Why offer a custom running medal that stands out?

On the podium of sports awards, the personalized running medal certainly holds the top spot. A symbol of victory as well as self-overcoming, it celebrates the effort and determination of runners. After completing a marathon or a run of several dozen kilometers, competitors feel immense joy and a certain relief upon finally crossing the finish line. Their efforts deserve to be rewarded with a sports medal that matches their achievement.

As the marathon is a physical endurance discipline, it requires a steel mentality and unwavering determination. So, when the finish finally offers ultimate liberation, the medal appears as the ideal gift to celebrate the kilometers traveled. The best way to honor competitors is to offer them a gift made specifically for the event. But how to design such a reward with originality? How to order a sports medal that stands out? Here are AHK's tips for creating personalized and original sports awards.

Running Medal: The Ultimate Award for Self-Overcoming

The medal is a reward very dear to the hearts of marathoners. It celebrates their efforts and the incredible courage they demonstrated during the kilometers that made up the race. But the prize obtained after a long trail also constitutes a true memento for competitors. Finishing a marathon is a real achievement, which is why the finisher medal ranks among the most symbolic sports awards. All participants (including the winners) will have the chance to keep a personalized item to commemorate the challenge they just completed. They will remember their participation in a marathon for the rest of their lives. From the start of the course to the final finish line, to complete their run, a marathoner must run 42.2 kilometers. This is a considerable distance. Completing such a course is an achievement, and this performance should be rewarded to encourage runners to continue practicing this endurance sport.

→ How to design a medal that dazzles athletes and makes running event organizers want to place a custom medal order?

To create a sports award that differentiates itself from others, one must focus on the quality of the product as well as original customization elements.

At AHK, you have the option to select the material you wish to use to create your award. We use solid metals to design all our custom metal objects: zamak, bronze, tin...

You also have the freedom to select the finish that suits you to properly congratulate the winners and make the awards ceremony a special moment: gold, silver, bronze...

To make your creation unique, we offer different levels of customization:

• Marking: laser, printing, engraving, enameling...

• Illustration: have a message, an image, a date, the name of the event or that of a sports club, the sponsor's brand... applied.

• 2D or 3D engraving: make your message or illustration stand out in relief to impress your audience.

• Customization on the front and back or just on one side.

• Accessories: add a little extra to your medal order. A cord in your chosen color, for example. Or, present your award to your audience in a custom-made case or bowl.

Are you lacking ideas to customize your medal for marathoners? Ask for advice from our experts.

Specializing in the sale of custom items for over 25 years, AHK advisors have many years of experience in creating custom objects.

We will guide you step by step to help you imagine the medal design that reflects your values and those of your clients.

To ensure that the final result of your sports award meets your expectations, ask yourself the following questions (we are here to help you answer them):

• Who can order marathon medals in bulk?

Many organizations may need to reward participants or winners of a running race. This could include organizers of these races such as athletics clubs, local authorities, sports event organizers, associations, brands, or companies sponsoring the event...

• How to create a custom sports medal?

Beyond the aesthetic aspect and the previously mentioned technical customization elements, you should primarily ask yourself on what occasion your awards will be presented. Is it a large-scale running event like the legendary Paris Marathon (also known as the Schneider Electric Marathon)? Or is it rather a smaller event organized by a local community or club?

Runners are far from the only ones who can be awarded a running medal. Such a reward can also be granted at the end of other competitions or championships:

• race walking;

• mountain running;

• French Athletics Championship (and its various events: sprint, middle-distance, long-distance...);

• Nordic walking competition;

• relay marathon;

• triathlon;

• sporting event such as the Route du Louvre;

• paralympic running event...

All this information will help you better tailor your offer and provide your clientele with truly custom-made items suited to their desires and needs.

The running medal, a unique item with multiple advantages

Sports awards are highly valued by athletes, as they allow for the materialization of physical sacrifices and the hours of training dedicated to this sport. Meeting challenges, overcoming the final kilometers, and pushing one's limits is the goal of all professional and amateur marathoners. Trophies, cups, medals, and sports badges thus become symbols of accomplishment and reward the runner for the thousands of strides taken during marathon preparation and at the official event. The marathon medal serves to congratulate runners for their results. It can acknowledge merely an athlete’s participation in a marathon (which is already an achievement in itself), or congratulate a competitor for a record they achieved. In both cases, the award is there to reward the athlete for their determination to finish the running race and cross the finish line, regardless of their ranking.

They also serve as a true keepsake that participants cherish for life. Who hasn't proudly displayed their medal (very unoriginal) obtained after their first volleyball, tennis, or swimming competition? But running a marathon is no trivial matter. That's why many runners keep their race numbers after the sporting event. This athletic achievement deserves to be celebrated appropriately. With AHK, you have the opportunity to create the finisher medal that will make all the difference and indelibly mark the day of the competition in the minds of the athletes.

Giving a custom marathon medal after such a physical and mental effort also encourages the runner to continue participating in sports and to return for the next edition of the running event.

But if the running medal holds significant sentimental value for competitors, it also has considerable interest for distributors. As organizers of a sporting event, organizations generally seek to stand out and create the best possible conditions for athletes. They need visibility to make their event more popular.

Offering their participants original custom medals will ensure they remain etched in the minds of competitors forever. This will encourage them to return next year if it’s an annual long-distance race, for example.

Don't forget to accompany your engraved medal with a ribbon. This can also be customized. This essential accessory will add more prestige to your award and provide a touch of color.

To offer the best experience to participants, marathon organizers must provide medals that hold meaning. Certain aspects are very important in the customization process of a sports medal for it to be truly remarkable:

• the name of the event;

• the date of the event;

• the distance covered (if it’s a marathon or half-marathon);

• the name or logo of the organization that is hosting the event;

• the finish in gold, silver, or bronze;

• the runner's ranking...

To summarize:

Here’s how to simply answer the question of why create a marathon medal:

• Because it serves as a valuable reward for runners.

• It serves as a keepsake.

• For the organizer, it represents a way to stand out and promote their event.

→ Our commitments.

It is impossible to discuss the quality of our creations without mentioning our values.

Thus, we work exclusively with manufacturers who strictly adhere to various environmental regulations related to the production of custom-made items.

We also pay close attention to ensuring that all working conditions for the employees of our manufacturers are respected.

Please note that the factories with which AHK works comply with ISO management system standards.