2024 Medals Will Once Again Connect Finishers to Hayward Field & Legends of the Past
For the fourth consecutive year, the Eugene Marathon is excited to announce that all marathon and half marathon finishers will receive a medal containing a piece of salvaged wood from the timbers that once held up Historic Hayward Field’s East Grandstand, which stood for nearly 100 years and witnessed countless record-setting and legendary athletic achievements.
Just like in 2023, Eugene Marathon partnered locally with Springfield High School’s woodshop to mill down, laser cut and engrave each of the thousands of wood pieces that will be used in this year’s medals.
With the reclaimed wood piece serving as the cornerstone, the 2024 medals tell a story that applauds each finisher’s accomplishment in the present, while connecting them to the legends of the past. The salvaged wood represents history in the physical sense — as a piece of the Historic Hayward Field stadium — and also in a figurative sense: to honor the legendary performances that have taken place on that iconic track.
The Eugene Marathon logo, placed between the medal and the wood, connects each runner’s journey to Hayward Field and to the finish line. And the word “LEGENDS” is engraved into the wood with the letters outlined to signify that each finishers’ legendary tale is both unique and shared. Everyone who crosses the finish line on April 28, 2024 will be a legend in their own way.
On the left side of each medal, the words “Running in the Footsteps of…” rise up from the background to the level of “LEGENDS,” to recognize each finisher’s journey to the finish line and the hard work, the commitment and the perseverance it took to get there.
A few smaller details include the marathon or half marathon course route outlined on the back of the medal. And finally the ribbon holder, which, if you look at it from the side is a nod to the silhouette of Historic Hayward Field’s east grandstand.
The remaining 2024 finisher medals – including the Eugene 5K and Kid’s Duck Dash presented by OCCU and the Krusteaz DoubleStack Challenge – keep with the same theme of focusing on the journey to the finish line and “Running in the Footsteps of Legends.”