I got this amazing letter in the mail this week. It explained that Hawaii residents can pre-register for the Honolulu Marathon (in December) for only $30. Naturally, I was psyched, and was prepared to mail in my entry until I saw:
"Come register at Niketown on Saturday, May 3 and receive a special Honolulu Marathon gift! This offer is only valid for those who register at Niketown."
Although my Saturday was packed, I cannot pass up a free gift offer. So, I navigated traffic, dealt with the horror of parking, and waited in line for 45 minutes to sign up. As the line got closer, I was on pins and needles. What would my free gift be? A keychain? An "in-training" T-shirt? Heck, even a new sticker would be awesome. So I waited, and waited, until finally I reached the front of the line.
FrayedLaces: So, what's my free gift?
Waytoocheeryvolunteer: You get a 2007 finishers shirt!
FrayedLaces: Umm, I already have one. I ran it last year and finished.
Waytoocheeryvolunteer: Well, you can have another one! (plastered smile)
FrayedLaces: But I don't need another one. What are those red shirts? Can I have one of those?
Waytoocheeryvolunteer: Ohhhhh, those are for the *sideways furtive glance* non-finishers.
FrayedLaces: Those are cool. I'll take one of those instead.
Waytoocheeryvolunteer: I'm sorry. You can't have one. You can have a finishers shirt though!
FrayedLaces: But I already...sigh...fine. I'll take a small.
Waytoocheeryvolunteer: Ohhhhh, well, we don't have any. I can give you a large!
FrayedLaces: I don't wear a large.
Waytoocheeryvolunteer: Well, you can give it as a gift!
FrayedLaces: I thought the whole point of the finishers shirt is you have to actually finish the race to get one.
Waytoocheeryvolunteer: (Plastic smile. No response.)
FrayedLaces: Nevermind.
Monday, May 5, 2008
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16 comments:
at this point you went OFF on her, right? Please tell me you did!
seriously
DO NOT MESS WITH THE FRAYED!
now, mightcould I come and visit you?
never been to hawaii.
Something about Nike doesn't sound right? Pathethic! Nike makes trillion of dollars in revenue and all they did was trying to get rid of $3.00 t-shirt from last year event. Poor marketing since they were trying to lure people to come in their store and buy $200 sneakers while registering for this.
Wow. Phidippides has been desrespected in a big way. Makes you wonder how many people are out there wearing that shirt proudly who coudn't finish a 10k. Time for you to step up to the Hawaii HURT 100.
Ouch. On behalf of legitimate marketing professionals everywhere, I apologize for the doofuses that somehow find their way into marketing jobs. Most of them do seem to work for Nike.
Lame. This only confirms my rabid anit-Nike stance. Suck it, Michael Jordan!
Ri-Diculous! They were giving last year's shirts away as a free gift to anyone? You are absolutely not allowed to wear the shirt unless you finished the race! That's just common knowledge.
That's just pathetic!
Like Vanilla said no-runny-no-shirty!
Once again corporate America at it's best! You pay peanuts you get monkeys!
PS thanks for the props ;-) and yes "the plan" comes in a melt in your mouth not in you hand candy coating and in lots of bright colors!
Kind of cheapens the effort of actually doing it when they put it that way. Hate. Retail. Hate them.
Hi Frayed (and friends). I am a newbie runner and blogger who enjoys reading your blog. I am inspired and entertained by your posts and the comments from your friends. I am determined to "run the distance."
They wouldn't give you a non-finishers shirt? WHAT?! What do you have to do to get one of those?
The geniuses who marketed the registration must have been golfers.
Too funny. Well, and sad. Do I now have to question my automatic admiration for folks who wear shirts from races I'd never dare attempt? So disillusioning!
Wow how lame is that. I would have been seriously annoyed.
I would have been more mad that I had to wait in line for 45 minutes. Idiocy...obviously a lure to the unknowing...
(hiding all old race shirts)
oh geez, that is just ridiculous.
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