Belt buckle race medals for marathon and ultra-marathons

Race medal set for Blue Ridge Marathon series
Blue Ridge Marathon 2017 medal set

The Blue Ridge Marathon aka America’s Toughest Road Marathon is an annual marathon and half marathon held in both Roanoke and Roanoke County, Virginia. It is not for the faint of heart – runners will  enter the Blue Ridge Parkway, and pass through Roanoke Mountain and back, all in 26.2 miles.

The Design

BRM race medal proof
The elevation chart was used as a background in the medal design

Many ultra-marathons race medals also double as a belt buckle, so for this year the organizers wanted to incorporate this function in their double and marathon race medal. Since the main feature of the race is the rugged ascent and descend of the mountain range, we used the elevation profile as the background of the medal, also using 3D technique to make the mountains come to live! The buckle design allows for ribbons and belt to loop through. The double and single marathon designs are similar, while half marathon and 5K features a circular design with the mountainous ridge background.

BRM back belt buckle design
Insider tip: the back of the medal is a great place to put important race info!

The Production

Once the design is finished we moved onto making a medal sample. Medals with lots of detail like this one we use an antique finish so that the mountainous details will show up nicely. As a contrast the large text on the medals is decorated with glitter to give it a little extra ‘pop’. First the virgin medals gets plated with antique bronze, then polished to be smooth and clean; the color is then filled one by one and finished off with glitter. The final products are then inspected and off to the clients!

BRM belt buckle medal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running a marathon is no easy task; and this is one of the most challenging course that many runners have encountered – we hope this special belt buckle will bring back wonderful memories of hard work and joy!

Photo credit: Blue Ridge Marathon Facebook page
Photo credit: Blue Ridge Marathon Facebook page

Do you have a crazy good idea for medal and need someone to help you achieve it? Contact us today!