Runner pockets surprising sum for selling notable race award online
A finisher who completed the Western States Endurance 100-mile race in under 24 hours just sold his finisher's belt buckle on eBay.
When thinking of the re-sale market for running memorabilia, the equivalent of a finisher’s medal may not be the first thing that comes to mind.
But for Jared Hazen, the U.S. distance runner based in Colorado was able to pocket US$519.09 on eBay, an internet sales service, for selling his Silver Buckle, one of the most prestigious awards in ultrarunning according to the race website.
As can be seen in his Facebook post, the running community was not too happy with the decision to sell the item claiming it’s only meaningful to the person who earned it.
Hazen was able to attract 59 bids before the belt buckle was sold on Jan. 31 to an unnamed recipient. Bidding began at US$100 and Hazen described the item as having a value of US$300. The buckle is made of sterling silver (92.5 per cent silver).
No buckle is identical as each are handcrafted in Carson City, Nev. and the award is given to those who complete the 100-mile (160.9 kilometres) race in less than 24 hours. The required pace averages out to approximately 8:56 per kilometre.
“Selling the buckle is partly a joke,” said Hazen on Facebook. “I’m really curious to see if anyone will pay $100 for it. It’s been sitting in its box ever since I got it and it doesn’t mean anything to me, besides I’ve got another one. That being said, I hope it sells. I don’t see what’s so important about a belt buckle. Who knows, someone else may appreciate it more than me. Plus, who doesn’t want an extra hundred bucks.”
Hazen, a Colorado Springs resident, has had the buckle since 2014 when the now 20-year-old completed the race in 17:29:59. In 2015, he improved his time to 15:37:55 and placed third overall.
The race is noted for being the world’s oldest 100-mile trail race and begins in Squaw Valley before finishing in Auburn, both in California.
RELATED: New York City Marathon finisher’s medals allegedly stolen and sold on eBay.
Vancouver resident Ellie Greenwood holds the open female course record in the Western States race and Rob Krar, from Hamilton, Ont., holds the male record for the 30-39 age category. Krar is the back-to-back winner of the Western States Endurance Run.
The act of selling race merchandise from long-distance races on eBay is not isolated to this one incident. According to this eBay post, a Leadville 100-mile belt buckle was sold for US$430 with 49 bids two years ago.
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