I'm sitting here at a seminar on my lunch break reading Runner's World magazine, thinking about the race in April (quickly approaching in about 4 months now!), which got me thinking about this experience of running not for myself but for someone else... something much bigger and more important.... Running the Boston Marathon for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute then got me thinking about what we get out of racing. For some, it is what we give rather than what we physically get in return. When I crossed the finish line of the Newport Marathon in October I was promptly handed a mylar blanket, bottle of water, a banana, bagel, and all the pizza I could stuff down my throat. Which, believe me, at that time the pizza was truly heaven sent as I was shivering uncontrollably in 30 degree frigid rain and 40 mph gales. Even in my semi-comatose state after immediately running a marathon, I was truly appreciative for the pizza. Barring the food, however, there were no race freebies to keep (other than the medal).

In my opinion, quirky and fun race paraphernalia always beats a boring, white t-shirt like the typical 5k produces.

So what other races across the country have the best goodie bags and gifts for participants? I did a little research to find out.