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May 17, 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 201 to 211]

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R. T. from Arlington, Virginia (4/5/2006) "One of spring's best marathons" (about: 2006) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 In an array of spring races from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, its easy to overlook Toledos little Glass City Marathon. But in a universe where many marathons fall far short of expectations, overlooking this gem would be a mistake. Toledo might be nothing fancy, but its everything you want in a race. The start line is just outside the host hotel, which hosts the expo up until just minutes before the race. The finish line is along the river, on the opposite side of the host hotel. There simply isnt an easier way to get to and back from a race. In between those two points is a fair and mostly flat course, with pockets of supportive Toledans in between well-placed water stops. Except for an out-and-back section from mile 12 through 16, where the runners must compete with fishermen in pick-ups angling for the start of the season, it is a mostly stress free course. Yes, many of the roads are open to traffic, but it is so light that youll hardly notice. Moreover, plenty of friendly officers and volunteers are present to keep you out of danger. Though the race has fewer than 300 full marathoners, youll hardly ever be alone due to the popular two-person and five-person relay teams. At the end, your name will be announced and youll be treated to a medal, fruit, an endless selection of bagels, and a helping of homemade soup. If you want to race with thousands of your other friends, choose another race. If you want an enjoyable race free of logistical and running stress, youll feel right at home here in Toledo.
v. j. from N.Lawrence,Ohio (4/4/2006) "nice, flat course" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon two days ago, and it was my qualifying time for Boston, so I am very happy about this! The spectators were few, but spirited. The host hotel was poor... nice facility, but did little to accommodate runners. Had to buy something to eat for race morning because breakfast was not served until one hour prior to the run, and I need a little more time than that to prepare. Parking for the host hotel is in a deck, at a cost! The expo was really a joke.... I have seen better expos at 5K's. I would run this race again, but not stay at the host hotel. Scenery was not too bad for the run... mainly nice neighborhoods, with pretty good traffic control. Food after the race was poor... bagels, oranges, bananas... and not enough of it, for they ran out pretty quickly.
T. H. from Ottawa Hills, OH USA (4/3/2006) "Fast, somewhat scenic course" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 4-5 Glass City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Fast course. Few turns. Brief glimpses of big river. I've run this solo and as part of 2-man and 5-man relay teams. It features well organized exchange points, and plentiful fluid stations with enthusiastic volunteers. I'm surprised this race doesn't have a larger field considering the size of the metropolitan area and the flat, fast course. If you're not from northwest Ohio, think Kansas-flat. I will run this again!
David Goodykoontz from Lakewood, oh (4/3/2006) "great first-timer" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This is a great first-time marathon.... Not too many spectators, but the ones there were great. Overall, nice little marathon.
S. S. from Houston, TX (4/2/2006) "Screaming fast course" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Much to like about this race, starting with the course. Very flat, very straight, all asphalt (much of it fresh) and outstanding weather in 2006 make for a very fast race. Course management was fine - mile markers were dead on, much appreciated, and traffic control was fine. Split callers would benefit from a bit more education (one tried to call every last second) and, no, I did not run a 5:33 mile for mile 20 (split caller was way misplaced). Water stations were managed well, for the most part, but opportunities for improvement noted: standardize on Gatorade in the back, different colored cups for Gatorade, teach all volunteers to holler what they have and, please, double please, gloves for all servers - fingers in the liquid is definitely a no no! Very pleasant expo for a race of this size and nice organization with the Spaghetti Warehouse for Saturday dinner. Sparse post-race fixings but very nice attention paid to first-timers (a special mug and key chain) and announcements at the finish line were first-class. No chips, but quick and accurate scoring none-the-less. A shame the city of Toledo isn't big into the race; spectators were sparse. However, a very strong running day and overall pleasant experience - kudos to the Toledo Roadrunners.
J. M. from Muncie (2/12/2006) "course open to auto traffic in both directions" (General Comments) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This is a flat course with the exception of the bridge over the Maumee River about 1 mile into the race. The first 1 1/2 miles are closed to automobile traffic but after that the course is open to cars traveling in both directions. The traffic is very heavy during the 2-mile out-and-back section near the halfway point. This road seems to be a popular fishing destination at one of the metro parks. If running alongside cars for 24 miles does not bother you, then this is an okay race.
D. J. from Detroit, MI (4/20/2005) "Good 1st marathon but mile markers were problem" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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!
S. V. from East Chicago, IN. (4/18/2005) "An ok first marathon" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 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.
M. H. from Highland Heights, KY (4/14/2005) "Very Nice Small Marathon Would Do Again" (about: 2005) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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.
D. A. from Brownstown twp, Michigan (4/11/2005) "The Small, Flat, Lonely Marathon" (about: 2005) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Glass City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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.

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