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May 2, 2024

Glass City Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Glass City Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.7

Number of comments: 234 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 23 > ]

R. T. from New York NY (5/23/2019) "Misses a lot of Toledo and MARATHON RELAY? WTF!" (about: 2019) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 Glass City Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run this race numerous times. Here are some things you should know. First, This race has a 'marathon relay' running on the same course as the real marathon. The marathon course should be reserved for those who have actually trained for a marathon, not someone who wants to just do 5 miles of it. Imagine being at mile 20 and having a fresh body jump right in the race beside you chatting you up while you are in the middle of an actual marathon. This whole marathon relay is a smack in the face to the real marathon athletes and is nothing more than a way to fleece out extra money from the community for this event. Second, This race really doesn't get into the real areas of Toledo. It sticks to the nicer parts. I personally would rather see this run through the scuzzy parts of town. Third, like all races these days, it is overrun with women. They make up about 64% of this event, so unless you are in the top 5% of runners be prepared to run with a bunch of chicks.
R. P. from IL (4/25/2018) "A well run race." (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 A very well run race. The course varies from residential to paved bike trails. Great support throughout the race. Spectators were sparse but enthusiastic.
M. G. from Taylor, Michigan (11/15/2017) "Very nice race..." (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Glass City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I have run the Glass City twice and the half once. It was my first marathon and a wonderful experience. The course is pretty flat and goes through very nice neighborhoods as well as a park. The spectators could be more plentiful but this is a minor quibble. The expo is not overly large but well-equipped. The volunteers and race officials are very accommodating and professional. There are so many other marathons that I would not run it again but I would do the half.
S. M. from Ottawa, ON (4/24/2017) "First half after a double! Great organization!" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Glass City Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race features free parking at the race start and packet pickup. The expo was big and featured a large number of vendors. I did the half since I ran the full the day before in Dearborn. The course had rolling hills net downhill. I would recommend this race to people from Canada since you start in Ottawa Ohio! Pretty homes and vey nice people. Great restaurants nearby and I stayed at the Red Roof Inn for $50 a night about 7 miles from the race. The University gym is better than all the gyms I trained in in Canada. Worth the drive! The post race party features free beer, pizza, cinnamon sticks, bagels,licorice, cookies, pretzels and a bbq! All for free! Pricing for registration was inexpensive as well.
T. Y. from Iowa (4/24/2017) "A well-organized race with a fast course" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Toledo's Glass City Marathon has been run 41 times and that experience shows. Just about everything is well organized - good parking, a wave start with wide roads for the first 8 miles to ease congestion between marathoners and halfers (they split after running 8 miles together), easy packet pick-up, and ample porta-potties in all the right spots. I lost count, but I think there were about 87 water and Gatorade stops - they were everywhere. The course starts through some stunningly beautiful neighborhoods of Toledo's suburbs and then through two pretty parks. The last few miles are on a bike trail that does get boring at times, until finishing on the University of Toledo campus, which is pretty and very accommodating to runners (the Savage Arena is open before the race starts with lots of bathroom facilities). The course is quite flat, with just enough hills to give variety without causing pain. Their motto of 'You'll run faster in Toledo' is true - a 4 hour marathon puts you in the second half of runners. The one drawback to this marathon is the crowd support - there is very little. I ran with a large pack around a 4 hour pace and the crowd support was sparse through the neighborhoods and almost non-existent in the parks and trails. Overall, The Glass City Marathon is a well-organized race that provides good opportunities for a fast run.
H. K. from Naples, FL (8/25/2016) "Flat, fast and great support!" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thought this marathon was well organized. I had intentions of improving on my time and was looking for a fast and flat course. This certainly lived up to what I had heard, I ran a 20 minute PR! The course was great, I like that it went through the parks, too. There is one stretch after mile 20 where there can't be much crowd support, which was a little tough. The rest of the race I was surprised at all the people outside in the neighborhoods cheering us on! Definitely a race I would recommend and run again! Thanks Glass City!
K. N. from Perrysburg, OH (6/1/2016) "Great for First-Time Marathoners!" (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first ever marathon, so I guess I am a little biased but I thought Toledo did a great job! The expo was great, lots of pre-race goodies and awesome gear. The course was well organized, mostly flat, a decent amount of turns so you're not bored running on the same long stretch for miles on end. My only complaint (or suggestion) would be the start...better communication about location of bathrooms (the lines were LONG at the start), and better organization of the corrals. I had to start on the outside of the barriers, as a lot of us couldn't fit in toward the beginning. I know they had to deal with some construction issues, so this may all be fixed next year. Overall, highly recommend this race!
E. B. from Dubuque, Iowa (5/31/2016) "Great race, great course!" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my 8th marathon- a great flat, fast course. We had great weather. Pacers for different goal times, which was great for me. Friendly people, not too crowded, but enough people to run with. Loved this race, definitely a PR type of course!
D. P. from Urbandale, Iowa (5/31/2016) "One of My Favorite Marathons" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm biased by the fact that I ran a PR here, but I thought Glass City was a great race! The expo was one of the larger ones I've attended. We received 2(!) nice shirts. Traffic was a bit congested at the start but easy parking. Wonderful volunteers throughout and great fan support. If you've run a few marathons, you know that no one wants to stand around all day cheering for runners, but there were more fans at this race than at many others I've attended, and they were very supportive. The race had a ton of well-stocked water stops. Perhaps best of all, this is one of the few races where you don't have to weave your way through slow-moving half-marathoners. The awards and finisher medals were top-notch. I wasn't crazy about the hill at mile 19 but my only real complaint had to do with the section of the race from 22 to 25 that circled around on bike trails. VERY lonely & difficult mentally for a racer. Otherwise the course was well-marked, and the finish area had plenty of food, beverages, etc. I have run 15 marathons, including Twin Cities, Grandmas, Boston, etc., and this is one of my 2 or 3 favorites!
K. C. from Ohio (5/16/2016) "Ok; room for improvement" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The Expo was great; well organized and Dave's Running is the best. Race day? Lack of port-a-pottys and then having people start completely opposite from the direction most people are coming was a disaster. The pacer? Sorry, but to run a 3:40 you log 8:22 miles not 8:06 and such and then ease up at the end. That was frustrating as I pushed myself to stay with the pacer instead of using my watch; I paid for it the last 6 miles. The last several miles were barren. I like bike hike trails, but when you are suffering, it seems like a 10th of a mile is forever. Not my favorite marathon.

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