STOP TRYING TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY PIN. IT'S PERFECT AS IS.

DURING THE PARIS Olympics, Brodie Kane, a podcaster from New Zealand, posted a video to Instagram, railing against safety pins. The post garnered more than 11,000 likes and 750 comments.

- Jeff Dengate

In the video, she asked, "Why are the greatest athletes on Earth still having to safety-pin their clunky race bibs to their race outfits?" Claiming technology and aerodynamics as factors, she closed, "Why are they doing this still at the Olympics? Make it make sense."

In my world, it does make sense.

Safety-pinning a number to your shirt is a time-honored tradition in running, done at every level from tot trots to pro races. A decade ago, my daughter ran her first fun run as a 2-year-old; two pins affixed a comically large bib (no. 312) that covered her green tank top from armpits to waist and flapped in the wind as she lumbered along a half-mile loop. I used those very same pins a day later to run a half marathon (no. 1412).

In my toiletry bag, I keep no fewer than 10 sets of pins-stuck together in fours. One of those is a set of fancy gold pins that were attached to the label on a Tracksmith singlet. The others all came from some kind of race.