Racing Trophy Display Door

My husband became a runner when he was 36 years old.

Turns out, he’s really good at it. (I try not to hold that against him.)

If you are new to the world of running, let me enlighten you. Some runners become so enthralled with the sport that they start running races. It keeps you motivated in your training and many runners even enjoy *gasp* these races. Crazy, I know.

For every race you enter, you will receive a running bib with your number on it and for every race you complete you will usually earn a medal. Before long, you’ve got medals hanging from doorknobs (classy) and you’re looking for your checkbook in the junk drawer, but all you can find is – yep, you guessed it – a handful of running bibs.  

The accomplishment of finishing a race is AWESOME! Not having any place besides the junk drawer to show off your running accomplishments – not so cool.

So I decided to give Awesome Runner Husband a dedicated personalized trophy shelf to hang all of those awards in his office. My idea was that, over time, this DIY trophy shelf would be completely filled with layer upon layer of his awards. Evidence that he conquered another section of road. Memories of a relay race ran with friends. Reminders of how much he has worked for and how far he has come in taking control of his health. Motivation to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

So i you are looking for a creative way to display trophies or how to display awards awards on a wall, you’ve come to the write place! Let’s get started!

When we remodeled the basement in our Oregon home, we streamlined the way the water pipes worked and in the process, removed some old doors. One of those old doors became the inspiration for my husband’s trophy board.

The doors were solid wood and even better, the door knobs were dummy knobs (non-turning). On a door with a functioning door hardware, there is a circle drilled through the door to hold both sides of the knob or handle. On a door with dummy hardware, the knob is just screwed into the door’s frame. To not have to deal with that big circle was a happy surprise!

Uh, did I mention the doors were in really gross shape? Not sure what’s been dripping down this door. Ewwww.

All I had to do was fill in those screw holes with wood putty, sand the door and paint the frame of the door a glossy black. I didn’t worry about painting the inset portion of the door because I was going to cover that with cork board.

And, here’s a random selfie in safety glasses. Safety first, man!

Cork board comes in rolls or squares at most any craft store, even Wal-mart. I happened to pick up the squares for this project.

I affixed the cork board to the door with a heavy-duty construction adhesive. Overkill, yes. However, we were out of every other kind of glue at the time. I couldn’t even find a darn glue stick. Keeping it real, folks.

So, I broke out the heavy-duty stuff! I’d imagine that wood glue would work just fine for this project though. If you haven’t worked with cork board before, it’s really easy to cut. Scissors or an utility/craft knife will easily cut through it. Here’s how it looked before we hung any of the medals on the board. (Side note: this very unfinished picture is from our Oregon house. And yes, we eventually did paint those patches on the wall!)

When I was done, we hung the door from its hinges! I simply spray painted them black using some leftover spray paint. I considered spraying the screw heads black too, but decided they didn’t bother me as they were.

When Awesome Runner Husband adds a new running bib, he staples it to the board. Some of his medals are stapled on there as well. Others are pinned up with a thumbtack.

I love the “collected over time” look the board currently has because it truly has filled in one race at a time!

There are a few pictures up there too to keep things interesting! Even the kids have a medal they received from running their first race.

This board makes a BIG impact in our office and talk about a conversation starter! I love that I was able to incorporate the fruits of his labor into our home’s decor in a way that makes both of us happy. Most of all, I’m proud of him for all that he’s accomplished and for truly changing his lifestyle and health. It doesn’t just impact him, but our entire family in a truly positive way,

If you’ve done any DIY projects with doors or discovered other ways to display medals and ribbons, I’d love to see them! if you’re a runner or getting into running, let me know! The running community is one of the most welcoming groups of people on the planet – they all deserve a nice racing trophy display door. Even though I mainly stick to the treadmill, I have found so much encouragement from them.

Have a happy day!

Here are some other posts you might enjoy.

How to Crew for an Ultra Marathon Runner

How to Get Sweat Smell Out of Workout Clothes

Bracing for Achilles Tendonitis

That One Time I Went on a Trail Run