Calgary woman distraught after F-word engraved on marathon medal

For most, a marathon medal represents months of dedication, perseverance and the sense of personal accomplishment that comes from completing 42.2 gruelling kilometres. Adorchita Di Perno of Calgary felt that way about her 2023 Chicago Marathon medal, until she saw that the expletive “F***” had been engraved onto the back of it.

Di Perno had just finished her 22nd marathon in 3:34:29, achieving a Boston-qualifying time. She was able to get 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden to sign the back of her medal and, for the first time, decided to get it engraved. After the race, she dropped it off at the U.S. running chain Fleet Feet Chicago, where she wrote down her name, phone number and bib information for the engraving.

After waiting a few hours, Di Perno arrived back at the store to collect her medal. She wasn’t wearing her glasses at the time, but immediately noticed that it had the wrong time (5:02:32). Then, when she put on her glasses, her heart stopped as she read the profanity engraved onto the medal.

“This is my medal, but this is not my time or name,” says Di Perno. “And I did not ask for the F-word.”

Di Perno immediately spoke to store management, and after much confusion, they apologized for the mistake, giving her the option of a new, untarnished medal. “I did not want to give it up, because I ran for it and earned it,” says Di Perno.

Later that day, staff at the store figured out that Di Perno, whose bib number was 5773, had dropped off her medal at the store at around the same time as another runner, with a bib number 57731, dropped off her own medal, and the engravers got the two customers confused.

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We reached the other runner, who told us, “I was supposed to get my medal back on Oct. 12,” and who confirmed that they requested the F-word be engraved on her medal, but declined to say why. “I haven’t heard from [Fleet Feet] and did not know [my medal] was given to someone else,” they said.

When Canadian Running showed them a photo of the medal, they were unhappy about the black marker on it, not realizing it was Linden’s signature. 

Looking back on the mishap, Di Perno says she was upset at the time, but now, it’s hard not to laugh about it.

The Calgarian hopes to one day become an Abbott World Marathon Major six-star finisher, and is waiting to hear whether she’s been selected to race the Tokyo Marathon in 2024.