Glass City Marathon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

A S.
South Bend, IN

  (07-14-2011)

"This was my first HM and I enjoyed it greatly. The expo left much to be desired, but I was able to get my packet quickly. The course was lovely and flat. I lined up at the 10 minute mile sign at the start, and had to stumble around a lot of walkers when the gun went off...more specific directions for walkers to get at the back would be nice.

There wasn't a ton of crowd support, but it was a chilly, windy morning. I carried my own water so I didn't stop at any aid stations or really take note of them. Volunteers were plentiful and encouraging. There were timing mats at 5k & 10k and it was nice to get those splits - results were available online a few hours after I finished! My only complaints about the course were a couple missing mile makers (mile 5 & 12), and the course went down a decent hill in the last half mile which wasn't fun.

I loved hearing my name called as I crossed the finish line, and I had a bottle of water in my hand almost immediately. The medal and glass mug were nice. I didn't participate in the post race party because I was cold and wanted to get a warm shower. My only other complaint was that I received a pink shirt while men received a gray. I would have rather had the gray. However, the shirt was good quality tech fabric and I get compliments on the nice colors when I wear it to group runs. I won't likely run this race again due to where I live, but it was a great first experience! "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2011

Stacey H.
Cleveland Heights, OH

  (04-27-2010)

"I should start off by saying that this was my third full marathon and happened to be run in/around the area I grew up. A quick half mile off the marathon path would have led me to my parents house.

Registration
Registration was available online and via mail. The early bird rate was $50 for the marathon. The rate went up to $60 up to 10 days before the race. Registration at the expo jumped to $90.

Races offered were the Marathon, Half Marathon, 5-Person Relay, 5k and Kid’s Marathon. For the Kid’s Marathon they offered a .25 mile run (ages 2-3) and a .5 and 1.0 mile run (ages 4-12). Parents were encouraged to run the race with their children. The Kid’s Marathon was held the day before the Marathon. The 5k started 45 minutes after the Marathon/Half Marathon/Relay.

The Half Marathon registration maxxed out at 1500 runners. The Marathon was filled to 95% capacity; approximately 700 runners. There were approximately 100 relay teams; it was nice to have fresh legs throughout the course.

Expo
The Expo was held the Saturday before the race from 10am-7pm at the University of Toledo campus. Parking was convenient and free and there were plenty of signs pointing you in the right direction. There were only two vendors selling running gear – Dave’s Running Shop (a sponsor) and Second Sole. Other than that there were informational booths – the Toledo Roadrunners Club, Team in Training, Autism Awareness, etc. They were also performing health screenings; cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc. I was really hoping to see the Bondi Band booth – oh well, maybe next time…

Dave’s had a nice variety of race shirts for sale and offered many extra’s for those purchasing gear. I was able to get my fave running shoes at a 20% discount and with them came a free pair of socks, water bottle and running gloves. Grabbed a couple of new running gels, which were all about 20% below what I usually pay at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

I didn’t see the Second Sole booth until I had bought shirts, shoes and some running gels at the Dave’s booth, but grabbed a few packs of running beans that are hard to come by. The Second Sole booth appeared to have a nice variety of running apparel and gear.

There weren’t really any freebies to pick up here – bummer!

Swag
You had to sign up by a certain date to ensure a technical t-shirt. Of course I made the decision by that date – who would pass up the technical shirt?! It wasn’t a typical race shirt but a shirt for the cause the race was supporting (Autism). I was unaware of the cause until then, which is too bad because I think people might have been drawn to get involved in some part of the weekend had they known (maybe the Kid’s Marathon or the 5k).

I always look forward to the race shirt featuring something about the city/state you’re running in and this shirt didn’t do that. Oh well, the race shirts for sale by Dave’s were well-priced - $20 each or two for $30. At that price, I snagged two technical race shirts.

The registration bag consisted of fliers for other races, an electrolyte powder and maybe a lotion. Nothing to write home about.

Course

The course was nice and flat. It led you off campus into a nice residential neighborhood with tree-lined streets and beautiful homes to look at. This led to the University bike trail for about 4 miles – the half marathoners split from the marathoners at about Mile 6. It got really lonely there since the bike trail has limited access for supporters. Eventually the bike trail portion came to an end and you ran on the road for two miles out to a middle school on the edge of town. Finally, the turn around, continued by some farm fields for two more miles, back to civilization. A quick run down a residential street took you to Olander Park for a quick run around the pond.

Continuing on for 2.5 more miles on the road until you hit Wildwood Metropark. Oh Wildwood, such a happy place, the place where many miles were run in high school! After a little jaunt across the boardwalk and through the woods (with a pit stop – shouldn’t have passed up the porta-potties a half a mile back!) and we were back to the bike trail at Mile 21.5.

Like I said earlier the bike trail was a bit lonely but the vision of crossing the finish line was in my mind… I knew that the trail opened up to the university at about Mile 25 so I just had to get there. A man and I ran side by side through most of Mile 23 and Mile 24, not talking, just encouraging one another by the continuous movement of our legs. Aaah, Mile 25, so lovely to see you. At about this point was a group of students with water, Gatorade and beer – hilarious. If my stomach had been happier I might have taken one.

Through the parking lot and past mile marker 26, onto the finish…

The Finish was held in the UT stadium. After coming up a little ramp to enter the stadium you were featured coming down the finish chute on the big screen – pretty cool. I do recall hearing my name right as I was under the finish line banner – always nice to get a “shout out”.

The only thing I didn’t like about the finish was not knowing where to go, what to do after finishing. I did get a bottle of water in my hand immediately – much appreciated. I’m used to getting my medal put over my head and wrapped in a Mylar blanket. Finishers had to walk over to a booth for their medals and glass (beer) mug (Marathon and Relay finishers only). No Mylar to be found and they could have used it – turned out to be a foggy, somewhat cool day with the rain clouds just barely holding off. Oh well, I planned ahead and made sure there was something warm and dry to put on waiting at the finish by way of my husband.

Finishers had to continue across the football field to the after party for refreshments.

Course Support

I was very impressed with the water/aid stations. There were always plenty of hands holding out both water and Gatorade. After the halfway point there was also energy gel, bananas and oranges available. The volunteers were great – cheering and encouraging. I do wish there were more port-potties; it was usually several at one spot.

At various points along the course they had placed someone calling out the time and letting you know what pace you were running and what overall time that would result in. I really appreciated this even though I run with a Garmin – it took all the math out of it and it was nice to see a friendly face.

There were race photographers throughout the race course. They clearly had a good amount of staff because I continued to see them through Mile 21 and I averaged just under 10-minute miles. Sometimes slower runners get fewer photos later in the race because the photographers need to be at the finish. That was not the case and I’m looking forward to seeing the photos.

Though I did not participate in the relay, I found it to be very organized. There were volunteers letting you know which side to stick to – for both marathoners and relay participants.

After Party
Post race refreshments consisted of water, Gatorade, beer, oranges, bagels and cream cheese, chocolate chip cookies and pizza. They had a band playing but the rain clouds were hanging heavy in the air and the thought of getting caught in the rain just didn’t sound like fun.


Again, this was a smaller race with about 700 marathon finishers and relay participants. The portions of the course along the bike trail made it difficult for spectator support. Overall, a very organized race. A nice, flat option if you’re looking to qualify for Boston!
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010