Crossing a finish line is a moment worth keeping. The medal that goes around your neck is the proof. But medals accumulate faster than anyone plans for, and most collections end up in the same place — a shoebox, a drawer, the bottom of a wardrobe.
Here are eight things you can actually do with them, with honest notes on what each one costs in money, effort and permanence.
1. Wall-mounted medal display
The most common answer, and usually the right one. A wall rack takes the collection out of storage without turning it into clutter, and it takes no floor space doing it.
The practical advantages are less obvious than the visual one. Stacked medals abrade each other and ribbons crease permanently. Hung on separated bars, nothing touches, nothing tangles, and nothing needs untangling before you can look at it.
What to look for
- Steel thickness. Budget racks are cut from 1–1.5 mm sheet and bow visibly past thirty medals. Three millimetres stays flat under a full load.
- Capacity, honestly stated. Ribbon width decides how much fits, not medal size. Standard 1.5-inch race ribbons fit 12–14 per bar; wide championship ribbons 8–10.
- Cut versus printed. Lettering cut through the steel cannot flake or fade. Printed or vinyl-applied text can.
- Edge finish. Laser-cut edges should be deburred, or ribbons fray where they rest.
Cost: $40–70 for a quality steel rack. Permanence: reversible — medals lift on and off individually.
Our medal hanger collection covers sport-specific designs and motivational cuts. If you are unsure which, the choosing guide covers sizes and capacity.
2. Shadow box for a single race
Some races deserve their own frame — a first marathon, a comeback after injury, a destination event. A shadow box turns one medal into a piece of art, usually alongside the bib and a finish photo.
This is about significance rather than volume. It suits people who do not want the whole collection visible, only the races that changed something.
Get the materials right
Most framing advice stops at appearance, which is a mistake with race memorabilia. Use acid-free backing and archival mounting tape or photo corners — never rubber cement or standard double-sided tape, which yellow and can bond permanently. If the frame will sit near a window, pay for UV-protective glazing.
Race bibs are printed on Tyvek, which yellows under prolonged light and creases permanently once folded. A frame that damages what it preserves is not doing its job.
Cost: $40–120 per frame, depending on size and glazing. Permanence: semi-permanent — reversible if you used archival materials.
3. Donate them
If the collection has outgrown the wall, or if you would rather your medals mean something to someone else, several organisations collect and redistribute them.
Medals4Mettle gives finisher medals to people facing serious illness or disability — the medal becomes recognition of a different kind of endurance. Ainsley's Angels supports athletes with disabilities in participating in endurance events. Local running clubs and children's hospitals often run their own programmes.
How to do it well
- Check the organisation's current guidelines before posting — requirements change, and some accept only certain types of medal
- Photograph them first. You keep the record without keeping the object
- Start with the ones that matter least — small local races, duplicates, fun runs. Keep the milestones
- Send the ribbon attached unless told otherwise, and consider including a short note of encouragement
Cost: postage only. Permanence: irreversible.
4. Turn them into something else
Medals can become ornaments, wind chimes, wreath decorations, keyrings or drawer pulls. It works, and it uses medals that would otherwise sit in a box permanently.
One caution: most of these projects involve drilling, gluing or cutting. Use duplicates and low-significance medals, not the ones you would regret altering. And if the piece will live somewhere humid — a bathroom, a porch — seal the metal first, or plated medals will tarnish.
Cost: low, mostly materials you already have. Permanence: usually irreversible.
5. Memory quilt or textile project
If you have race t-shirts as well as medals, a quilt combines both. Professional quilters arrange the shirts into panels and add snaps, buttons or clear vinyl pockets to hold the medals — removable, so the quilt can be washed and the medals redisplayed later.
This is the option that solves two storage problems at once. Race t-shirts take more wardrobe space than medals ever take wall space.
Practical notes
- Ask for removable medal attachments rather than sewn-in. It keeps your options open
- Photograph every shirt before cutting — you cannot undo it
- Use a specialist. T-shirt fabric stretches and needs stabilising; general quilters may not handle it well
- Start with a cushion cover if you are doing it yourself and unsure
Cost: $150–400 for a professionally made throw. Permanence: irreversible for the shirts.
6. Recycle the materials
For anyone committed to decluttering permanently, medals can be melted down. Some jewellers will cast a ring or pendant from the metal, keeping a physical link to the races without keeping thirty objects.
Worth knowing before you commit: most race medals are zinc alloy or brass, not precious metal, and the melting point and finish differ from what a jeweller usually works with. Ask specifically whether they have done it before.
Cost: varies widely for custom work; free at a scrap facility. Permanence: completely irreversible.
7. Memory book or family archive
Medals paired with bibs, photos and a written account of the day become something a family keeps rather than something one person owns. A grandparent's first marathon medal, with the story of the day attached, carries more than the medal alone.
What makes it work
- Write it down while it is fresh. Weather, who you ran with, where it got hard, what the finish felt like. Six months later you have the time and nothing else
- Pair each medal with its bib — the bib carries the date, event and distance the medal does not
- Use acid-free albums and boxes. Ordinary paper and PVC sleeves both damage what they hold over years
- Scan everything as you go, so a single flood or fire does not end the archive
Cost: $30–100 for archival materials. Permanence: preserves everything.
8. Digital archive
The minimalist answer. Photograph each medal front and back, log the race name, date, distance and finish time in a spreadsheet, and store it in the cloud.
This works particularly well as a companion to any of the options above rather than as a replacement. A digital record means you can donate or repurpose physical medals without losing the record of them.
- Shoot consistently — same background, same lighting, so the set looks deliberate
- Capture the back too. Engravings and event details are often there rather than on the front
- Log more than the times. A sentence about each day is what you will actually reread
- Back it up somewhere that is not your phone
Cost: nothing. Permanence: keeps everything, stores nothing.
Comparing the eight
| Option | Cost | Effort | Reversible? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall display | $40–70 | Low | Yes | Growing collections you want visible |
| Shadow box | $40–120 each | Medium | Mostly | One or two significant races |
| Donation | Postage | Low | No | Overflow, or giving them purpose |
| Craft projects | Low | Medium | No | Duplicates and minor races |
| Memory quilt | $150–400 | High | No | Runners with shirt collections too |
| Recycling | Varies | Medium | No | Permanent decluttering |
| Memory book | $30–100 | High | Yes | Family legacy |
| Digital archive | Free | Medium | Yes | Anyone, alongside another option |
A practical order
Most people do not need to choose one. A workable sequence:
- Photograph everything first. It costs nothing and makes every later decision easier
- Display the ones that matter — the races you would describe if someone asked
- Frame one or two that carry disproportionate weight
- Donate or repurpose the rest, once you have the digital record
The point of a medal is not the metal. It is the day it came from — and that survives whether the object stays on your wall or ends up around someone else's neck.
Frequently asked questions
How many medals fit on a standard medal hanger?
Around 60 or more on an 18-inch three-bar rack, depending on ribbon width. Standard 1.5-inch race ribbons fit 12–14 per bar; wide championship ribbons around 8–10.
Where can I donate race medals?
Medals4Mettle and Ainsley's Angels both run redistribution programmes in the US. Local running clubs and children's hospitals often accept them too. Check current guidelines before posting — requirements change.
Do race medals tarnish?
Plated medals can, particularly in humid rooms. A dry microfibre cloth handles routine dust. Avoid chemical cleaners, which strip plating.
What should I do with race bibs?
Store them flat, out of direct sunlight, and do not laminate — heat lamination is irreversible and can warp Tyvek. Removable vinyl sleeves keep them flat without altering them. We cover this fully in our race bib display guide.
Can I display medals without drilling into the wall?
A freestanding tiered stand avoids drilling entirely. Adhesive strips are not reliable for a loaded rack — they are rated for static weight and tend to fail as medals are added and removed.
If a wall display is the direction you are going, browse the medal hanger collection or the race bib and medal displays if you keep bibs too.
Mounting it is covered step by step in our guide to hanging medals on a wall.