Remember back in grade school when you’d receive a “certificate of participation” for finishing just about anything? Whether it was completing a science project, reading a certain number of books or just having good attendance, a certificate (featuring cool borders, formal sounding language and your name displayed in pretty text) made it seem “official.”

You’d rush home to show your mom & dad that wonderful piece of paper verifying that you indeed “saw things through.” They’d give you a hug; reward you with a snack and display that formal document in a place of prominence… right on the refrigerator door.

Well, now that we’re grown up and capable of fixing our own snacks, we certainly don’t need certificates any more, do we?

Of course we do!

Most races allow you the option to print out a certificate of participation featuring your name and chip time… suitable for framing. Sure it’s a little silly, but it’s also cool to see your accomplishment immortalized on a printable PDF format. Besides, if you put your finisher’s medal in a shadow box, the certificate makes for a good background. And there’s something about holding that piece of paper in my hand (should you deem it worthy of actually printing) that still makes my inner 10-year-old smile.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make room on my fridge.

Run on!