Cathy Connor loves the Boston Marathon. He likes the camaraderie. He loves the mystique of the event, which dates back to 1897 as the world’s oldest annual marathon. He loved the idea that he could run the same rolling course covered by greats like Kathrine Switzer, Meb Keflezighi and Des Linden.
Ms. Connor, 58, loves the Boston Marathon so much that he has run it nine times. But there’s one thing he, and many of his fellow runners, don’t like: the redesigned medal, which will be awarded to the 30,000 athletes who finish the 26.2-mile race on April 15.
“It was kind of a letdown when I saw the picture,” Ms. Connor, a graphic designer from Pittsburgh, said in a phone interview. “Why mess up a good thing? This is not a turkey trot.”
The new medal bears more than a passing resemblance to versions from previous years. The main image, as always, is a golden unicorn, the long-standing logo of Boston Athletic Associationthe organizing body of the marathon.
But the new medal raised hackles among purists because of one key difference: It was redesigned to feature a large banner for Bank of America, the race’s corporate sponsor, on the bottom edge.
“I don’t want it to suddenly look like this is the Bank of America Marathon,” said George Christopher, 55, of Downingtown, Pa., “and the Boston Athletic Association has almost nothing to do with it.”
The Boston Marathon has been awarding finisher medals since 1983, a practice countless other marathons have since adopted. For the Boston finishers, though, the medal seems to mean a lot. You can not entered Boston on a whim. With some exceptions, you need to achieve a qualifying time in another marathon or be willing to raise money for a charity.
Also, the race is hard – lots of hills, the occasional storm. Finisher medals are earned.
Eve Lanham, 39, hopes to run fast on Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon in Las Vegas on Saturday to qualify him to run in Boston next year.
“For dedicated marathon runners, Boston is sacred,” Ms. Lanham, who lives in San Diego, in an email. “For someone like me, running in Boston is a huge achievement, and probably not something I can do regularly. I want the medal to be of good quality, and to feature the emblematic unicorn, not just another ad for a big bank as the main focal point.”
Bank of America is in its first year as the presenting sponsor of the race, after a 38 year run of John Hancock, an insurance company based in Boston. And the bank wasted no time in making a significant change, as this is the first time a corporate logo has been splashed on the front of the medal.
After a local television news regarding the production of the new medals issued in February, a thread on Reddit got the general mood: “Nauseating!” someone wrote.
A few weeks later, marathon officials posted a photo of the medal on Instagram. But if they were expecting accolades for their commitment to sustainability – the medals and ribbons are made from recycled materials – they miscalculated. The comments section is a grease fire. Reactions ranged from “very disappointed” to “very sad.” Wastebasket emoji used freely.
“The BAA understands how important a finisher medal is to Boston Marathoners,” a spokesperson for the Boston Athletic Association said in a statement, adding: “As they have for decades, we feel that participants will wear them with pride and cherish them when they reach the finish line.”
Bank of America representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
In October, Ms. Lanham the Chicago Marathon, which is also sponsored by the bank. But the medal for that race, he said, was “more tastefully done,” with the name brand at the top in a rather modest typeface.
Mr. Christopher, who ran Boston in 2020 as a virtual race during the pandemic, said he was excited to tackle the course for real later this month. He also understands the collective disappointment with the new medal. He has one from a different breed made by the same company.
“It’s a very nice medal,” he said. “However, the Boston medal has looked a certain way for a while, and I think everyone is hoping to get a similar look.”
Ms. Connor, who ran his first marathon at age 39 and has completed 37 since, understands more than most how hard they work. Last weekend, he completed his last long run — 21 miles — before his 10th Boston Marathon. Is the new medal disappointing? Of course.
“Because it’s always about the money,” he said.
But a piece of heavily branded recycled metal won’t dampen his enthusiasm, he said, and he hopes to run many more marathons, including one in France, the Marathon du Médocwhere athletes get a different kind of prize: glasses of wine at each aid station.
