Sell your old race swag to make more money!

It’s always difficult to predict the number of runners on race day. Bad weather leads to big time drop offs. A sunny cool morning could bring hundreds of new same-day registrants. So it’s safe to say, most of us aren’t predicting the perfect quantity of swag to order, and when we over-order, we are left with hundreds (or more!) dollars worth of t-shirts, pint glasses and other race swag. Destined to be locked up in a storage unit or donated, what should you do with old race swag …? Sell it at your next event.

Yep, you heard right. What do you have to lose, other than some out-of-date stuff that you didn’t get rid of the year before?

We’ve been working with the Winter Classic 5K for a few years now, and they’ve got years and years of “vintage” hats, pint glasses, t-shirts and even fleeces. Last weekend, the race director decided to sell the pieces of old swag for just $1 each. He set up a tent, labeled it “SWAG,” and watched the runners line up.

The tent was total mayhem, and the race director walked away with a few more hundred dollars in his pocket than he would have if he just held on to things. Most people have a buck on them, and if it can get you a nice tech running hat or shirt, that one dollar will go a long way. We even saw someone give a $5, and collect five different items.

One of the primary reasons we hold races is to make money. Whether it is to benefit a charity, a school, or your children’s college funds, your bottom line is always important. Sometimes we make mistakes, but there are ways to recover. So if you’re in a pile of old race swag up to your elbows, think of them as dollar signs, and bring them to your next race!