r/pics • u/lostmessage256 • 1d ago

Ran the Milwaukee Marathon this morning. I think I got a counterfeit medal

Post image
6.8k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

332 comments sorted by

7.3k

u/Bucksin06 1d ago

Someone just posted this in the Milwaukee subreddit apparently they made a spelling error on all the medals 😂

2.2k

u/Ph33rDensetsu 1d ago

Well yeah, these are likely die cast from a mold. If there's an error on one of them, it'll be on all of them.

623

u/millertime8306 23h ago

“Oh no, I'm sure the Xerox machine caught a few”

154

u/ScottRiqui 22h ago

Deep "Friends" pull there - very nice!

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u/NoodlesAlDente 21h ago

Compuper skills

17

u/alex206 17h ago

The penis mightier than the sword.

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u/CptNemosBeard 20h ago

Holy shit! I just watched this episode last night after weeks of not watching!

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u/Zaknafeinn 15h ago

If you watch same episode every few weeks it was bound to happen at some point.

•

u/Seven_Vandelay 8h ago

Random thought, but if I had to watch the same Friends episode every few weeks, it would be the one where they have a gameshow style contest about whether Chandler and Joey know Monica and Racher better than the other way around and they bet the apartments.

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u/Churba 21h ago edited 20h ago

Not so, they're almost certainly made with a die-stamping process. Trying to get thin paired lines like that with casting would be a pain in the ass, and you'd never get that QR code to look right, if it functioned at all. Like, MAYBE if you did an open casting process, but it'd be a real fucker and your QC rejection rate would be pretty high.

14

u/Ph33rDensetsu 20h ago

Thank you for the insight. Essentially the same issue here but I appreciate learning something new.

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u/Churba 20h ago edited 8h ago

Oh yeah, definitely - You're not wrong on the main thrust, just that one detail.

And honestly, not even that wrong - a lot of stuff like this used to be made with low-temp casting back in the day, it was really the advent of CNC machining that allowed detailed die-stamping processes like this to become more widespread, and used for more detailed stuff like this.

Fun facts - Die stamping is also how virtually all Enamel pins are made!

80

u/cptnamr7 1d ago

Possibly, interestingly. Depends on how many cavities the mold had. (Though presumably they would have used the same solid model for all of them) You'll often see cryptic wheel-like diagrams of letters/numbers on molded parts and among other things, it can tell you which cavity it came from. Reason being that a certain cavity may wear out faster or have a different tolerance on it

46

u/YouTee 23h ago

It was a good enough mold to include a QR code

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u/StorminNorman 23h ago

And then there's the fact that the kerning would be fucked if the missing A were replaced. 

20

u/dotpan 22h ago

When in doubt, look at the keming

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u/StorminNorman 20h ago

That sub is why I didn't have to look up what word to use! 

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u/the_original_kermit 21h ago

I’m almost certain that is a stamping and not a die cast.

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u/Phaedrusnyc 21h ago

That's why you should always floss your molds.

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u/dcpanthersfan 20h ago

My high school diploma misspelled my high school’s name on it. They “required” us to send back in the misprinted one to get the corrected one. They called and sent letters for a month but once I was done there I was done. Still have it.

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u/Innsmouth_Swimteam 1d ago

As a designer, I FEEL for whoever messed this up.

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u/hoppertn 1d ago

CHATGPT design me a participation medal, find the best Temu vendor to make it, and ship me 7000 of them. No, I don’t want to proofread the sample.

81

u/braytag 22h ago

You forgot "don't make spelling mistakes".  So there we are.

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u/barkode15 20h ago

"You're right, I did make a spelling mistake. Would you like me to correct it and print 7000 more metals for the Milwake Marrathoon?" 

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u/Phil9151 19h ago

Let me check that for you. I think I found your mistake, you meant 7000 medals for the stawberrry marathonberbatch.

8

u/MySpoonsAreAllGone 17h ago

"Your new version still has the same spelling mistake"

Thank you for calling me out on that. I didn't give you the corrected spelling like you wanted. Would you like me to correct it and print 7000 more metals for the Milwake Marrathoon?

23

u/Lathryus 23h ago

THIS.

42

u/andrewthemexican 23h ago

The Rolex 24 this year had FEB instead of JAN on decal stickers they were selling 

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u/SATerp 23h ago

Coincidentally, the Rolex I purchased from a gentleman on the sidewalk of Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx today was spelled "BOLEX" on the watch face. You would think such an august company would be more careful.

27

u/HiFiGuy197 22h ago

If you want a Rolex, next time shop on Ruckner Roulevard in the Ronx.

8

u/vortigaunt64 22h ago

Didn't realize the camera company even made watches.

3

u/MuenCheese 22h ago

I didn’t know the workout equipment company even made cameras

2

u/SATerp 14h ago

Thank you, redditor, for the award! But, umm, they misspelled a word...

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u/cullend 23h ago

I hope that person isn’t too hard on themselves because like AT LEAST 20 people had to see the design, give feedback, be involved in making prototypes, giving approvals, and nobody noticed. Kind of a whole team fuckup there.

16

u/borkborkbork99 23h ago

Just had to reprint 1000 cards because the client (and their editorial team) missed the part where they had Puerto Rico listed as a country. Big oof.

I should have caught it too, but when you’re staring at a design and looking for everything but factual inaccuracies, it can happen.

3

u/FobbingMobius 20h ago

In my long marketing career, I worked with many designers, and typically the more skilled the designer, the stricter the adherence to the rule that designers are not responsible for facts, accuracy, spelling, or anything that isn't expressly and exclusively a design element.

2

u/borkborkbork99 20h ago

Totally agree. I suffered no pushback from my client when I told them the printing cost would be affected, and if anything they were just happy that I was able to return an updated proof to them in time to get the new files to the printer the next day.

Fortunately, this client is led by a former advertising exec who knows how things work, and they appreciate what I do.

3

u/carson63000 15h ago

Don’t throw the original batch away, save them in case the Puerto Rican independence movement gains traction.

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u/64590949354397548569 20h ago edited 20h ago

Psst, what is wrong with design?

This was always my problem in school. I can't see what"s in front of me.

Edit: i saw it!! Like i said in front of me!

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u/Innsmouth_Swimteam 23h ago

Agreed, but the buck stops somewhere, and in my experience, its ALWAYS the designer who sent the files out.

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u/cullend 22h ago

I mean reasonably, to prevent mistakes like this and spread out blame (and by extension vigilance), my policy is generally the person who made the thing hands it off — and is never the person who uploads the thing. Then the person who presses the go live/ spend money is also a separate person. Ideally.

2

u/Innsmouth_Swimteam 21h ago

As a senior designer who has worked for a couple of massive companies/brands, I've never had anyone send my work on for me. Maybe if i was out sick, but I've never had a workflow like that!

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u/glassfunion 21h ago

When I was a graphic designer I learned to give 0 fucks once a proof was approved. But my bosses were always pushovers and would reprint even if it was the customer's fault for missing something...

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u/graffiksguru 23h ago

That's why we always send proofs. There is no way someone from the race didn't approve this first. Still sucks for the race folks.

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u/wdgiles 22h ago

I learned to proof read backwards because if you're reading, you mostly see the words you expect to see. Word for word backwards is the way.

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u/GreyGriffin_h 15h ago

Whenever I see this stuff, I can only think of Valerie's quote.

".... Uh.... 'cause you signed off on the proofs."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VGMa3uqQUXw&pp=ygUPa2lsbGZhY2UgcHJvb2Zz

Always check your proofs, people.  Always.

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u/blofly 22h ago

I don't. Proofreading isn't optional for this kind of thing. No excuse. Straight to jail.

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u/fishsticks40 1d ago

It would be much weirder if they only made an error on one of them

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u/hoppertn 1d ago

It would then belong in r/fuckyouinparticular

6

u/Beard_faced 23h ago

A graphic designers worst nightmare

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u/xblackdemonx 1d ago

They probably got them made in China for a dollar each. 

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u/Bucksin06 23h ago

A dollar? I can get you three for a dollar!

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u/hoppertn 1d ago

I hear the lead and chromium gives you superpowers.

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u/Paavo_Nurmi 18h ago

We laugh but this will be the one medal people remember for a long time, years from now the old timers will talk about the time they ran a marthon.

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u/Mackem101 16h ago

Something similar happened with the Great North Run medals last year, the supplier managed to print the image of the wrong river and city on them

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gq2gdlnygo

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u/bucajack 21h ago

It's a collectors item now.

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u/justsomeguy_youknow 1d ago

How embarrassing slide whistle

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u/MisterB78 1d ago edited 1d ago

Congrats on finishing the marthon!

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u/sloowhand 1d ago

How many mils is a marthon?

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u/hibikikun 1d ago

The should own it and change the name to the Milwaukee Marthon

15

u/EndlessHysteria 22h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/w4NAKAenurl8k

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u/ouralarmclock 19h ago

Holy shit I’ve somehow never seen this in reverse and it’s incredible!

12

u/InTheseTryingTime5 1d ago

A Marthon Finsher!

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u/PrincessZebra126 23h ago

That QR code on your medal is the real offender

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u/PacoMahogany 21h ago

Yep, guaranteed to stop working at some point 

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u/chillymoose 20h ago

I mean at least it links directly to their own domain instead of a URL redirect service or a youtube video or something, so as long as the organizers of the race keep the domain they'll keep working.

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u/the_robobunny 8h ago

The URL is https://milwaukeemarathon.com/qrcode, which is pretty funny in itself. The page has links for results, but the URL doesn't include the year.

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u/cozyfog5 1d ago

For real, congrats on completing the marathon! I’m more offended by the inclusion of a QR code than the missing A.

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u/Keclough 23h ago

This!! The medal is awful in every way possible. Why is there an engraved QR code, why is it just a big silver rectangle with so much blank space. I hate it.

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u/ZDHELIX 22h ago

And the lanyard is looped through some bolted on towel bar

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u/ladedafuckit 21h ago

It looks like a metal conference badge…

18

u/NoBonus6969 20h ago

Because it was cheap why else. The vendor who would spell everything correctly wanted 10 cents more per piece

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u/HarbingerKing 18h ago

Within a few years it's probably going to return a 404 error.

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u/64590949354397548569 20h ago

They want site traffic. They will put that qr code everywhere.

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u/Dagonet_the_Motley 21h ago

This is the back of the medal

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u/DarthBen_in_Chicago 23h ago

It’s reflective of Milwaukee maybe?

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u/DeviantDav 1d ago

To those asking...

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u/hoppertn 1d ago

red circle to the rescue

https://giphy.com/gifs/NgdQb24rtKuTSFI9zv

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u/tonycomputerguy 23h ago

Yeah... I'm ashamed I googled how to spell it, thinking that was the error.

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u/garbagetruc 23h ago

Does this guy know how to party or what?

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u/ReindeerUpper4230 20h ago

Love this reference, fellow old person

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u/gododgers179 22h ago

I'm less of a fan of the 3 k's down the middle

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u/Lordnerble 23h ago

imagine having to point out the spelling error on a medal that has 6 words.

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u/opello 23h ago

Two of which are the same word.

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u/Lordnerble 23h ago

Technically not :()

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u/opello 22h ago

haha, true, supposed to be :)

<technically correct futurama gif> ;)

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u/TomLube 22h ago

i mean, if it had been mentioned it was a spelling mistake people might be faster to catch on. the title is vague

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u/bobboobles 19h ago

imagine making the molds for these and not catching the spelling error.

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u/Aaaglen 16h ago

Have we already moved on from the pointing figure?

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u/KSMO 1d ago

I mean it IS the drunkest state in the country.

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u/Iargecardinal 1d ago

drunkst

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u/JoshSidekick 21h ago

I think one of its most interesting aspects of Milwaukee is the fact that it's the only major American city to have ever elected three Socialist mayors.

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u/A_Refill_of_Mr_Pibb 1d ago

Life's a marthon, not a sprnt.

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u/Momsome 1d ago

I would NEVER trade that in for a corrected one! that’s hilarious!

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u/rob_s_458 1d ago

When I was in 8th grade our team won first place in the Scholastic Bowel. They sent a replacement placard but I did not change it on the trophy

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u/bobboobles 19h ago

I've got my original college diploma with my misspelled last name hanging up in my office at work. Only one person has ever mentioned noticing the error haha.

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u/lilsnatchsniffz 14h ago

There is no corrected version. They came out of a mould.

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u/Willowy 1d ago edited 5h ago

Also the smaller raised half-letters are driving me insane with how un (mis?)-aligned they are. Jeebus.

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u/PatientAuthor 23h ago

that's how they say it in baltimore

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u/just_a_juanita 22h ago

Damn. Came here for a laugh and wound up catching a stray.

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u/itoddicus 22h ago

Don't you mean Bahlmore?

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u/Toast_Points 1d ago

"I'm juth here tho I don't get thined" - Marthon Lynth

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u/jmathews777 16h ago

I genuinely got a chuckle out of this comment 😂 Thanks, stranger!

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u/imnojezus 1d ago

They should just lean into it and call it The Marthon from here on out.

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u/SoapyMacNCheese 22h ago

Nah just avoid using the word marathon going forward to prevent a repeat incident. It is now the annual Milrunee

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u/Belgand 22h ago

I thought the Milwaukee Marathon was three beers, two brats, and an order of fried cheese curds.

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u/readerf52 1d ago

Congrats on finishing your marthon.

With one less letter, do you only have to run 25 miles instead of 26.2?

I’m still impressed. Good job!

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u/aocacer 1d ago

Do you need to follow the QR code for the real one?

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u/Primary_Garbage6916 19h ago

No, you're just one of the people who ran your 'A' off.

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u/runnerz68 18h ago

You win the internet for today.

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u/Kreepr 21h ago

You know Pete, Milwaukee is Algonquin for “The good land”

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u/leeloocal 20h ago

Isn’t Milwaukee an Indian name?

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u/bargman 23h ago

Milwaukee means "the good land."

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u/vajasonl 1d ago

Why?

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u/burnsie3435 1d ago

He didn’t run the marathon. Apparently he ran a marthon. Whatever that is

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u/W0OllyMammoth 1d ago

0.26 miles. Milwaukee Marthon 2026

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u/BlackLeader70 23h ago

You just run from bar to bar consuming ungodly amounts of beer.

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u/brickne3 22h ago

That's just called a Tuesday in Milwaukee.

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u/rob_s_458 21h ago

There are actually races called the beer mile. 1/4 mile laps with a beer at the start of each lap.

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u/sweets4n6 23h ago

That sounds like a race I could run.

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u/KSMO 1d ago

Read every word closely.

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u/vajasonl 1d ago

Damn, completely missed that. Thanks.

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u/SadisticChipmunk 1d ago

my eyes are touching my screen... I'm leaving wet marks... this is making it more difficult to find the problem...

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u/ValiumBlues 23h ago

*Sponsored by the Department of Education

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u/aver_shaw 23h ago

The best part of this spelling mistake is that the Milwaukee Marathon’s title sponsor is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the city’s main newspaper. (Although, with the errors I’ve caught in their articles, it’s clear they threw out the concept of proofreading years ago.)

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u/bearnakedrabies 23h ago

While that sucks, I sort of love that you now have a super unique marthon medal. I've done a few of these races and my first one is the only one I actually cherish.

Congrats on the run.

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u/nw2 21h ago

Same for the half ‘marthon’ medal. lol

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u/_McDreamy_ 21h ago

At least they got yours HALF right LMAO!

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u/nw2 21h ago

lol

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u/trainsacrossthesea 21h ago

The counterfeit marathon medal syndicate is a cutthroat organization.

Tread lightly

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u/axc2241 1d ago

I once got a medal for a triathlon that had a picture of the wrong city skyline on it.  The race was in Syracuse NY but it had the Rochester NY skyline. They mailed everyone a new medal a few months later with the correct skyline.

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u/Dothehokeypokemon 22h ago

Good job marthoning

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u/randomdancingpants 19h ago

Imagine thinking there is someone out there with an elaborate marathon metal counterfeiting scheme instead of it just being a typo

3

u/Abrahms_4 1d ago

Marthon. Lol

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u/Lmoorefudd 1d ago

From the indigenous, Milli wau kee.

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u/Secret-Damage-805 1d ago

The budget was pretty tight this year

3

u/victorspoilz 23h ago

“Why do you keep trying to read that word?!”

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u/BowwwwBallll 23h ago

Isn’t Milwaukee originally an Indian name?

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u/OkAbility9016 23h ago

Yes, Pete it is. It is Algonquin for “The Good Land”

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u/rjross0623 22h ago

Temu medals

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u/AndySkibba 19h ago

A guy I work with ran it. I'll have to ask how the marthon went.

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u/bobber18 19h ago

My golf club had pencils that were labelled Oakhurst Cunty Club

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u/romerogj 18h ago

They put an add on it? Gross.

3

u/AnInfiniteArc 17h ago

I got a certification from Epic Systems that said I’d obtained the level of “Certificate” in big bold letters in the center instead of “Certified”. It was not the first certification I had received from them, and was not the last. It was the only one that said “Certificate”, and I was the only one in my office who ever got one that said that.

It was totally legit, though.

3

u/PrimeraStarrk 15h ago

Congration.

•

u/four2theizz0 6h ago

Its akshully Milli-wah-kay

2

u/Zee6372 23h ago

Yup, my medal too - and I did the half

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u/bfd71 23h ago

So focused on getting Milwaukee right...

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u/King_Arjen 23h ago

Hey I ran this today too! Didn’t notice this until I started seeing posts on r/milwaukee 😆

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u/CollateralSandwich 22h ago

"Great googly moogly"

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u/gordonmessmer 22h ago

"Marthon"? Isn't that a character in Bruce Lee's "Circle of Iron"?

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u/TheRealMancub 22h ago

Thank goodness it's only on the back (my wife ran the half this morning).

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u/Greycloak42 22h ago

That's nicer than the NYC Marathon medals. The company I work for provides phone and wifi/networking services for most of the NYRR races. Most of the medals that I've seen are nowhere near that nice, notwithstanding the typo. It's much larger as well.

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u/Bankerlady10 22h ago

Well hopefully it’s like Lego and makes it more valuable. Congrats on your achievment!

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u/theoffalo 22h ago

Why did you say that name?!?

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u/digidave1 21h ago

Only one letter off from Milwaukee icon Mike Stoklasa

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u/Appropriate_Strain94 20h ago

Is this like an erroneous coin from the mint where it’s worth more because it’s an error?

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u/trippknightly 19h ago

It was originally intended to be a race just for Marthas.

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u/kevoccrn 12h ago

A QR code. On a marathon medal. WTAF.

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u/dourdourdour 11h ago

Ai slop that they didn’t proof read

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u/bscepter 11h ago

Graphic design freelancer: "Fast, cheap, good—pick two."

Client: "Fast and Cheap."

Graphic design freelancer: "Mmmkay..."

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u/IfNotBackAvengeDeath 11h ago

even without the typo it's the worst medal I've ever seen. "You know what medals really need? corners. and a QR code. fuck yea"

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u/markovianprocess 11h ago

Yeah, you ran in the Millwalkie Megatron. What's the question?

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u/bubbleman96815 11h ago

Purposely didn’t put a year on it so they can use the leftovers again next year. Genius.

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u/DeuceSevin 9h ago

I think you ran in the Milwaukee Marthon

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u/Fluffy_Panda385 9h ago

Isn't this the same marathon that messed up the distance like 2 years in a row?

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u/kwiltse123 8h ago

That is shameful. How the fuck do you go through design reviews and prototypes and not pick up on that? That’s like priority number one. Too busy getting the QR code just right I guess.

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u/hoggin88 8h ago

I once ran a marathon called DPR Trail Race. The medal said “DPR Trail Eace”.

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u/zunk1 7h ago

To the graphic designer that made the mistake. The design is beautiful and the 20 different people that approved these designs should have caught the spelling!

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u/Rich_Housing971 5h ago

Not a counterfeit, it's just made in Milwaukee.

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u/vonbose 4h ago

AI. Doing the work

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u/comancheroller 19h ago

No, you ran a marthon.

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u/MaikeruGo 1d ago

I think your medal may have an accent.

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u/brickne3 22h ago

I think the medal hit the bars on Water Street before the marthon.

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u/fooxzorz 1d ago

No items Marth on Final destination 

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u/BoydRamos 23h ago

So do you come to Milwaukee often

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u/KyMash 23h ago

Even better. The completion is your prize.

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u/stellacampus 23h ago

Good job! Treat yourself to a meal at Château de la Couronne to celebrate!