Journal 4 MIN READ
What to call it
The headline is the only part of the print you write yourself. Three patterns that work, one that always fails, and why the race name is rarely the best answer.
Everything else on the print comes out of the file. The headline is yours, and it decides whether the object is a record or a souvenir.
The three that work
The name you actually use. Not "Sjælland Rundt" but whatever you and the two people you rode with have called it ever since. A private name is unreadable to visitors and instantly readable to the four people it belongs to. That asymmetry is the whole appeal.
What happened. "Three punctures, one ferry." "The one with the headwind." A route described by its incident rather than its geography. This ages better than anything else, because the incident is what you remember and the distance is what you would have to look up.
Flat statement of fact. "London Marathon 2026." Formal, and correct when the event is genuinely the point — a first marathon, a qualifying time, a race somebody trained a year for. Do not decorate it.
The one that fails
Anything congratulatory. "You did it!" "Beast mode." "Never give up."
Two reasons. It ages badly within about eighteen months, and it tells the story instead of showing it. The line already contains the evidence; adding a verdict on top makes the object smaller.
The same goes for anything with an exclamation mark. A record does not need to shout.
The subtitle
Smaller, quieter, and the right home for the date and place. "Sjælland · 14.06.2026."
Keeping the specifics down there lets the headline be a name rather than a label, and the two lines then do different jobs instead of repeating each other.
A practical note
Around 32 characters is where a headline stops fitting on one line. That is not a limit so much as a hint: the good ones are almost always shorter than the space available.
If you cannot decide, use what you called the activity on the day. You knew then what it was about, and you will not know better later.
Questions people actually ask
- How long can the headline be?
- About 32 characters before it needs a second line. Short headlines read better at any size.
- Should I use the event's official name?
- Only if the event is the point. For a personal route, the name you and your friends actually use beats the official one every time.
- What about a subtitle?
- Yes, and a date is the most useful thing to put in it. The subtitle is smaller and quieter and is where the specifics belong.
- Can I use the Strava activity name?
- Yes, and it is often the best option — Strava names are written on the day, which is exactly when you knew what the ride was.
YOURS, FROM A FILE, IN 90 SECONDS
One effort. One sheet of paper.
Bring the file and every choice is yours: paper, treatment, colour, which numbers come along. Uncoated matte in 250 or 170 gsm, made to order at the facility nearest you, rolled in a tube or framed flat in a box.
Print it. FROM 319 kr