This was my first marathon and it was a great experience. The hotel was at the start and finish, the organization was great BUT the mile markers were missing and/or misplaced several spots at about 16 miles on. Made me a little nuts for my pacing. Pizza was tasty at end. Terrain fine although mid-part kind of boring and roads toward end were poor condition. BUT cops did great job controlling traffic. I wish results would have been broken down by age beyond the top finishers. Will be there next year!

The Glass City Marathon is first class up to the start. The expo is small but they provide shuttle service to and from the cheap all you can eat spaghetti dinner. The hotel is first class next to the river. There is ample parking. On race morning they have bagels, juice, coffee, etc. in one of the ground level rooms in the hotel. But that is where it ends.
The course could be a little better. And the support could be there for the whole race. After I stopped running at mile 18 and turned to walk/running the rest of the way, I took alot in. First, I don't remember seeing the support van after mile 20. Second, the last few miles of the course is run on Summit St. Even though the course is supposed to close at 1pm there was no traffic control to be found, at least after 12:30. The guy in front of me I saw pushing the 'Walk' button on stoplights so he could cross the street. And then there is the concrete. The last few miles are run on Summit St. sidewalks because you obviously cannot run on the road. Well, a few problems. First, it is concrete and when your legs are already in pain, ending with concrete is not fun. Second, one guy actually stepped in my way on the sidewalk and said 'move'. Finally, the course, even though it is advertised as running next to the Maumee River does not. What I mean is you will not see the river for most of it. The only time you ran NEXT to the river was at the finish behind the hotel.
Then there is the city. If you have never been to Toledo, it is very much like Gary, IN. On the outskirts it is nicer, but it is another rust belt city when you get to the inner part. And don't go to the McDonalds or try to find a place for a cup of coffee. It was 7am race day, McDonalds was closed, the BP Amoco was closed near Summit....I just could not understand it.
The volunteers were awesome though. I think if nothing else those aid stations kept me wanting to finish. Those people were great and they deserve alot of praise. Although there were not alot of spectators, the aid stations did there best to keep you going. I got to mile marker 25 aid station right at 1pm. and I was surprised first, because they were still there and two, because I thought the guy was joking when they offered me a beer! He was not.
The main criticism is definitely the course. For example, the WALLEYE MILES are run on this narrow street going down to where the fisherman park there trucks next to the river to fish. BUT it is also the turnaround street for the marathon so what you have is runners on one side, runners on the opposite side and pickup trucks going both ways trying to get by inbetween. Breathing the air in that area was not fun and I was very cautious with so many pickups. They definitely need to change the course, especially finding a different route to the end.
All in all, I am glad I chose this for my first marathon, but I can tell you this for sure: When you get to mile 18 and your legs are throbbing, you need that support to keep you going and there was no one. I felt like at the end, especially being one of the solitary end runners, that I was all alone. I finished in a little less than 5 and a half hours but I wish there could have been more people to motivate me to keep going when I needed it most.

Well, I went to this marathon with a little hesitation, as I knew I would probably have to start with the early starters. But it worked out very well.

The RD and volunteers and police were ALL extremely nice and helpful! One police officer even THANKED me for coming!

The course was nice, with a couple of really nice views of the lake in the morning. There weren't many spectators, but that I expected.

The biggest negative for me was that several of the roads were chewed up and need work and, therefore, cause a bit of uneven footing. Another minor thing is that the mile-marker for mile 17 was gone. Must have blown away. I also couldn't find the mile-marker for 19 either. They did have the mile-markers painted on the roads and signs marking them, too, but it was kind of a windy day, so I can see how they might have blown away. The painted road markers definitely wouldn't have been enough.

The only other thing that could be improved is the food after the race. They only had cookies and bananas by the time I finished. I heard there was pizza, but you had to run UNDER 4:00 to get it. That is ridiculous.

Overall though, I want to go back and improve my time, as I hurt my ankle around mile 16 and it really affected my time (by about a 1/2 hour). It was a beautiful day and overall a nice course. Not too hilly. There is a big hill early (the High St. Bridge) and maybe 4-5 more hills on the course, but they are placed such that they aren't terrible on the legs... OK, except for the one coming out of the 'Walleye' mile. That was a bit of a toughy.

This is definitely a great small race. The RD really wants you to have a good time and everyone seems to be excited for you to be there, slow or not. I do recommend this race.

This is not a marathon for a first-timer because there are not many spectators. The spectators that are there are 'GREAT'! (Some of the spectators drive up and down the course in their mini vans cheering!)
A great deal of the race is run with traffic, but by mile 20 and thereafter, it just won't matter. It is very lonely if you don't have a friend or someone running at the same pace. The water stops are every two miles, and only a couple of port-a-potties. There was pizza, bagels, fruit, pop at the finish line.

My first Glass City marathon and I was very impressed with the organization and support during the race of the Toledo Road Runners and the volunteers. Ample course support, police support, traffic control, and aid stations. As others have said, you share the road with cars in some portions, but with the police support, traffic cones, etc. I never felt I was in danger.

The course is basically flat, with a few hills. The bridge at mile 1 and a nice hill at mile 16 are the biggest. A few rolling hills in other areas, but nothing tough. The scenery on the course isn't exactly beautiful, but the first half is along the Maumee River, then through a main residential road coming back.

Spectators were sparse, but enthusiastic. I would definitely recommend this as a quality marathon if you're looking for a smaller marathon with midwest friendliness.

I first want to say how truly wonderful the volunteers were - they couldn't have done any more! There were some spectators considering the weather - I actually think the weather helped me! I really liked the fact that a 5+ hour runner like me could start one hour earlier - that way my husband who also did the marathon and finished 3+ didn't have to wait for me as long! We plan to do this next year! THANK YOU ALL!

This was my first marathon and what a run it was! The weather was nice and cool and the rain came down for a bit in a nice drizzle. However I don't think many of the runners noticed it because they were in 'the zone' - I know I was. Everyone who came out for this race was awesome, the volunteers were great, and the fan support was just awesome. Great race, something that I will return to in the future.

A big ?Well Done? for the organizers of this race. Despite being a small marathon, the organization was great, and lots of volunteers were out to help. There were plenty of aid stations (including some with fruit instead of just fluids), though a few more port-a-potties, especially earlier in the race, would be nice. There were several spots where people would call out pace times and predicted finish times - a good motivator later in the race. More visible mile markers would be a plus, though they are marked clearly on the pavement. Being Canadian, it was nice to see some kilometer markers as well, since I tend to gauge my distance in relation to 42 KM rather than 26 miles.

The course is fairly flat, and although you run with traffic for much of it, the drivers were sparse and considerate. Not tons of spectator support, but like I said, it?s a small marathon. The finish area was well organized ? they even call out your name as you approach the line! Lots of refreshments available afterwards, as well as a nice medal and glass mug.

The weather was perfect, which helps any marathon. If you don?t need thousands of spectators cheering you on, this would be a good course for a PR. It was definitely worth the trip - I would do it again.

This was my first marathon and it was great. I definitely liked the small size and friendly atmosphere. Aid stations were very plentiful and the volunteers enthusiastic. Even though the course was open to traffic, there were police at absolutely every intersection. The course is fast and nearly all flat with the only small hills coming at the beginning - and, believe me, it is worth running up the crest of the High Level Bridge to see the rising sun on the river!!! Refreshments at the end were great too - mmm...homemade chunky chicken noodle soup! The only downside is that the mile markers aren't very visible on the street, but with aid stations coming so often (especially near the end) it's not too difficult to figure out your location.

Ran here as a replacement for the DC rip-off. My first small marathon and won't be my last, what a great race.
Great organization, nice course, nice people.
I read that some didn't like the traffic on the course but it was well managed and made it possible for friends to visit during the race, a first for me!
A race by runners for runners not sponsors.
Nice shirts also.