I've finally gotten my act together and am ready to share all of the medals I earned in 2020! Obviously last year took a turn that none of us were really expecting, and our race experience were probably a little different than we were hoping, but I was still able to collect some really incredible race bling. I will definitely look at my 2020 race medals a little different than all of my others just because the year I earned them in was so strange! I feel lucky to have the ability to keep running through this time, and I hope that we're all able to continue earning bling through 2021 😊
In-Person Races
In 2020 I was fortunate to run 7 in-person races and earn 7 medals (one in-person race - the Space Coast Lightfest 5K - did not give out medals, and I was given an additional medal for running the Fairytale Challenge during Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend). I will say that getting a medal at the end of an in-person race is something that is so special and something that I didn't realize how much it meant to me until I was unable to do so for months at a time. There's something that feels so great about earning that token of accomplishment at the finish line and wearing it proudly for the read of the day! I feel so grateful that I was able to earn as many in-person medals as I did, and I will always look back at my 2020 medals with extra fondness.
Rock n' Roll New Orleans Marathon
February 8, 2020 - New Orleans, Louisiana
Gold medal with turquoise and white accents featuring the St. Louis Cathedral and a background of a fleur de lis pattern. Instead of a ribbon, the medal features silver beads. Unfortunately, the medal will sometimes slip off of the beads (almost lost mine on Bourbon St.!) as it is a bit heavy to be held together by plastic beads. I LOVE the concept of this medal but wish it was sturdier.
Disney Princess Enchanted 10K
February 22, 2020 - Orlando, Florida
Gold medal with pink and orange accents, predominately featuring Pocahontas and pink and orange leaves. The ribbon is magenta and features the name of the race, a white silhouette of Pocahontas running, and pink leaves. Disney medals are unmatched in their quality! I was so surprised at how heavy the medal was when it was handed to me, and the design is so beautiful! Definitely the best 10K medal I've ever earned.
Disney Princess Half Marathon
February 23, 2020 - Orlando, Florida
Gold medal with blue accents predominantly featuring Cinderella. Also features a glass panel at the top of the medal as a nod to Cinderella's glass slippers. The ribbon is a royal blue and features the name of the race, a silhouette of Cinderella's castle, and Cinderella herself holding her glass slipper and looking ~sassy~. This medal takes the cake of my favorite medal of 2020! It is apparent that a lot of thought went into this medal and I absolutely love looking at it!
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend - Fairy Tale Challenge
February 22-23, 2020 - Orlando, Florida
Gold medal with blue, green, pink, and white features and three spinners which prominently feature Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather on one side and the distances of the Fairy Tale Challenge (6.2, 13.1, 19.3) on the other. There is a pink gem in the middle of the medal as well. The ribbon is magenta on one side and blue on the other, and features the name of the challenge and Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. I received this medal for running both the Disney Princess Enchanted 10K and the Disney Princess Half Marathon!
Los Angeles Marathon
March 8, 2020 - Los Angeles, California
Silver medal with blue and turquoise features. The medal features several Los Angeles landmarks, including Dodger Stadium, Capitol Records, the Hollywood Sign, and the Santa Monica Pier. The reverse side is the Los Angeles Marathon logo. The ribbon is dark blue and white and includes the name of the race in white and turquoise lettering. This was my last in-person race before the pandemic and I will always be so grateful that I was able to run it!
Mount Dora 5K
December 19, 2020 - Mount Dora, Florida
Silver medal with yellow, green, and white features, predominately displaying the Mount Dora Half Marathon reindeer wearing a mask. The ribbon is green on one side with white text that says "Mount Dora" and red on the other side with white text that says "5K Finisher" on the other side. My first medal in 9 months, and for that alone it is a special one! I ran really well though this 5K as well, which I am very proud of.
Mount Dora Half Marathon
December 20, 2020 - Mount Dora, Florida
Silver medal with red, green, and white features, predominately displaying the Mount Dora Half Marathon reindeer wearing a mask. The ribbon is green on one side with white text that says "Mount Dora" and red on the other side with white text that says "Half Finisher" on the other side. My last in-person race for 2020, and again, I am so grateful that I was able to participate in this event!
Virtual Races
I ran so many more virtual races and challenges in 2020 than I ever have in the past. I earned 5 medals and ran 6 races/challenges (I did not receive a medal for the Run for the Zoo 10K back in June) and while I've always preferred in-person racing to virtual racing, I definitely gained a new appreciation for virtual running in 2020. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to have some fun at home with these virtual races, and I've gotten excited about participating in more virtual runs in the future!
Medford2Medford Virtual Race Across America
July - September 2020
My first virtual race medal of 2020! Gold medal shaped like a map of the United States. Red, white, and blue features and a sliding sneaker that moves across the map. Because I ran the Massachusetts2Medford challenge, the sneaker says "MA" and the distance that I ran - 142 miles. The ribbon is navy blue and features the virtual challenge name and the red and yellow stripes.
Smuttynose Rockfest Virtual Half Marathon
October 4, 2020
Silver rectangular medal with navy blue and dark red features. A headstock of a guitar is featured and there is a bottle opener at the bottom of the medal. The ribbon is turquoise and features a beach scene with music notes throughout. The name of the race is written in red on the ribbon as well. I was so bummed when this race went virtual because I've been wanting to run it for YEARS. I really hope I get to run this race in person one day!
Virtual Providence Half Marathon
October 11, 2020
Silver medal with blue, yellow, and white features. The medal depicts a scene of Providence's Prospect Park and centered on a statue of Roger Williams. The Providence Marathon logo is also featured. My favorite part of the medal is the glass panel! The ribbon yellow on one side and blue on the other, and features the name of the race, text that reads "13.1 Finisher", and an image of the statue of Roger Williams. Again, this is a race I've been wanting to run for a while and was bummed when it went virtual. I hope to run it sometime soon!
Virtual Allstate Hot Chocolate 15K
November 8, 2020
Gold medal in the shape of a chocolate bar with brown "chocolate" features and the name of the race on the front. The square piece in the middle of the medal flips open, and there was a piece of chocolate in the middle (which I promptly ate when I finished the race 😂). The ribbon is red on one side and features text that reads "15K Finisher" and white on the other side with the race website in blue text. These races don't come up into my area, so I was glad I got to have a little bit of the experience at home!
#RunMA Challenge
August - December 2020
GIANT silver medal (the size of my face!) with multicolored features. The RunMA Challenge logo is at the center, and the different distance milestone badges are all around the outside of the medal. The ribbon is royal blue with the RunMA Challenge logo and the Millenium Running logo (the race company) in white text. This is definitely my favorite virtual medal I received in 2020, and I can't wait to participate in more Millenium Running challenges in the future!
