There is nothing quite like the feeling of making that final turn off Roosevelt Road onto Columbus Drive in Grant Park, hearing the roar of the crowd, and crossing the finish line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. After 16 to 20 weeks of grueling Lakefront Trail long runs, early morning tempo workouts, and 26.2 miles through 29 vibrant Chicago neighborhoods, that heavy finisher medal placed around your neck is far more than a piece of metal: it is a symbol of grit, discipline, and personal triumph.
Yet every November, thousands of Chicago runners tuck their hard-earned finisher medal, safety-pinned race bib, and mylar recovery blanket into a desk drawer or hang the ribbon over a bedroom doorknob where it collects dust.
At The Picture Framing Group (known locally across Chicago as The Frame Shop), founded by father-and-son master framers Don and Cole Glassner, October and November are officially “Marathon Season” in our 11 Chicagoland studios. Here is our complete insider guide on how to design, layout, and archively preserve your Chicago Marathon medal and race bib in a custom 3D shadowbox frame.
Why Off-the-Shelf Marathon Frames Fall Short
After race weekend, runners are bombarded with social media ads for pre-made “marathon frames.” Before ordering a generic mail-order frame, here are three hidden problems our framers fix every single year when runners bring broken or faded pre-made frames into our shops:
- Pressed Ribbons Against Standard Glass: Most store-bought medal frames are standard flat picture frames with only 1/4-inch of depth. Forcing a thick cast-metal Chicago Marathon medal inside crushes the ribbon flat against the glass, which traps condensation, transfers ink, and can crack the glass during seasonal humidity shifts.
- Tyvek Bib Yellowing & Thermal Ink Fading: Official race bibs are printed on synthetic Tyvek with heat-sensitive timing strips on the back. If a framer uses dry-mounting heat presses or acidic glues, the bib warps and discolors. Furthermore, standard window glass blocks less than 45% of UV rays, causing the bold red and blue Bank of America Chicago Marathon graphics (and any Sharpie splits written on your bib) to fade within two summers.
- One-Size-Fits-None Layouts: Pre-cut mats force you into a rigid 5” x 7” vertical photo slot even if your best finish-line photo from MarathonFoto is horizontal, or if you want to include your pace band, corral pass, or course map.
4 Popular Chicago Marathon Shadowbox Layouts
When you visit any of our 11 Chicagoland framing studios, whether right off the course in Lincoln Park, Lakeview East on Broadway, Wicker Park, or Bridgeport, our designers lay out your race items on the counter and custom-cut every mat opening on our Computerized Mat Cutter (CMC) to 1/16” accuracy.
| Layout Style | Typical Dimensions | What’s Included Inside | Estimated Investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The Classic Bib + Medal Duo | 14” x 18” to 16” x 20” | Official race bib + finisher medal draped on custom mat slot | $220 - $320 |
| 2. The Grant Park Finish Line Trio | 18” x 24” to 20” x 26” | Race bib + finisher medal + 8x10 Finish Line / Bean photo + engraved time plaque | $290 - $440 |
| 3. The 29-Neighborhood Course Showcase | 24” x 30” to 24” x 36” | Official 26.2 Course Map + bib + medal + pace band + 2 race photos | $380 - $580 |
| 4. Abbott World Marathon Majors (Six Star) | 30” x 40”+ | All 6 Major medals (Chicago, Boston, NYC, London, Berlin, Tokyo) + Six Star Finisher Medal | $550 - $950+ |
Insider Design Upgrades That Make Your Medal Pop
1. Recessed Medal Channels & Invisible Hand-Stitching
Instead of letting your medal dangle loosely from a pin, we cut a precision recessed channel into a double or triple 100% cotton rag mat board. We pull the neck ribbon cleanly through the bevel and hand-tack the heavy metal medallion from behind using invisible conservation monofilament. Your medal sits perfectly centered and never swings when you open or close a door nearby.
2. Custom CMC Engraved Time Plates & Split Cutouts
Did you PR or qualify for Boston (BQ)? We can cut a custom window below your bib for a brushed brass, silver, or black-core engraved nameplate featuring your Official Chip Time (e.g., 3:24:18), date, and pace, or use our Computerized Mat Cutter to carve "26.2" or the iconic Chicago 4-star skyline motif directly into the mat board.
3. Chicago Flag Blue & Red Double Matting
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon medal and bib always incorporate subtle nods to Chicago architecture and the municipal flag. Pairing a crisp gallery white or charcoal linen top mat with a 1/4-inch inner reveal of Chicago Sky Blue or Championship Gold ties the entire composition together without overwhelming your living room or home office decor.
4. Tru Vue® Museum Glass® (Zero Glare on Shiny Metal)
Because marathon medals feature polished chrome, enamel, and metallic ribbons, standard glass creates a double reflection that makes it hard to read the fine engraving on the medal face. Upgrading to Tru Vue® Museum Glass® eliminates 99% of surface reflections while blocking 99% of harmful UV rays, making your medal look so three-dimensional that friends will reach out to touch it.
Need Your Race Photos Printed Too? We Do It In-House!
Downloaded your high-resolution digital race photos or took a celebration photo with family in front of Buckingham Fountain or Cloud Gate (“The Bean”)? You don’t need to visit a pharmacy photo counter first.
Bring your digital files on your phone or email them directly to your local shop. We offer in-house museum-grade giclée printing on archival luster and cotton rag photo paper, sized to fit your custom shadowbox layout.
Bring Your Medal & Bib In for a Free Design Consultation
No appointment is ever needed. Walk into any of our 11 neighborhood frame shops across Chicago and the suburbs, including Lincoln Park, Lakeview (Ashland), Broadway Framing, Wicker Park, Bridgeport, Highland Park, Libertyville, Mundelein, Elmhurst, Orland Park, and Homewood, and let our master framers help you celebrate every mile you ran.
