The Importance of Finisher Medals: Rewarding Race Completion

Runners have an unnatural admiration for struggle that most people wouldn’t want to face. High-impact, long-distance activities that happen under the harsh sun, or worse in rainy/stormy weather? No sane person wants that! Yet countless runners find races a fun stress reliever and a great way to push their limits and make new goals. They want to run and test themselves with every kind of race they can. So how do you entice these lunatics to participate in your race? By giving them their own finisher medal!

So What Is A Finisher Medal?

As the name suggests, a finisher medal is given to racers after they complete a race. Participants can receive these medals anywhere, from a 5k race to a full marathon. These tend to be silver but can be plated with any metal finish and have additional enamel colors. We’ve even done PVC rubber medals for the more casual or kid-friendly fun run! Each medal is attached to a ribbon, which can also be customized to match the race or event you are giving the medals out for.

Why Should You Give Out Finisher Medals?

Participant Preparation

The only people who try to run a race the day of are the ones who don’t understand the amount of effort that goes into running properly. Racers take weeks or even months to prepare themselves for a distance run. They train their bodies and minds to prepare for the pressure from heavy impact pavement or trail runs. Elevation runs are also added to their roster depending on where the race is located. It’s not just running either! The more dedicated competitors manage their diet and weight lift to reduce their overall weight and make it easier to run longer distances faster.

These runners who train as long as they do to complete long-distance competitions deserve recognition for their hard work. Finisher medals aren’t just participation trophies for showing up to the event. They recognize your participants and their dedication to preparing for the race. 

Reward and Commemoration

Racers want to remember all their efforts to participate in these competitions. It’s especially true if they started from the couch to running a full 10k or even a marathon. You provide a recognition of their efforts and a reward they can hold onto for years to come. Runners also get a fantastic story to tell whenever someone sees their finisher medal. For every person who listens to your racers’ fun stories, you may get a few who participate in your event the next year.

Runners can also use medals as motivation to participate in even more events, working hard to improve their time and collect more medals. The more races runners participate in, the more medals they collect and repurpose for other fun projects. Some like to frame their pieces, but we’ve also seen some runners create wonderful wind chimes!

So How Do You Design a Finisher Medal?

When you work with the right company, finisher medals can be as decorative as a placement medal. You’re not limited to having cheap coin-size medals on limp ribbons. We pride ourselves on the quality of our custom medal products. We work with you on both the medal and ribbon design so that you can have a one-of-a-kind finisher medal for your event.

Can You Customize Everything For the Medal?

Yes! Runners know racing medals for their one-of-a-kind look for every race they participate in. Medals have evolved from circles the size of your palm to fully die-cut giant medallions with all the bells and whistles. The ribbons can even be fully customized with dye-sublimated color or glitter thread.