Personal Best Prints

A personal best print is a map of the route where a runner set their best time, with the time and optional date printed beneath it. You choose the location or route in the online designer, so the print can show a race course, a local loop or a training route that is meaningful to the runner. The Personal Best Map is designed around the achievement, not a particular event.

A time, not an event — and why that matters

A PB is a time, not necessarily a medal, race number or finish-line moment. Medal hangers and bib frames work when an event has left the runner with something physical to display, but a personal best often comes with nothing more than a number on a watch. A Personal Best Map gives that number a place, showing the route it was run on whether it was a race course or an ordinary Tuesday evening loop.

That makes it suitable for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, ultra or any other distance the runner has chosen to mark. The achievement does not need to come from a large or well-known event.

What you can personalise

The map is centred on the location or route you choose in the online designer before ordering. You can add the running time as the main wording beneath the map, then include a short line of text and, optionally, the date it was set.

If the PB was a 5K or 10K, the 10K and 5K route print gives you a route-focused option. You can also browse the wider range of running route prints if you are choosing by distance or design.

When the PB was set on a training route

A training-route PB is completely suitable for this type of print. The route may be the loop the runner uses every week, a path that starts at their front door or a stretch they know immediately by shape. In some cases, that route is more personal than a race course because it belongs to their everyday running routine.

There does not need to be a race, medal or bib behind the time. If the route is not something you can search for by name, the GPX upload is the practical way to use the route the runner actually ran.

Which route to show

• If there was a race: use the race course if it is the route connected with the PB.
• If there was no race: use the training loop or route where the time was set.
• If the route is long, repetitive or lapped: consider showing the section that reads best as a recognisable shape.

A route that doubles back on itself or goes around several laps can look clearer when focused on the recognisable part. The important choice is the route that makes the time meaningful to the recipient, rather than one selected only because it has an event name.

Using a GPX file from a watch or tracker

The route map templates accept a GPX file upload. Use this when the PB was set on a route that is not easy to find by searching for a location, such as a personal training loop or an unnamed local path. Uploading the GPX file lets you work from the route itself rather than trying to identify it by an event or place name.

How to print a time so it reads well

A bare time, such as 00:00, is the cleanest option when the runner already knows exactly what it represents. For anyone else looking at the print, putting the distance before it is usually clearer: 5K · 00:00 or 10K · 00:00. Adding the date gives the achievement more context without turning the line into a list of results.

Keep the wording beneath the map to roughly two to six words. Longer lines have to be set smaller to fit the width of the print, which makes them harder to read from across a room. For more ways to phrase the wording, see these wording ideas for a running print.

How to design yours

1. Choose the design that suits the runner and the distance.
2. Search for the route or upload a GPX file if you have the route file.
3. Position the route in the online designer.
4. Add the time, a short line of text and the date if you want one.
5. Check the wording, then order the print. Prints are made to order.

If you are buying for a seasonal occasion, you can also browse Christmas gifts for runners or see the wider selection of personalised sports gifts.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good gift to mark a running personal best?

A Personal Best Map is a good gift when you want to mark the time and the route together. It works when the PB came from a race and when there is no medal, bib or other physical event item to display.

Can you make a print of a personal best set on a training route?

Yes. You can use the training route where the time was set, including a familiar local loop or an unnamed route. The route map templates accept a GPX file upload for routes that are not easy to find by name.

Which route should the print show if the PB was not set at a race?

Show the training route or loop where the PB happened. If it doubles back or includes repeated laps, choose the section that is most recognisable as a shape.

How should a running time be written on a print?

Use the bare time for a simple design, or put the distance before the time so the meaning is clear to other people. An optional date adds context. Keep the complete line to roughly two to six words so it remains easy to read.