Airport Security Confiscates Miami Marathon Runners’ Medals

Imagine finishing a marathon only to have your medal thrown away while you try to travel home. Well, that is exactly what some runners who took part in last Sunday’s Miami Marathon had to experience.

The medals of the Miami Marathon were designed to look like the sun, with long (and crucially sharp) sunbeams radiating from the medal. However, after the medal had been put into production it became clear that these pointy edges were going to be a huge issue with one race organiser likening the medal to a ninja throwing star.

The race organisers even took steps to try and avoid runners having their “deadly” marathon memento confiscated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Miami airport by encouraging runners to put their medals into their checked luggage.

“The countdown is on, and we can’t wait to award you with your own 2024 sun-shaped spinner medal as you cross the finish line! Given its design, we have been informed that the TSA may not allow the medals to be carried on flights. As such, we encourage you to plan ahead and check your bag with your medal secure inside to avoid potential issues”

However, many runners either didn’t heed the warning or didn’t have checked luggage that they could put their hard-earned medal in with many reports of runners watching on as their medals were thrown away by airport security.

It isn’t a sad ending to this story, however, as the organisers of the Miami Marathon are endeavouring to send replacements to those who had their medals taken away from them in transit.