2025 Medals Celebrate 100 Years Since the Construction of the Historic Hayward Field East Grandstand

For the fifth 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 original east grandstand.

This year is especially significant because 2025 marks exactly 100 years since the historic east grandstand was built. The grandstand stood from 1925 to 2018 and witnessed countless record-setting moments and legendary athletic achievements at events like the U.S. Olympic Trials, the Prefontaine Classic and the NCAA Championships.

With the reclaimed wood piece serving as the centerpiece, the 2025 Eugene Marathon medals tell a story that connects this year’s finishers to the legends who’ve crossed the Hayward Field finish line in the past, along with the community that supported them on their journeys. And for the third straight year, the Eugene Marathon partnered locally with Springfield High School’s woodshop to mill down and laser cut each of the thousands of wood pieces that will be used in this year’s medals.

Using the east grandstand as the primary inspiration and theme, the outer profile of the medal mirrors that of the historic structure’s distinctive roof line. The roof line faces the center of the medal, where a six-lane track circles the wood to commemorate the original six-lane cinder track at Hayward Field in 1925. 

The wood piece rests inside the track and surrounds the Eugene Marathon logo — representing history in the most tangible way possible: in a medal that those who finish these races will be able to hold in their hands and wear proudly around their necks.

A few smaller details include the marathon or half marathon course route outlined on the back of the medal along with the words: “The Wood in this medal supported the East Grandstand at Historic Hayward Field from 1925 to 2018.” And finally the ribbon holder, which, if you look at it from the side, is the iconic silhouette of the east grandstand with rows of seats to represent the supportive and significant role that each runner’s community has played in their marathon journey.

The remaining 2025 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 community that surrounds and supports each participant in their own journey to the finish line.