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ATTLEBORO - Masters of Design, which has a long history of producing championship rings in professional baseball and basketball, is bidding to be in the business of commemorating athletes' achievements for the long run.

Twenty-six and two-tenths miles, to be precise.

The Attleboro-based company is planning to produce a broad line of rings and jewelry items aimed at the nation's growing fraternity of marathon runners beginning in September.

The new gold and sterling silver items will be sold on the company's Web site.

The product release is timed to coincide with the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 12. The new line includes rings, necklaces and pins portraying the image of a runner, a winged foot or the inscription 26.2 - the number of miles in a marathon race - and will include items in 14-karat and 10-karat gold, as well as sterling silver. The price range is $40 to $730.

Masters of Design has supplied championship rings for the World Series and seven of the last nine National Basketball Association championship winners.

The company sees its new product line as an opening to a burgeoning sport that has attracted participation from thousands of amateur and professional runners.

Chicago, alone, has more than 40,000 registered marathoners.

The new marathon designs were intended to be generic in character, said manager of creative services Gloria Freeman, who oversaw the development of the new products.

However, the company is exploring the possibility of future commemorative designs aimed at specific events.

The new product line will be available for retail sales via an online ordering Web site, www.marathonjewelrysite.com. The line will go on sale Sept. 1.

Annually, more than 800 marathons are organized worldwide, creating what company officials say is a large potential market for recognition rings and jewelry.