Marathon finisher gifts: their race, on the wall, in 3D
The medal goes in a drawer and the bib in a box, but the route stays in their watch. A print of the marathon they ran, with the course 3D-printed above the map, is a finisher gift nobody buys for themselves. Ideas for runners, trail runners and race organisers.
, 6 min read
A good marathon finisher gift is about the race itself, not about running in general. Runners who have just finished already own the shoes, the watch and the gels; what they do not have is something that keeps the day. The best options are personal and last: a print of the route they ran, a voucher so they can make one themselves, or, if you organise the race, a finisher print for the whole field. Here is how each works, and a few facts about the distance to put on the card.
What makes a good marathon finisher gift
Finishers usually go home with a medal and a T-shirt. A gift that stands out does three things:
It is about this race: the course, the date, the city.
It lasts: something for the wall or the desk, not another consumable.
They would not buy it themselves: runners spend on kit, rarely on keepsakes.
A print of the route they ran ticks all three. The line is theirs, from the start to the finish, as their watch recorded it.
A custom marathon route print, in 3D
On our prints the route is 3D-printed in matt PLA and glued to the glass above the printed map. The print carries the map, a title and the details from the activity, and the height of the route follows the elevation in the recording: 4 mm at the lowest point and 15 mm at the highest by default. On a hilly course you can see exactly where it hurt; on a flat city course the line stays close to the glass.
How to make one
In the configurator, upload a GPX, TCX or KML file from the watch or app, try the templates and colour themes on the route, then choose the size and the frame. The sizes are A5, A4 or A3, with a black or a white frame, and every print is made to order.
You can also paste a link to the activity from Strava, Garmin and others. We do not download the route from the link ourselves, but we show you how to download the file from the activity. For Strava this works only for your own activity. Our step-by-step guide on how to export a GPX file from Strava covers Strava, Garmin Connect and Komoot, and the page How to upload a route covers the configurator side.
When the file is on their watch, not yours
If the marathon is someone else’s, the recording sits in their account. Give the gift voucher instead: it arrives by email with a code, the recipient designs the print of their own route in the configurator and enters the code in the basket. It is valid for 12 months from purchase, long enough for the spring marathon they are only starting to train for.
Half marathon finisher gifts
Everything above works the same way for a half marathon, a 10K or a first 5K: it is their recording, so any distance becomes a print. For a first half marathon, the size of the print can match the size of the achievement: A5 (14.8 × 21 cm) for a desk, A4 (21 × 29.7 cm) or A3 (29.7 × 42 cm) for the wall.
For trail and ultra runners
Trail runners often have one ridge or one loop they would like to see in full. We have drawn some of the classics as ready-made prints, with the numbers for exactly the line each print shows.
The loop through three countries, from Les Houches by Courmayeur in Italy and Champex in Switzerland back to Les Houches, is 166.01 km with 10,027 m of climbing on the print.
The crossing of the Dolomites from Lago di Braies south to Belluno is 117.96 km with 7,872 m of climbing on the print.
And the whole main ridge of the Low Tatras in Slovakia, from Donovaly, just below Chopok and past Ďumbier, over Čertovica to Kráľova hoľa and down to Telgárt: 93.46 km and 5,026 m of climbing.
More on those lines in our guides to the trek around Mont Blanc and the Low Tatras ridge hike.
For race organisers: finisher prints for participants
If you organise a run, a cycling event or a company challenge, your participants can take the course home. We make a print of the course with the event name, the date and your logo. Tell us what you are planning and when it takes place, and we get back to you with an offer. The details are on our page for organisers.
The same works as a corporate gift: the route of a team climb, a company run or a club ride, with the logo on the print.
How long is a marathon, for the card
A marathon is 26 miles 385 yards, or 42.195 km, according to World Athletics, the sport’s world governing body. World Athletics on the marathon. Its history is in that odd number: the first modern marathon, in Athens in 1896, was run over 40 km; in London in 1908 the distance was extended to 26 miles, and then by another 385 yards when the start was moved back so that the children in the Royal Nursery could see it. The 26 miles 385 yards were standardised in 1921.
A half marathon is exactly half: 13.1094 miles, or 21.0975 km. World Athletics on the half marathon.
Why the watch says more than 26.2 miles
World Athletics’ Technical Rules say a road course is measured along the shortest possible route an athlete could follow within the part of the road allowed for the race, and that the course may not be shorter than the official distance. At the top international races, the measurement uncertainty may not exceed 0.1%, which is 42 m over a marathon. The road race rules are in Book C2.1 of the Technical Rules. Anyone who runs wide on the bends, weaves past other runners or swings over to a drinks table covers a little more, so the watch records the route they actually took rather than the measurer’s ideal line. That recording is what ends up on their print.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gift for a marathon finisher?
Something about their race that lasts: a print of the route they ran, a gift voucher so they can design it themselves, or a ready-made print of a trail they love.
Can I get a print of my marathon from Strava or Garmin?
Yes. Upload the GPX, TCX or KML file from your watch or app, or paste the activity link from Strava or Garmin and we show you how to download the file.
How long is a marathon and a half marathon?
A marathon is 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards) and a half marathon is 21.0975 km (13.1094 miles), as set by World Athletics.
Do you make prints for race organisers?
Yes: a print of the course with the event name, the date and your logo. Write to us and we get back to you with an offer.
