Virtual Boston Medal

I have never participated in a virtual race and honestly, I am not a huge fan of them. Running Boston is probably one of a few I would consider. One of the best parts of running a race is finishing...with the crowd at the finish line, the recovery walk down the chute and the medal. The medals in races typically don't mean much to me. I guess I remember growing up, I only got a medal when I won something, or finished in the top 5-6. No such thing as a participant medal. So, finishing a half marathon, or marathon when they put a medal around my neck was not a big deal. However, the medal still would be hung around my neck until I deemed it too heavy, or whatever and I would take it off. When I finished Boston virtually, there were not crowds of people (just my girls and Margaret's family), no chute and no medal. My medal was mailed to me in a box along with my finishers tee a few weeks later. I put the box on my closet shelf and didn't think much of it. I put the shirt on today, and I started thinking about the medal and the aftermath of the race I didn't get to experience. So I pulled the box down and put the medal around my neck and decided to take a picture as this will probably be the only time I will put it around my neck. Then I put it back in the box and placed it back on my shelf. I know it is a participation medal, but I do feel like I earned this medal. I plan to attempt to re-qualify next fall, when I am in the next age bracket and have a few more minutes to my cut-off time. Hopefully, there will be a 2023 Boston Marathon on the streets of Boston and I will be able to experience the whole day.