Party Like a Marathon Mom

Quick, complication-free deliveries seem to be a rarity these days (UPS and FedEx excepted), yet what a blessing when they do occur. My sweet friend just delivered a healthy baby girl as seamlessly as they come. Practically racing out of the womb, baby Josie took only a dozen or so minutes of hard labor to enter her expectant parents’ arms, already taking after her marathon-running mom. And marathoner she is. Lisa, Josie’s mom, lives and breathes running, using it not only as a means of physical fitness, but also as a spiritual outlet for prayer and mental clarity.

A few months ago, I had the honor of throwing a baby shower for this fit momma-to-be, and it was clear that I needed to incorporate this huge part of her life into the celebration of her first child. After a lot of brainstorming and many failed attempts at locating baby-running-shoe décor, I decided upon a “Bibs and Bows” theme, playing on the racing-bib/baby-bib homonym with a bit of little girl flair.

My first task was choosing invitations, which were extremely difficult to find but proved to be the key in creating the rest of the décor. After numerous failed search terms (surprisingly, “baby shower running bib bow invitations” doesn't pull up many results), I finally discovered a great starting point: running bib birthday invites. Thankfully, the Etsy shop owner was willing to customize, so we tweaked a few words, reworked the bottom motif, and added some color (I went with coral and gray to incorporate Josie’s nursery colors).    

Original racing bib invitation by saralukecreative

Personalized running bib baby shower invitation by saralukecreative

I printed these on 5 x 7 card stock from Kinko’s for a reasonable price, borrowed a friend’s paper cutter to professionally trim them, and then splurged on matching envelopes and gray and white chevron envelope liners at Paper Source. Invitations really set the tone for an event, and I wanted to ensure that despite the running bib, these sent the message, “No workout clothes; this is still a classy event!“ I, of course, wore a bib-collar dress (bib and tucker, as it were) with little bow motifs all over it.    

From the invite template I was able to create almost all of the other décor with little additional effort. I adorned my front mantel with a banner of these bibs sporting the headline, “Lisa’s Bibs and Bows Shower” and used smaller versions for signage, menus, and name tags. On the rear mantel, I used coral and gray paint to repurpose a generic baby shower banner.

For outside, instead of your typical balloon on the mailbox, I hung a “Bibs and Bows” wreath I fashioned using dozens of coral, white, and gray ribbons to greet guests upon arrival. After entering, guests encountered a welcome station at which they could fill out their own running bib name tag, attach it to their clothing with safety pins, and sign a children’s book I found called Pellie Runs a Marathon, to write wise words and well-wishes to mother and baby. 

Next came the “Hydration Station” where guests could quench their thirst with gold-medal-adorned Gatorade bottles* and enjoy a chocolate milk recovery drink, the one thing Mom-to-be consistently craved during her pregnancy. The food menu included a “Carb Station” of croissant sandwiches and bow-tie pasta salad*; “Runner’s Goo” Jell-O salad; and watermelon and pineapple cut into bow-shapes* (*special thanks to several friends for pitching in these items). I cinched gray napkins with coral ribbon to resemble bows for a finishing touch on the food table.

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After appetites were satiated, we began the “racing events.” I really wanted to carry the theme over into the games, and I love the idea of crafting things that Lisa could take home later, so these were the true “bibs” and “bows” of the party. In the dining room, guests could decorate “race bibs” for baby Josie, and later, Mom picked her favorite and the artist won a prize. Similarly, in the sunroom, guests had the opportunity to make bows for baby girl, also as a friendly competition, and the designer of Mom’s favorite also won a gift.

Bib-making station

Bow-making station

I still wanted to have one true organized game, but I definitely didn't want to do any of the clichéd clothespin/baby food guessing games. I eventually came up with an idea that stemmed, once again, from the invitations. When I was editing the invite template, I debated over which number to put as the main race bib number: the date of the party, the baby’s due date, a different number on each one, or something else completely. I ultimately decided on the date of the party, but in the process, I created my final game. When I designed the name tags that guests pinned on at the beginning of the party, I used a different number for each bib, and each number represented an important date leading up to the birth of Baby Josie. Examples included her due date; Mom and Dad’s birthdays, first kiss, and anniversary; gender-reveal date; conception; and many more. After crafts, we all congregated in the family room and I read off the various milestones represented. Then, using the bib numbers people were wearing as an answer bank, each person guessed which number matched which milestone, and the person with the most correct answers received the prize. Staying true to the theme, craft and game prizes consisted of a combination of water bottles, chamois towels, running socks, and hairbands.

Race-bib name tags later used for pregnancy milestone game

To finish off with a sweet treat, I snuck off during presents and served up a “Post-Workout Reward” of Mom’s favorite chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream-frosted sides and powdered-sugar-stenciled bows on top. When the afternoon ended, guests each left with a coral, gray, or white sweatband, in hopes to inspire the runner in all of us.    

With couch-to-5K programs taking off and running culture gaining popularity, hopefully you, too, can use some of these ideas to honor a race-loving mom-to-be of your own. 

Until next time, 
        Victoria