New Year 2022: 3 Medal Trends Already Visible in January Orders 🏅

First-Monday-of-the-year orders are already telling a story. Three shifts are landing in race-director briefs this week, and each one will define what runners post about in 2022.

Pandemic-Era Medals Get Bigger

After two pandemic years of cancelled races, finishers want medals that feel like real achievements again. 75mm is replacing 65mm as the default zinc-alloy finisher size. The cost increase is small (~฿10/medal); the perceived weight gain is significant. RS Trophy now stocks 75mm round blanks in gold/silver/bronze year-round.

QR Codes on the Back

More race directors are etching a small QR code on the medal back, linking to the runner's official finish time and certificate. The QR is laser-engraved at the factory at no extra cost. Runners scan it months later to relive the moment — and the race brand gets ongoing visibility well past finish day.