New Year, Big Year: 3 Marathon Medal Trends Shaping 2023 🏃

The first Monday of the year is when race directors start scouting medal designs for the spring season. Three shifts are already visible in the orders coming through our floor.

Bigger Diameters, Same Budgets

70mm was the default finisher-medal size for a decade. 2023 briefs are landing at 80mm and 85mm — runners want presence in social photos. Zinc-alloy cost scales with mass not diameter, so the upcharge is small (about ฿12/medal); the photographic impact is huge. RS Trophy now stocks 80mm round blanks year-round to support the shift.

Color Inserts Over Full UV Print

Cast metal with a die-stamped epoxy-color insert at the center is replacing the all-over UV print look. The metal frame photographs more premium; the epoxy inlay keeps the color punch where it matters. Cost is similar to two-pass UV but durability is dramatically better — epoxy survives a decade of handling.