in the pens.

I was the lucky one. :)

PoC[/quote]

SWAG = stuff we ALL get. OK, OK, I'm just jeaolous...the one time I placed in an event, my prize was a jug of hammer gel, those cheap b***ards.