The Wineglass Marathon is an experience of a runners lifetime. In the fall of the year, deep in the heart of the Finger Lakes, the Bath and Corning area of New York State offers unbeatable hospitality and breathtaking scenery. The marathon route is a fast, flat course winding throughout the countryside. With a small but comfortable field of runners and a first class organizing committee, this adds up to being one of the best kept secrets in marathon running. They seem to have as many volunteers as runners and each bring a charm and friendliness hard to match anywhere. Although all runners must experience this marathon to believe how wonderful it really is, I hope that once it is discovered it doesn't get too big so as to lose its special appeal.

This was our first marathon. We returned to our hometown of Corning to run in it. The fall colors along a mostly rural route were inspiring, even on a cool windy day. Fan support was light but fellow runners were very encouraging. There is really a small town closeknit feel to this race. Having Joe Henderson as the speaker at the pasta dinner was great ! The wind had knocked down the direction arrows along the last few miles through Painted Post which made it somewhat uncertain if we were still on course, otherwise a well organized race. The finishers' medals are TOO COOL ! Try to spend a few extra days discovering the charm of Corning and the surrounding towns. You will never meet nicer people.

This was such a beautiful race! The course was excellent, scenic and challenging. The hills were killers if you didn't pace yourself right from the start. It was easily accessible for my family to follow and meet me at certain spots. The organization was wonderful and the participants - oh, I've always known runners to be nice, but they were ALL so supportive. Ii wore a sign on my back that read: 4:50 GOAL. HELP ME REACH IT. I tell you, every one of those relayers that passed me had an encouraging word or two for me and those marathoners around me supported me the whole way. A few even hung around my mom at the finish to see if I made the goal! It was great! Nice race, nice town and such a show-off of a medal, too!

This was my first marathon, so I was just happy to have finished the race on a chilly windy day. The course was gorgeous. Upstate New York this time of year is beautiful. The small field was nice because it feels like you are running in a local road race. Don't let this fool you though, the organizers and volunteers are great. There are aid stations every two miles at least. The start time wasn't too early which is nice if you like to sleep in. The course is easily acessible for friends and family to watch you run. The awards' ceremony is nice with lots of awards in all sorts of catagories. The post-race food, free massages, and a nice glass finisher's medal, are all nice touches.

The only negatives are the crowd support is a little quiet, but what can you expect with such a small field, right? I would say overall this marathon is a treat. I will definetly run this one again. Also the towns around the marathon really rip you off with lodging, raising all of their prices because of the 'special event.'

This was my first marathon and it was a very enjoyable experience. The atmosphere was low key but enthusiastic. The organization was great and I had to jump into this marathon because I got denied for the NYC marathon. The townspeople come out to cheer the runners on and that was nice. There are several areas for your loved ones to actually meet you on the course to lend you encouragement or your gel/drinks. The NY State police had traffic blocked at major intersections and they were great! The glass blown medals are tops and the T-shirts and the commemorative champagne splits are wonderfully done. Traffic was blocked at one intersection in the first couple of miles and one driver got out of his vehicle and we heard him say to the volunteer, 'why are you holding us up, these people aren't going to win anyway' Ignorace is alive and well in Bath, NY. I would like to run this marathon once more, hopefully the race directors won't quit yet!

I liked this marathon but I didn't love it. This will sound a bit elitist but I would not recommend this race for 'serious' marathoners (ie. those who are really concerned about their time or who have gotten used to really organized marathons). I was up near the front of the pack where the runners are a bit more spread out, and there were honestly several instances where I wasn't sure which way to go b/c the course wasn't marked all that well. There were also several intersections towards the end of the race where the traffic was not controlled very well. The runner in front of me almost got hit on two different occasions (Again, we were kind of spread out at that point, and I think that the drivers weren't aware that he was running as part of an organized race and they expected him to stop or change direction). That said, however, there were a lot of nice personal touches, including delightful volunteers, unique medals, beautiful t-shirts!! and great noodle-thing to eat at the end.

Course, field size, amenities all nice. Pockets of enthusiastic spectators more than compensate for lonely stretches (frankly, I don't want people yelling in my ear every step, anyway). One of the prettiest marathons I've run ... well, the scenery, not my own effort. Kudos especially to those course workers who were out there a looooong time waiting for us 'less fast' finishers.

This was my second marathon and it was awsome. My goal is to run one in every state, and this marathon was one I will never forget. The organiser and his wife(name?) were very busy making sure all competitors were happy and set for their big run. It was easy to see that a lot of work was put into the organizing of this race because of the fluidity of this event.

(Ran in '00.) This is a nicely sized, scenic race with decent organization. Point-to-point, gradual downhill course where the few uphills are always followed by even longer, easy downhills. Good place to try for a PR or BQ. Course open to vehicles, but traffic is light or monitored well. Late-race traffic slightly worsens because of time of day and in-town locations. Course oriented to take advantage of prevailing NW winds, which did not occur in 2000... moderate headwind much of the way. Temps this year (60s-70s) warmer than ideal. Start area provides some indoor shelter (factory hallways and break room). Aid stations appeared sufficient, but locations described were liberal; for example, 1st one, listed as 'Mile 2,' was more at like mile 2.7. One station was minimally staffed, potentially a problem if big groups passed. Chips used, but no mat at start; fortunately field of 500-700 moves out quickly, so time lost isn't much. Relay starts later. Giveaways incl. long-sleeve shirt and commerative champagne split. Spectators can easily view runners at multiple points. Final stretch has several turns and bends. Decent post-race food selections (though short of warm-day food options) and massages available. Prelim. results posted and updates fairly quickly at finish. Good vacation area great for fall colors, wineries, and glassmaking. Some changes might be in store for upcoming years, as present race directors are contemplating quitting.

The course is flat, scenic (no traffic) and the pre and post parties are great! Peak foliage season in NY makes this marathon a fabulous experience and passing through 5 small towns provides plenty of spectators! I've never heard more cheers while running a race! I recommend it if you're looking to do your FIRST marathon! This one will keep you running forever!