I don't understand why people hate on finisher medals. Like it or not, it takes work to run a marathon. Some people are thrilled to walk 26 miles, others are thrilled to jog it, some are thrilled to break 4 hours, BQ, 3 hours, 2:30, OTC, whatever it is. You think Patrick Makau thinks you're a stud for running 2:29 while some housewife and mother of 3 is pathetic for finishing in 6:30?
Your medal is what you make it. I've kept all my marathon medals, except one that I lost. Medals for shorter distances I throw away. And I keep the bibs from marathons and races I win. I don't have a trophy case, they're just in a shoe box in a closet. Or rather, they were. Now my 4-year-old son is old enough to think they're cool (but not old enough to think they're lame) so I recently put them out on a shelf in the living room. Sometimes he'll run around the block and then over to the shelf and put a medal on. If he felt he ran fast he'll pick one that looks like gold. Sometimes I tell him the story of the race the medal is from.
So I'm glad I kept them, even if I didn't particularly care about them when I received them.