That's Fit

Right now over at Runner's World a bunch of runners are e-bantering on the pros/cons of race bibs. Considering the microchip is now recording racers' finish times, other than preventing race bandits or helping with photo identification, what's the point of printing bibs anymore?

Readers have weighed in with thoughtful and hilarious insights, including these choice replies:

• To increase wind resistance to keep speeds down.
• To have a safety pin handy to pop post-race blisters.
• Chip devices fail -- video records of bib numbers can determine finish times.
• Other than the race t-shirt, bibs are a souvenir to take home ... and perhaps pin-up on your garage wall with all those license plates from 1967?
• Like a baby bib, keeps the sports drink off your shirt.
• I.D. for medical purposes, you can also write your medical history on the back.

I once saw a guy puking in a garbage can after running a particularly hard race. I must say, if I ever overextend and lose my cookies post-race, a bile-blocking bib might save my favorite hot pink racing shirt.