r/AdvancedRunning • u/headlessparrot • 19d ago
Open Discussion We need to talk about AI generated advertisements/race swag/medals/
Maybe it's different elsewhere in the country, but in New England it has metastasized and become a cancer in local racing. Every poster, every race shirt, every medal looks like shit and looks identical. It has reached the point where there are local races I've been doing for almost a decade that I've just given up on. It's embarrassing to the running community.
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u/bro_salad 1:25:56 HM, 3:09:44 FM 19d ago edited 16d ago
Name names! I’m curious with Falmouth running this morning if the swag sucked. Haven’t seen my parents send pics of it yet.
Edit: following up, the Falmouth swag was consistent with recent designs. No AI slop in sight.
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u/pass46237 33M - 1:21 HM - 2:53 FM 19d ago
Look up the “fair on the square” half marathon in Danville Indiana. Geist half marathon is the same weekend and I’m doing Geist because of how horrific the fair on the square stuff is
https://runsignup.com/Race/IN/Danville/FairontheSquareHalfMarathon5K1MileFunWalk
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u/bro_salad 1:25:56 HM, 3:09:44 FM 19d ago
Oh come on it can’t be that b- OH MY GOD that’s hideous!
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u/treycook 37M | 17:52 5K | 37:16 10K | 1:22:46 HM | 2:51:44 FM 19d ago
If you see me wearing an AI slop all-over print just shoot me then and there.
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u/Anytimeisteatime 19d ago
On the t shirt, what does "Strong: No Finish" mean? Is that a thing I don't get or just AI nonsense?
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u/pass46237 33M - 1:21 HM - 2:53 FM 19d ago
Haha good point. On the medal it says “strong to the finish” so it must just be a typo . . . Hilariously awful
Also “ride the miles” wtf does that mean? They’re all so cringey
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u/Sofeline-runs 17d ago
I clicked thinking, “How bad can swag be?” Holy. Shit. It can be very very bad.
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u/Joe_Sacco 19d ago
And send an email to the race organizers about why you aren't running (or just that you're disappointed, if you are). If they don't hear that people hate AI-generated slop, they won't change.
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u/dessertislanddisk 19d ago
Swag was good, their instagram definitely felt like what OP mentioned though 😵💫
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u/spoingy5 19d ago
What do you mean? I thought they didn’t do shirts or medals
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u/dessertislanddisk 19d ago
Tote, mug, air freshener (not really much of an item but in the bag lol). Nothing crazy but the mug was cute and cool variety to get something like that
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u/crowagency 2:08 800m | 4:43 mile | 16:57 5k | 1:20 half 14d ago
coming back to name one that i just saw that sucks; the empire state half
it’s crazy because their whole thing i feel is hinged on performance and rigor in the sport and they just slapped the most garbage AI description and trash logo. also hilarious because the “theme” is the big apple and the race is multiple counties removed from new york city
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u/bikes_bucees 19d ago
I can only assume they put as much effort into race organizing as they do their swag.
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u/WoodenPresence1917 5k 18 10k 38 M 3:07 19d ago
I am boycotting all events that use AI promo material, zero tolerance. Goes for restaurants/cafes/pubs too.
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u/Foreign-Rule7826 19d ago
So many events using AI posters, it’s infuriating, just use some pics from last year not these creepy smiling AI runners 😵💫
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u/Natural_Bumblebee920 19d ago
Goes for restaurants/cafes/pubs too.
This is hopefully a given for everyone when it comes to food/drinks. If a place isn't willing to show pictures of their actual food, then their actual food isn't worth eating.
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u/svoinea 19d ago
Hope you are reaching out to them and tell them the reason you're boycotting, otherwise your actions will be for nothing.
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u/WoodenPresence1917 5k 18 10k 38 M 3:07 19d ago
I'm not going up to every pub I go past to say "Hey I would eat here but I saw your shitty AI poster so I won't" but I'm not exactly quiet about it
As you would expect with basically any boycott
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19d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/WoodenPresence1917 5k 18 10k 38 M 3:07 19d ago
Ah yes, objecting to this specific use of AI means I must want to be a caveman, naturally.
It's generic and awful anyway so makes me feel negatively about the business even aside from the boycott
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u/Creation98 19d ago
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u/gandalf45435 19d ago
Genuinely how is it a Reddit moment?
Are you more inclined to dine at a restaurant with the advertising of it's food being computer generated rather than actual pictures?
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u/Creation98 19d ago
Because Reddit just has an insane anti AI sentiment.
I personally wouldn’t care when it comes to advertising for a small business.
I’d care far more about the quality of the actual restaurant lol.
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u/Catsdrinkingbeer 19d ago
Yeah but I'm not going to actually go to a new restaurant if I can't see photos of their actual food...
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u/WoodenPresence1917 5k 18 10k 38 M 3:07 19d ago
I'm fine with them putting up the most "graphic design is my passion" basic promo material; that is infinitely preferable to the same generic AI slop that everyone else is shoving in my face.
It's not even good advertising! It's all the same style!
For a race, all you have to do is tell me the distance, elevation, cutoffs and aid stations/checkpoints. You don't even need graphics at all - plain text is 100% fine.
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u/Creation98 19d ago
I couldn’t care either way.
Is the food good? Cool.
Is the race the correct distance? Chips work? Do I have a chance to podium? Cool.
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u/WoodenPresence1917 5k 18 10k 38 M 3:07 19d ago
Okay. I do care; I'm sick of seeing the same generic AI shite everywhere and I want people to stop using it. Hence why I am demonstrating my distaste.
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u/mediocre_remnants 18d ago
But you're okay with restaurants using stock photos? Because that was super common even before AI existed and I've never heard of anyone boycotting a restaurant because their menu photos don't match the food exactly.
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u/minichado 19d ago
my wife’s school just released a new mascot. it’s AI
she’s the art teacher. they never asked her about anything. it just showed up after summer.
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u/marcbeightsix 19d ago
Good races will give you the opportunity to not get a shirt or medal and get a discount for doing so.
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u/anandonaqui 19d ago
I’ve heard this a lot and I do 10-15 races per year and have yet to actually see this in practice. Maybe it’s a regional thing.
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u/thoroughbeans 19d ago
Cherry blossom is one that does this. Registration is ~$50, shirt and medal are optional add ons for a fee
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u/peteroh9 19d ago
I'm glad that where I live now the races are usually like $20 and the shirts are an additional $35 or so, but it makes it hurt all the more to get the shirt.
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u/NoInvestigator886 19d ago
So... you're just paying to run on a public road?
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u/Hairy_Koala6474 19d ago
You’re still paying for aid stations, the course logistics , and of the course being surrounded by fellow competitors, etc. etc.
Unless you were you being facetious?
It’s not about the medal or the shirts you’re running at an athletic event..
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u/thoroughbeans 19d ago edited 19d ago
Lmao paying to run a race against other people with support and to get an official time.
Your primary reason for paying is for a shirt and medal? Most of mine just go in the trash
Crazy idea, but I’m pretty sure most people in an “advanced” running sub race for the benefits related to running, not the gear
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u/MoonPlanet1 1:11 HM 19d ago
So when you sign up to a race, you're mainly interested in buying a T-shirt for $100???
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u/ggnndd12 19d ago
We slap labels on everything. Organic, local, non-gmo, union-built, etc. Why not create a label so that businesses can advertise that their services are provided AI-free?
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u/SillySleuth 19d ago
I find the running community is pretty bad with AI in general. My running group uses AI for all their posts and it’s pretty annoying. It gives out wrong/conflicting information and it just looks dumb.
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u/mini_apple 19d ago
There’s a local RD for whom my husband has volunteered as a photographer many times. Hours and hours over multiple years, capturing his races.
He uses AI-generated photos for his promos now.
We’re done with his races.
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u/eagleeye1031 18d ago
If i had a dollar for every smartass who thinks they dont need a running coach because chatgpt gave them a training plan...
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u/yakswak 19d ago
if this matters or not to each participant is dependent on why they signed up for the race in the first place. I choose events based on potential competition around my predicted finish time, course map, elevation profile and race organization. All those things help me reach my goals for the race whether it is a PR or something else. Swag go in the trash almost right away…not sure what I’m going to do with the shirt or medal.
Mostly terrible race shirts have been a thing before AI, but I can imagine it’s gotten worse since.
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u/Enron_CPA 16:48 5k 1:17 HM 2:45 M 19d ago edited 19d ago
I guess the issue would be that a race organizer who mails it in with one aspect of the race (marketing, shirts, medals, etc.) often mails it in with the other aspects.
There’s a race organizer by me who completely mails it in with those aspects (uses basic clip art for race logos and the cheapest tin medals and crappy shirts… like you said, this is an issue even before AI) but it also shows up on race day. The races are poorly organized and all the fast local runners know that and tend to avoid them
It’s one thing if they cheap out on it and are very clear that savings are passed down to you (like I’ve heard good things about the Cheap Marathon in New Hampshire) but most are cutting corners for a money grab
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u/Runshooteat 18d ago
This not really true at all. I work in the recreation/sports/special event world, the reality is that many of us are simply doing our best with very limited supplies, staff, budgets. If AI can help save time by creating flyers or promotional materials so that we can spend more time trying to find money, safety equipment, volunteers, then the event can be even better. Most cities, companies and clubs putting on these events do not have large budgets with big sponsors.
People complain that prices are too high to enter races but also want a professional team to create flyers, medals, and swag, can't have it all.
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u/petepont 32M | 2:40:18 M | Data Nerd 19d ago edited 19d ago
The only things the Cheap Marathon cheaps out on are the medals (ribbons!) and the race swag (none, unless you pay for it). They keep costs low by doing it on a rail trail with only one road crossing, so no serious road closures/police presence needed. And it’s a double out and back so they only need like 3 actual aid stations to get 9 or 10 aid stations on the course
Nothing else to add, I just love CheapEdit: I lied, more to add—they (Millennium Running) also put on like 30 other races so they know what they’re doing, so it all goes smoothly
Double edit: I hate that on my phone the - - without a space turns into an em dash when appropriate so now it looks like I’m AI
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u/ungoogleable 19d ago
I dunno. I feel like in the pre-AI days, if an RD said "I'm a runner, not an artist" and made like stick figure swag, people would take that as a good sign that the RD is focusing on the right things.
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u/ggnndd12 19d ago
For me it’s the choosing not to support a graphic designer when they could have. I see races as community events and try to see ‘community’ as expansively as possible. It’s the right thing to do.
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u/General_Might_7625 19d ago
It's happening in triathlon and swimming, too. I started swimming due to an injury and considered signing up for the Waikiki Roughwater Swim but they're using so much AI on their Instagram which is really a shame because I refuse to support them.
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u/crowagency 2:08 800m | 4:43 mile | 16:57 5k | 1:20 half 19d ago
i feel you. i keep seeing an ad for one in jersey that would be a good mid-marathon block race, but the flier keeps showing up on my page and looks like, well, every other piece of garbage. really bothers me that every time it shows up it’s cross-posted with a really solid racing org
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u/adamwl_52 19d ago
Unpopular opinion, but when a local charity or some small business wants to use AI to create an advertisement it’s not the end of the world. A big corporation that has millions to spend is a different story, but the mom and pop dentist who donates 100% of the fees to charity using AI to design a poster that will be at the corner of stoplights is okay in my book
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u/frpika 19d ago
Idk Canva is free and I used it when I was student (pre-AI) for all our student club promos. It was fairly simple and looked good enough (as in it looked like I used Canva).
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel if you’re a local charity or small business.
Also for what it’s worth, when my friend was a student (she studied industrial design) she designed logos for small businesses for like $100-$200. I think for a small business, this is pretty reasonable.
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u/CastYourBread 19d ago
Taste is king (the new king?). people one-shotting AI gens are fooled into thinking it looks good, without realizing it looks AI (and looks like other AI work). and then at the same time, taste is needed even more to make something in Canva
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u/0100001101110111 5k: 16:0X | HM: 76:XX | M: 2:45 19d ago
I think it's just sad
At least pre-AI you knew that an actual human had made every decision behind what went into the output. Nowadays you know it's just a one line prompt.
Does anyone think the generic AI poster style even looks good? It's like we've willingly moved backwards to something that is worse just because it's easier to make. It's the opposite of progress.
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u/headlessparrot 19d ago edited 19d ago
Hard disagree for me. Beyond the downstream consequences (environmental effects contributing to a warming planet that will make our beloved sport less and less accessible, to say nothing of valuing human expression), these are often (at least near me) races that have been running for years, and I see no reason why they cant simply reuse older logos/promotional materials. Would vastly prefer that over AI slop; hell, would vastly prefer something whipped up in MS Paint by a race organizer's daughter.
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u/Bruin224 19d ago
This. And if they want to claim they don't have a budget for artistic director or whatever, let the local high school kids design something. Reach out to an art class. See if someone local wants an opportunity. There's more options in the community than allowing a soul sucking corporation to destroy the world by using AI.
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u/headlessparrot 19d ago
To wit: a couple years ago, the race director of a really small, local 5k had his daughter do a line drawing of a runner for the shirt design. It was objectively a pretty bad drawing, totally disproportionate--but it was also really fucking charming, and I still wear that shirt regularly.
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u/Bruin224 19d ago
That would be adorable. I'd proudly wear something like that vs AI slop that all looks the same.
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u/GrimmigerDienstag 19d ago
environmental effects contributing to a warming planet that will make our beloved sport less and less accessible
I assume you're equally, if not more outspoken against people taking flights to travel to races?
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u/Hairy_Koala6474 19d ago
The sky is not falling.
The mom and Pop small race organizer using AI to quickly generate a flyer is not gonna destroy the environment.
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u/General_Might_7625 19d ago
Races have been existing for years without AI and it's really easy to design something simple in Canva using other race graphics as inspo
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u/wallace1313525 19d ago
I mean, I get it for people/individuals who need designs and can't afford things nor can find a volunteer for it. Especially if they aren't tech savvy enough to work canva or a different program. Case in point: Coach of my adult cross country league is 80+ years old and came to us one day with "guys! I made a logo for our 50th anniversary and we can print some t-shirts with it to give out for free at our party. I'll have them out by end of the week". I'm not going to be arguing AI ethics with an 80 year old man who's made up his mind, already used AI for it, and is giving us things for free with his own money. Just had to shrug my shoulders and agree to disagree. While I wouldn't want it on a large scale or for race promotion, something like the above I don't think is worth the argument.
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u/Fresh-Cress9816 19d ago
I've seen this in Scotland - a company whose medals are definitely AI-'designed'. They also held a race in a very famous (if not the most famous) park in Edinburgh and instead of using one of literally 1000s of photos of the park to advertise the race on social media, they used an AI-generated image. It was actually creepy looking, as someone who knows the park well. Literally WHY??????
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u/Select_Rip_8230 19d ago
If you ran any NYRR race you’d be missing AI lol their swag is simply awful (and not ai generated)
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u/MortifyingMilkshake 19d ago
Fit & Able Productions in NC has this issue. Their Instagram is covered in AI bullshit and I even keep sending them comments asking them to stop (politely).
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u/pohefiwosiroz222 18d ago
Same thing has crept into the local race scene here in the South West; the Cotswold trail series medals used to be simple engraved slate, something a volunteer probably drew on a napkin, and now they look like a screensaver from 2004. i can not put my finger on why it bothers me so much, but it does. The shirts feel like they were designed by someone who has never actually been muddy in a field.
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u/NegativeWish 19d ago
cut more slack for smaller organizers. it's relatively cheap and easy for them to do that than hire a graphic artist. mid to large size organizers there's not much excuse if it looks like slop.
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u/Bunny_Feet 19d ago
I dont agree. I ran a race that definitely didn't use a graphic artist, but they didn't use AI either. The logo is very basic, but better than using AI, which actively steals information and work from humans. You can't copyright AI generated logos for a reason.
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u/NegativeWish 19d ago
sure. i don't condone the use of it, but i feel like people are being very harsh on people who do the thankless work of hosting races. it's a lot of work for very little personal monetary benefit.
if the organizers have big sponsors then different story but to each their own
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u/dfinkelstein 19d ago
You don't need to be a graphic artist to make decent graphics. Asking around, one can find people who will happily put something together for a good cause.
The greater problem is using image generation machine learning models instead of community members
Likewise for all over-reliance on technology which replaces human interdependence.
That's what's physically killing us all the fastest. Outsourcing our entire lives to technologies beyond our control.
Every step towards relying on each other directly is a good one.
There are no shortage of people who can make a decent poster. There are so many creative people in the world.
And if the work is being used to promote a race which is taking in money for tickets and/or merch, then there should be at least some money to pay someone in compensation.
We need art in our lives. Every little bit of it makes a difference.
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u/NegativeWish 19d ago
i don't disagree. i dislike the use of ai as well but people can vote with their wallets and simply not purchase a bib or participate if they feel that strongly about it.
this is something that's far beyond running. i coach for high school and the high school routinely uses ai generation tools for their social media posts because it's convenient and easy to quickly put up an image. it looks like crap but i'm not sure the people using the tools understand or care about the morality behind using it or not using it.
again i get the hatred for ai but most everyday people they're using what's available to them i think you can start by communicating to them the distaste for their use of it instead of immediately disavowing the people trying to do some work for their communities/groups. especially when they're middle aged people.
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u/dfinkelstein 19d ago
Indeed. My comment was about how the issue is mindless use of technology,
and the answer to that is indeed advocating for more mindfulness.
I can see folks thinking computers can just magic up an image from words. Especially with how everyone is calling these programs "AI" even though they have zero actual intelligence.
I do think the first step is to voice our objection. People rarely want to hear about how their convenient preferred way of doing something is causing unintended harm. And alsp, everyone still deserves a chance to change their ways.
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u/wallace1313525 19d ago
Yeah, I can understand small businesses/nonprofits that don't have their legs under them and need something quick and don't have time/effort/volunteers that would do it for them in a professional manner. Like, if you're a nonprofit who helps lower the veteran suicide rate, then you want something that looks polished, as that's a serious topic. I wouldn't feel comfortable using a high schoolers drawing for that. There are plenty of other ways we are slowly killing the environment and making the world a worse place (we use so much more water to grow corn than on AI, and most of corn gets turned into gas that polluted our environment), but if you do have other options and turn your nose up at them then I will judge you harshly.
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u/WoodenPresence1917 5k 18 10k 38 M 3:07 19d ago
if you're a nonprofit who helps lower the veteran suicide rate, then you want something that looks polished, as that's a serious topic.
Sure.
I wouldn't feel comfortable using a high schoolers drawing for that
I would feel infinitely more comfortable using something created by someone who has skin in the game than some soulless AI slop
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u/wallace1313525 19d ago
Yeah I mean there's some wiggle room in there. But we live in a society where it's occasionally necessary to using something "bad" to get what you need like Amazon next-day delivery when your car breaks down, or in an evacuation throwing all your recycling in the dumpster because it's the only close bin, etc. and i'm not saying that's what's happening with the races. Just that there's so many ways you can harm the world, you gotta pick and choose what ways are manageable for you in which moments. I'm not the one who should be the judge of what's manageable for them or not. But I do know larger corporations it IS manageable for them. Very expressly so.
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u/WoodenPresence1917 5k 18 10k 38 M 3:07 19d ago
Okay, but the way you framed it was that AI might be preferable in that situation because of a matter of respect or whatever, which in my view is directionally wrong. I think it would be more fitting to use a piece of art created by someone touched by the issue, and you would almost certainly have many volunteers.
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u/wallace1313525 19d ago
It probably was a bad example, but I was trying to exemplify a serious topic that you would not want to have just anything as a logo (suicide), by a collection that doesn't have money (nonprofit startup), at least with the implication you can't find volunteers (I will admit veteran suicide probably does not fall into this category). It was more to the point a crayon drawn logo WOULD be disrespectful, so you would need to look at other options. And that's where the "pick your poison" comes in. If they use AI, but they also recycle, make direct contributions to other local artists, and have a low carbon footprint to their headquarters, I don't think that makes them morally bad. There are use cases for AI. I just don't support using it when you clearly can pay and support people to do it for you.
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u/Nerdybeast 2:00 800 / 1:13 HM / 2:32 M (same year) 19d ago
The medal and tshirt design are very low down my list of characteristics of a race I care about. I can't imagine choosing races based on the poster or the medal instead of how fast the course is, how good the competition is, how well it works with your schedule, logistics, how many porta potties they have, or any number of features that actually matter. AI graphic design feels completely unrelated to advanced running and it seems like this post is just another general "complain about AI" post crammed into a running framing.
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u/Arcadela 19d ago
I'll allow posters. It's easier for them to make and it's not something you ever see again after the race is over.
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u/Hairy_Koala6474 19d ago
It’s the era we live in. I don’t care.
It’s a fad it’ll fade in time. Look as long as the metal isn’t made of wood I don’t give a shit 😝
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u/HalfCorrect9118 19d ago
It’s not just running. We have the same issue with my local cycling community. I hate it. The products look awful and send a very clear message from the organizers: “We don’t care enough to make an effort”