New Year 2025: 3 Medal Trends Already Visible in January Briefs 🏅

First-Monday-of-the-year orders set the tone for spring. Three shifts in race-director briefs landing this week will define what runners post about in 2025.

Eiffel-Inspired Inlays Are Everywhere

Paris 2024's Eiffel-iron inlay technique landed in 2025 race briefs almost immediately. Expect to see medals with local-landmark fragments (recycled stadium steel, retired equipment, building remnants) across regional events this year. The narrative hook is unbeatable — and the inlay setup adds only ~฿20/medal at scale.

Hexagonal Form Goes Mainstream

Paris broke the round-medal default last summer. By January 2025, hexagonal and other asymmetric forms are showing up across roughly 30% of new race briefs. The cost on a custom die is identical to round; the photographic impact is dramatic. Get ahead of the curve.