LA Marathon Literally Offering Participation Trophies

(Photo by Savion Washington/Getty Images)

We can all agree that our culture has a serious “participation trophy” problem.

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Marathon offered runners the chance to quit at the 18-mile mark and still get a medal. Yes, not finish the race, but still get your participation trophy even though you were a sucker who couldn’t hack it.

As someone who just ran a marathon a couple of weekends ago, I find this incredibly embarrassing. I’m getting second-hand embarrassment for all the grown adults who couldn’t finish the race and still had the gumption to limp away with a trophy. It’s absurd.

Of course, there’s no shame in not being able to finish the race for whatever reason. As someone who damn near suffered a blowout around 18 miles into the race, I can attest to this. People get awful leg cramps. They pull muscles. They tear muscles. They get stress fractures in their feet. They pass out.

There is shame, though, in stolen valor. If you cannot finish the race, you bow your head, accept defeat, and reload for the next one. You aren’t entitled to the same thing finishers get.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 08: Individuals participate in the Los Angeles Marathon near an Oscars Red Carpet Experience held as a collaboration between The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles Marathon on March 08, 2026, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Savion Washington/Getty Images)

I will admit, when it comes to giving very young kids ribbons or trophies for sports, I am a little soft. I don’t think it’s a huge deal that everyone on the 8-and-under Little League team gets a plastic trophy at the end of the season. They’re just kids. Let’s not act like a trophy will have a serious effect on their personalities. If they’re going to have ego problems or develop a sense of entitlement, it will be because of their parents, not because of the trophy that collects dust on their shelves.

That being said, the best team in the league, the team that wins the championship, should get something else to distinguish itself. Their trophies should be nicer, bigger, shinier. They should get gift cards to Dick’s. They should be rewarded for their skill and hard work.

Then, at a certain age, maybe middle school but certainly no later than high school, participation trophies should not be given. No mas! You need to get a taste of the real world.

But with the LA marathon, we’re talking about adults! Full-grown adults. That is a bridge too far. That is clown world.

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