If the medal is already spoken for with any of the above choices, however you continue to need to protect the ribbon, do that: Use the ribbon itself as a lanyard after you take away the medal, and fix a keyring with a clip as an alternative.

5. Rework your medals into coasters.

Right here, your medal can do double-duty, reminding you of your achievement whereas conserving your post-race restoration beverage from ruining your furnishings.

The Kudos Coaster Plus has a transparent snap-on high, a number of colours of froth lining inside, and a raised lip to maintain condensation at bay. You may both snip the ribbon off or tuck it beneath earlier than enclosing the medal inside.

6. Adorn your vacation tree.

Chicago runner Lizbeth Nieves folds the ribbons behind her race medals, then winds threads by means of the hooks or holes, turning them into ornaments that adorn her evergreen. Simply make certain to choose research branches to carry them!

7. Let a number of medals sway within the breeze.

This entails some superior crafting abilities, however when you’re up for a problem, you should utilize your medals to make wind chimes.

You’ll need to get one thing sturdy to safe them to—runners have used a dowel rod or the backside of an previous birdfeeder—and dangle them on beading wire or fishing line, shut sufficient to softly clank. (For extra complete directions, try this article in Austin Match Journal.) Or, for a little bit of a shortcut, you could possibly add a medal or two to the underside of an present wind chime.

8. Sew shirts right into a quilt or blanket.

With so many artistic, colourful designs, race T-shirts make preferrred materials for a patchwork quilt (with batting in between layers) or less complicated, lighter-weight blankets. Don’t fear when you’re not proficient in stitching. Corporations like Souvenir T-Shirt Quilts, MemoryStitch, or Undertaking Repat will design, reduce, and stitch for you.

9. Create your personal reusable tote.

Just a few fast snips may remodel a race shirt right into a sustainable automobile in your farmers market or grocery-store purchases. This video tutorial exhibits you methods to do it, no stitching required.

10. Put bibs in a flip guide.

Order a souvenir operating bib holder particularly designed to retailer them ($25+, Etsy). Or, slide them into the sleeves of a photograph album or clip them right into a binder—they have already got holes for pins, so there’s no punch wanted.

11. Or, glue your tees onto a wall-hanging.

Inventive runner Emelia Cellura makes use of Mod Podge to affix her bibs onto massive, picket letters spelling out RUN—a challenge she describes intimately on her weblog.

12. Rework the shirts into attire or equipment.

The web site Bibs2Bags.com will take race bibs, shirts, or a mix of the 2 and use them to create luggage of assorted sizes—backpacks, duffels, or purses. Or, you may take pictures of any race memorabilia—bibs, medals, shirts—and have them printed on a variety of merchandise, from garments and sneakers to towels, cellphone instances, and wall-hangings.

13. Present all of your swag in a shadowbox.

Search your native craft retailer or on-line retailer for a glass- or plastic-covered body, normally lined with a tender materials like felt, foam, suede, or linen. Pin or dangle your hard-earned memorabilia inside, for show on a wall or shelf.