Making a running keepsake with the Running Route Map preset

Difficulty: Beginner (print) to Intermediate (laser) · Time: 20 minutes (print) to 90 minutes (layered laser) · Methods, ranked: 1) High-res print / UV print, 2) laser engrave on wood or slate with the route as the deepest tone, 3) layered laser build using the backplate as a frame layer.

Crossing a finish line - or just logging the miles - is worth keeping. This preset turns the route you ran into wall art: your GPX track drawn as a bold crimson line over a soft, muted city grid on a deep navy backplate. It ships preloaded with a sample big-city loop through downtown Chicago so you can see the styling immediately, then you replace it with your own recorded run. A marathon, a half, a 5K, or a favorite training loop - the most personal running gift there is.

Open the Running Route Map preset

What You'll Need

Print (recommended)

The exported 4096 px PNG and a photo print service (or your own printer), frame of choice - or a UV flatbed onto white acrylic/Dibond for a premium finish
Your GPX file: export it from Strava, Garmin Connect, COROS, the race timing site, or your watch ("Export GPX")

Laser engrave

3 mm Baltic birch, bamboo board, or a slate plaque; laser engraver

Step 1 - Start from the preset

Open the Running Route Map preset. It loads on downtown Chicago at zoom 12.2 with a sample running loop already drawn in crimson, following the street grid.

Make it yours: use Add layer → Route and upload your run .gpx, then delete or hide the sample Run route layer. Re-search the map location to your city and frame the route.

Frame the route, not the whole city: zoom until the run fills the middle 60–70% of the square.
Point-to-point marathons read best running diagonally corner to corner; loop runs look great centered.
Leave one quiet corner for an engraved or printed caption (race name, date, finishing time).

Step 2 - Tune the layers

Run route - your GPX track, crimson (#C1121F) at width 6. Thicken to 7 for long, zoomed-out routes or for engraving; recolor to a race's branding. Keep it the boldest mark on the piece.

City - the quiet backdrop: off-white land, soft blue water, sage parks, and three muted road tiers. Keep the streets light - if you brighten them the route stops popping. For dense downtowns, hide Streets and keep only Primary roads to declutter.

Backplate - deep navy (#14213D) behind everything. In prints it reads as the frame surround; in layered builds it's the physical base. Shift toward black for a sportier, higher-contrast look.

Step 3 - Export

Print: high-res PNG (4096 px), Background toggle on. At 300 mm that clears 300 DPI.
Laser engrave: per-layer SVGs or the combined SVG; colors become engrave-depth hints (route darkest).
Layered build: export the City SVG (engrave file) and the Run route SVG (cut/inlay file), with the backplate as the cut base.
Hanger hole if it will hang from cord or lace; small-polygon cleanup on.

Choose Your Build Method

Framed print / UV print

Export the PNG and print at 250–300 mm square on matte photo paper.
Add the race name, date, distance, and finishing time as a caption under the map before printing.
UV variant: print directly on white acrylic or Dibond and float-mount with anodized standoff spacers at the corners (enable Corner holes at export).

Make It Yours

Finisher's gift: route + "Chicago Marathon · 26.2 mi · 3:42:11" engraved under the map.
Series wall: one plaque per race, the route color shifting through a gradient down the hallway.
Multi-run piece: upload several GPX files as separate Route layers in different colors - a whole training block on one map.
Relay or team: each leg in a different color on the same course.
Medal hanger: stretch the layout and mount the print above a rail of laser-cut hooks for the medals.

Open the Running Route Map preset

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