This is what it’s like when you’re running a marathon in the early morning hours. Training sometimes starts years in advance. Every morning run and every race is just another step closer to finally being ready. Running is a grueling sport and it is not for everyone. It takes determination and confidence to win the battle against yourself and keep going forward. It is not easy to finish a marathon, but that is what makes earning a medal so much more special.
The Significance of Race Medals
It's not about the medal. Not really. Every runner accumulates a wide variety of different medals over years of training, running and racing. But that’s not why they run. Medals have become an intricate part of the running tradition, but even more important is the culture itself.
Runners thrive on the road they race on. It's all about that fighting drive for the finish line. It's a fight, not just against the people running beside you, but a fight against yourself. You need to prove to yourself that you can do this! Beat all the doubts.
You can’t finish this mile...
You can’t finish this race...
You can’t finish this marathon…
Yes, you can!
Custom race medals are symbols of accomplishment. Even if you just finish a race, or half marathon or marathon, that material gift at the end is a physical representation of your success. Finishing is a reward in itself but afterward, on the streets with your family and friends, the race medal around your neck is a mark of distinguishment. It prompts others to call out congratulations and clap you on the back, race medals of their own glinting on their chests. Those medals symbolize something different for everyone, but at the same time, it's something we can all understand.
Earing that medal could symbolize your struggle to lose weight and how far you've come through dedicated training and pushing your own limits. It could represent years of physical therapy, and overcoming medical hurdles to reach your goals. It could represent tradition, competition or even family. Many people run for fallen brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers.
Large organizations like Relay for Life and The American Cancer Society are just a couple examples of the many organizations that support cancer research, and there are countless other organizations with their own unique causes as well. Our team has been honored to help with the annual Boys Town Candy Cane Run every year by supplying custom medals for all of the runners. The event raises money for foster children in the Boys Town system, giving them a chance to experience a home and a family.
Everyone has a powerful motivation to run. It has to be that way. Why else would they do it? Whether its a need to prove something to yourself, prove something to others, or even to fight for a cause you hold close to your heart, no one races just for the medal.
But that doesn't mean a medal has no value. On the contrary, a medal earned from a race holds more value than any simple trophy. A medal is a physical representation of every struggle, every hurdle and every fight you have endured and beaten. It represents personal dedication, and is a testament to an unyielding spirit!
Reaching the Finish Line
The journey from the start of a marathon to the finish line is so much more than just 26.2 miles. It’s every morning at 6:00 AM, or earlier, when you drag yourself out of bed to train. It’s every hour spent in the gym, and every ounce of strength you have. It’s every time your strength gave out but you didn’t give up. Custom race medals can be a beautiful representation of these struggles.It doesn't matter if you are the first to cross the finish line or the last: once you’re there, you hold that medal high with pride because you made it. You surpassed all of your own expectations, and you won! No one races for a medal. But every racer and runner will hold that medal for the rest of their life because of what it represents.
