Each year hundreds of companies and organizations spend a ton of money advertising in race goodie bags. I decided to share exactly what I got from my Chicago Marathon goodie bag.

There were a ton of pamphlets in my goodie bag. There were a lot in there that advertised particular races. This may be a good idea for targeting a first-time marathon runner who hasn't heard of these races before. However, most of us can get this information online or from word of mouth.

Everyone always loves free samples in a race goodie bag. Clif offered a free chocolate mini bar. I was excited because I like Clif bars, but they aren't anything new to me.

I saw a stick of Extra gum, and tried it right away. Will I ever buy this particular Extra gum again? Probably not.

Will I ever use Affresh dishwasher and disposal cleanser? Certainly not. As a poor post-grad, I have neither a dishwasher or garbage disposal.

Goodie bags may be a good tactic for companies targeting those who are not going to walk around the expo. It does make you wonder if they will even look through the pamphlets, or just take their t-shirts and be on their way.

The Chicago Marathon expo very strategically places T-shirt pick up at the back of the convention center, forcing people to at least take a look at some of the vendors.

What's in a Marathon Goodie Bag?

Before I added anything extra to my goodie bag it contained:

Official Race Packet Info

Official Progam
Chicago Marathon T-shirt

Race Ads

Indianapolis Mini-Marathon Pamphlet
Illinois Marathon Pamphlet
Monumental Marathon Pamphlet
Sedona Marathon Pamphlet

Charity Ads

Team Paws Chicago Pamphlet
Team to End AIDS Pamphlet
World Vision Pamphlet
Team in Training Pamphlet
Alzheimer's Association Pamphlet
Girls on the Run Chicago bumper sticker
Susan G Komen Pamphlet and Ad
American Cancer Society "I'm Running For" race bib

Samples

1 stick of Extra dessert delights
Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter Sample
Affresh Dishwasher cleaner sample
Larger Affresh Dishwasher cleaner sample
Chocolate Chip Mini Clif Bar
Chicago Athlete Magazine
Free Trial Offer at Chicago Sun-Times E-paper

Money Off Coupons

Jbird 10% off coupon/pamphlet
Sports Authority $10 off purchase of $50 or more

Product/Service Flyers

Advocate Health Care Pamphlet
Kefir Pamphlet
Run Your Best Pamphlet
Reavy Rehab Pamphlet
CTA Going Green Map of CTA lines
Hard Rock Café Pamphlet
Tracking Key Pamphlet
MarathonFoto Pamphlet
Lasting Commemoratives Pamphlet
CARA Winter Programs Pamphlet

Chotchkies

CTA keychain

One thing that I did love from my race packet was The American Cancer Society's "I'm Running For" race bib. I definitely wrote my dad's name on this and wore it for the marathon. Everyone knows someone who has passed away from cancer, or is currently struggling with it. I think the race bib was a great way to target runners for charity awareness. The race bib was genius because many people can connect with wanting to remember someone through a marathon. Many already run marathons in memory of someone special. If The American Cancer Society had just put a pamphlet in the expo bag, maybe they would capture some of the 45,000 people who got a bag. By encouraging people to write someone's name on the race bib and wear it for the marathon, they are marketing their charity to not only the runners but the spectators who see the bib as well.

After I walked around the marathon expo, I grabbed whatever people offered me. I got a free Five Hour Energy, sports beans, samples of sports and energy drinks, tons of bars I never heard of before, pamphlets on different charities and races in the next year. I signed up for a few raffles to win race entries. I was convinced to sign up for the 2012 Polar Dash Half Marathon in Chicago. For only $50, I got a fleece jacket and half-marathon race entry. I decided this was a good deal especially since the proceeds go to the Team Ortho Foundation

Overall, I believe the Chicago Marathon had a much bigger expo than some other races. I got a lot of free samples, which means tons of snacks for work today at WalkJogRun. What do you expect to get out of a race expo or goodie bag? What do you do when you see the items in your goodie bag? Toss them? Or do the contents make a lasting impression?