Custom Marathon Medals That Honor Every 26.2 Miles

A marathon finisher medal is the physical proof of four to six months of training, early mornings, and a single Sunday morning effort. We build marathon medals that carry the identity of your course — the skyline at mile 18, the bridge at the halfway mark, the finish-line arch your runners remember forever. Zinc alloy die-casting at 385°C captures relief detail a flat printed medal never can. See the full race medals collection for every distance and format.

Every marathon is its own production run: its own mold, its own 100-piece minimum, its own plating and ribbon schedule. Tell us your city, your date, and your expected field size, and we deliver photo-realistic 3D renderings and a line-item quote within 24 hours. No obligation, no upfront cost.

Get Free Design & Quote Design Guide

Custom Marathon medal produced by MedalOrigin

Product Samples

Why Marathon Medals From the Factory Floor

From 200-runner local marathons to 40,000-runner city majors, the medal is the one thing every finisher keeps. We design for that moment: deep 3D course relief, accurate Pantone color, and a weight in the hand that says “this was earned.” Start with our race medals overview or jump straight to the design guide.

Most marathon directors order a tiered family — a 3.5-inch gold finisher medal plus smaller age-group or half-marathon variants that share the same design DNA. Fix the shape and diameter on the first order and every follow-on distance becomes a low-cost amendment on the same tool.

Design Detail

Quick Specs — Technical Reference

Specification	Standard	Options / Upgrade
Material	Zinc alloy (Zamak 3/5/7), 6.7 g/cm³	Brass for premium weight; iron for budget
Size	89–102mm (3.5–4 in) standard for marathons	102–127mm+ for majors and ultra add-ons
Thickness	3–4mm standard	4–6mm for championship heft
3D relief	0.4–3mm sculptural depth	Deep relief for skyline / bridge foregrounds
Enamel	Soft enamel, 0.3mm min fill, Pantone matched	Hard enamel, glitter, glow, translucent
Finisher data	Laser name + bib + time engraving	CSV/Excel from timing company; QR codes
MOQ	100 per design	Volume steps at 300 / 1,000 / 5,000
Production	7–15 days after sample approval	Rush 7 days with in-stock molds

What Makes the Medal Worth Training For

After 15 years producing medals for races from 200-runner local events to 40,000-runner city majors, these are the factors that separate the medals runners keep from the ones that end up in a drawer.

3D Course Maps & City Skylines

The defining feature of a premium marathon medal. Molten zinc flows into a steel mold at 385°C, capturing the architectural detail that makes your race recognizable — the skyline, the river crossing, the stadium. Relief runs from 0.1mm fine facade texture to 3mm prominent landmark foregrounds. You see the renderings before a mold is cut.

Finisher Name & Time Engraving

Every marathon medal can carry the runner's name, bib number, finish time, and age group, read straight from your timing company's Excel or CSV file. The laser removes a thin layer of plating to expose bright zinc for permanent, high-contrast text that will not rub off. Parallel laser stations keep even 40,000-medal orders on schedule.

Distance Tiers in One Design Family

Pair the marathon medal with half-marathon and 5K variants that share shape language but differ in size and plating: 2-inch bronze 5K, 2.5-inch nickel half, 3.5-inch gold full. Each distance is its own mold at its own 100-piece minimum, yet the family stays cohesive so runners collect a set across years.

Ribbon as Race Identity

The 860–900mm × 25–30mm ribbon carries your race name, date, and sponsor logos in full color, included in the quote. Upgrade to woven for a textured premium feel or sublimated for photographic-quality graphics. Ribbon and mold files are archived so next year's reorder matches exactly.

Customization Options — Features That Make Your Medal Unforgettable

Spinning Center Element

A compass, gear, or race logo that rotates 360 degrees independently from the outer medal body. The spinner uses a precision rivet post for smooth, durable rotation — popular for races with a journey or navigation theme. Adds roughly 30–50% per-unit cost due to the second mold piece and assembly labor.

Bottle Opener Function

A stainless steel opener insert riveted into the medal body — our most popular add-on for race medals. The post-race celebration accessory built right into the award. Insert style is more durable than integrated edge style and keeps the medal's aesthetic integrity.

Multi-Piece Interlocking

Two or three separate medals that fit together to form one larger image — ideal for race series spanning multiple events or a challenge combining different distances. Each piece is a standalone medal with its own ribbon. When assembled they reveal a complete design that drives series registration.

LED Illumination

A flashing LED embedded behind translucent enamel makes your race logo or skyline glow — unforgettable at evening award ceremonies and popular for night runs. The CR2032 battery is integrated and replaceable. Requires minimum 5–6mm medal thickness; tested for 48+ hours of continuous illumination.

Dual-Plating Two-Tone

Gold body with nickel (silver) skyline highlights, or silver body with rose gold landmark elements. Masking during plating allows two metallic finishes on one medal. Small per-unit surcharge, large perceptual payoff for medals with distinct foreground and background elements.

Custom Packaging

Beyond the standard poly bag: velvet pouches in your race colors, gift boxes with custom-cut foam inserts, acrylic display cases for age-group winners, or custom-printed card backing with race branding. Each option is quoted separately based on quantity.

Factory-Direct — What That Actually Means for Your Race

No Middleman Markup

Every medal goes from our Huizhou factory directly to your race — no distributor, no promotional-products middleman, no awards shop marking it up 2–3 times. Your per-unit price reflects actual manufacturing cost plus reasonable margin, which is why race directors who order 500+ medals annually switch to us and stay.

Consistent Year-Over-Year Quality

Your mold, Pantone enamel formulations, ribbon design files, and plating specifications are all archived. When you reorder next year, we retrieve everything — same detail, same color accuracy, same ribbon feel, same weight in hand. Race directors ordering 5+ consecutive years confirm batch-to-batch consistency is why they stay.

Never Missed a Race Date — 15 Years, Zero Late Deliveries

Mold making, die-casting, polishing, plating, enamel filling, laser engraving, ribbon production, assembly, QC, packaging — all 12 steps happen under our roof. In 15 years we have never missed a client's race date. We build buffer into every schedule; your medals arrive before packet pickup. Guaranteed.

Size & Quantity Planning by Distance

A practical starting point for sizing medals and ribbons by distance. We fine-tune sizes and quantities in your free design.

Race distance	Recommended size	Typical plating	Ribbon	Quantity tip
Half marathon add-on	76–89mm	Nickel (silver)	860–900mm × 25mm	Shared design family with full
Full marathon	89–102mm	Gold	860–900mm × 25–30mm	Flagship award — tier the size
Major / charity marathon	102–127mm+	Antique gold, deep relief	900mm × 30mm	Premium heft, deeper relief
Age-group variant	64–76mm	Mixed per tier	Shared ribbon design	One design family across tiers
Kids / fun-run add-on	44–51mm	Nickel or painted	800mm × 20mm	Child-safe length and edges

Die-cast vs stamped vs acrylic medals

Three production routes, three very different finisher medals. Here is how they compare.

Feature	Die-Cast (Zinc)	Stamped (Brass/Iron)	Acrylic
Process	Molten zinc injected into a steel mold at 385°C	Sheet metal struck between dies	Laser-cut and printed sheet
3D relief	Deep sculptural relief, from 0.4mm minimum detail	Shallow raised or recessed, flat overall	Flat, print only — no relief
Detail	Highest — skylines, portraits, fine texture	Moderate — line logos and text	Graphic print, no dimension
Weight & feel	Hefty and premium	Lighter	Lightweight
Best for	Marquee finisher medals	Budget or basic medals	Lightweight, colorful events
Relative cost	Higher	Lower	Lower

Factory-direct medals — by the numbers

15+

Years making race medals

30,000+

Medals produced per day

50+

Countries shipped

100

MOQ per design

385°C

Zinc die-casting

Electroplating steps

Certifications: ISO 9001, BSCI, Sedex, Reach, RoHS, Disney-approved supplier.

Medal Order Planning Matrix — Quantity, Mold & Lead Time by Event Size

Every race distance is its own production run — its own mold, its own 100-piece minimum, its own plating schedule. This is how a race director plans the whole event family without paying for tooling twice.

Event size	Typical quantity	Molds needed	Unit-price tier	Production window
Local 5K / fun run	100–300 finishers	1 mold (one distance)	Base tier at 100; steps down at 300	7–15 days after sample approval
Half marathon + 5K	300–1,500 finishers	2 molds (one per distance)	300–1,000 tier per design	7–15 days, two runs sequenced
Full marathon	1,000–5,000 finishers	1–2 molds (finisher + age-group)	1,000–5,000 tier	10–15 days; parallel laser stations
Ultra / championship series	500–2,000 across distances	2–4 molds (distance family)	1,000+ tier per design	12–15 days; schedule by distance
Multi-city race series	2,000–10,000 total	Shared shape family, one mold per city	5,000+ tier	Staggered 2–4 weeks by city

Defect Library — Symptom, Cause, Prevention

The faults worth knowing before you approve a sample are the ones that appear in the metal, not in the artwork.

Symptom	Likely cause	How it is prevented
Flow lines on the face	Cavity not polished enough, low machine pressure, or shot fired too fast	Mold polishing schedule and pressure set per part; first-off inspection after casting
Porosity / pinholes	Mold not venting properly	Vent channels cut and checked before the run; samples inspected under magnification
Short fill at sharp corners	Pressure too low for that section	Gate and pressure tuned at sampling; corners radiused at the artwork stage
Plating blisters	Parts not cleaned before the bath, or sealing oil baked before fully dry	Cleaning and full-dry check before plating; tunnel-oven schedule fixed at 100°C / 40 min
Enamel colour bleeding	Fill area below the minimum (0.3 mm soft / 0.5 mm hard)	Artwork thickened at the proof stage; Pantone matched before production
Ribbon print misregistration	Artwork not set up with bleed and fold allowance	Print file checked against the 4-fold construction before the run

Finish & Packaging

Marathon medal finish detail — Marathon medal — 3D die-cast relief, Pantone enamel and plating detail

Explore related medals & guides

Race Medals Overview All 15 race types we make Medal Design Guide Plan shape, size and relief Medal Materials Guide Zinc, brass, iron compared 12-Step Manufacturing How marathon medals are made Race Medal Complete Guide Plan a full race medal order Custom Medal Ribbons Lanyards, printing, lengths Bulk Custom Medals Volume pricing and programs

Marathon Medal FAQ — Answers From the Factory Floor

How early should we order marathon medals?

Contact us 8 weeks before race day. That covers 24-hour free design with 3D renderings, 7–10 days for a physical sample, committee review time, 7–15 days bulk production, and 5–10 days air shipping. If your race is sooner, tell us — we often accommodate rush timelines using in-stock molds, sometimes as fast as 3 weeks from first contact.

Can we have different medals for the full, half, and 5K?

Yes — this is standard for marathons with multiple distances. Each distance gets its own mold and its own 100-piece MOQ, but they share a design family so the set looks cohesive. We propose a tiered sizing and plating plan as part of your free design.

Can each medal show the runner's name and finish time?

Yes. We import the timing company's Excel or CSV file with names, bib numbers, finish times, and age-group rankings, and laser-engrave each medal individually. A proof run of 5–10 samples is included so you can verify alignment before full production.

What size and plating do you recommend for a city marathon?

89–102mm gold for the full-marathon finisher medal, with a 76–89mm nickel half-marathon variant and a 44–64mm bronze 5K. 3–4mm thickness feels substantial; go to 4–6mm for majors. Antique gold with deep relief reads as premium for championship-level events.

Can you match a medal from our previous supplier?

Yes. Send photos from multiple angles plus any original files (AI, EPS, PDF, or a clear sketch). We reverse-engineer the relief, plating, and enamel colors and improve weak points — better plating adhesion, sharper detail, accurate Pantone matching — while keeping the design recognizable.

Do you make child-safe medals for kids' marathon events?

Yes. Kids' medals use an 800mm × 20mm ribbon and smoothly finished edges, with Reach and RoHS compliant plating (no restricted heavy metals). We recommend a smaller, lighter medal so younger finishers wear it comfortably all day.

Start Your Marathon Medals Project

Tell us about your event — the distance, the location, and how many finishers you expect. We will create a free custom design with 3D renderings and a detailed line-item quote within 24 hours. No obligation.

Prefer to browse first? Explore medal materials, see our 12-step manufacturing process, or review our design guide.

Get Free Design & Quote Now

Related Medal Types

Building a marathon awards programme? Pair the finisher medal with soft and hard enamel medals and rotating-centre medals on the same Zamak base — one factory, one plating spec, one reorder file. For the wider sports calendar see our sports medals and event medals.