Safety Pins

Chianti Ultra Trail posted on Instagram ahead of this weekend’s races the following announcement:

No safety pins at bib collection.
To reduce the environmental impact of Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB, safety pins will not be provided. Please bring your own bib fasteners: clips, magnets, or any other reusable solution.

Some quick math:

• A box of safety pins (1,000 count) on Amazon is $10. (Those are the ones I’ve been using for my races over the last few years.)
• UTMB Chianti had ~4,000 starters.
• Each racers needs 4 pins for their bib.
• That’s 16,000 pins, r 16 boxes
• Which costs UTMB $160, (if they have an Amazon Prime membership)

Of course this is not about the money savings. But also, by announcing this the trolls show up online and in various podcasts to lament at the micro management of it all. And maybe one could argue that this is a fight not worth fighting: just give the damn pins and worry about the bigger picture. In some ways it reminds me of the ‘plastic straw debate’ from a few of years ago. It’s a topic easy to politicize (Trump announced very smugly that “straws are back on the menu, boys” and score easy laughs, so maybe a giant corporations shouldn’t dictate their customer behavior, is the general sentiment.

But! Maybe this also can be seen as an opportunity. UMTB is the largest trail events management company in the world. Why not use your brand and voice to influence customer behavior? I’ve run countless races, always expected pins to be handed to me, it’s a learned behavior. But what I also learned over the years of racing is that Tailwind in my own bottles is better for me than relying on whatever hydration product the aid stations provide. So I adapted. I learned what socks work for me, how much lube I need, when I should use poles. I adapted. I spend weeks fretting over what shoes to wear and what headlamp would work for me. We as trail runners love our gear. We adapt.

I could just learn a new behavior. To bring my own pins, or whatever safety mechanisms I want to adopt. God, I am sure I have enough pins floating around with my race kit. I already prep drop bags, nutrition, and mandatory gear. Thinking of a couple of safety pins don’t ruin my life. Unless you’re a podcaster or online troll… then it might just be the end of your world.