Combined crap weather and huge growth conspired to make things rough on the race organizers. But having run this race before I know that they will iron out the wrinkles that appeared. The weather certainly made annoyances into large problems. New bus drop locations behind the start with far more portapotties is mandatory. Also at the finish the gear check needs to be far better organized.

I really like the new start location from a race course perspective. The finish has more of a big race feel than it used to. It was nice to have the entire road blocked off at this point rather than hopping on the sidewalk as we used to do. The changes to the course are overall very positive to me.

I think the tech shirt in the race package is really nice and not overdone with graphics. All of the pre and post race activities were well done as well.

If you want to have a good time and run a good time Wineglass is still the place to go. The growing pains will be solved next year and it can't rain again...

Setting aside the misty rain that plagued us the whole day this was overall a good fast course. A good course for a PR attempt.
However, the organization left something to be desired. The start of the race felt a little disorganized with very little marking about where to go. Also getting down to the starting line seemed congested as you had to go down and come out the same way. Lastly, many of the course mile markers seemed missing or hard to see. While there are some issues to address for next year the race over all was lots of fun and well worth doing.

my first marathon since 1985. i am so stoked. i'll be back next year.

This is a good marathon course... very few hills and an overall slight down grade. With good weather conditions a PR is realistic. The people of Corning, Bath and the hamlets in between were all wonderful. The new start was a bit unorganized and, I'm sure, frustrating for some. No doubt it will be worked out next year.

I have always wanted to run this race and I finally got my chance. Before the race started I doubted how well organized it was but after the race my good experience on the course made up for it.
My pros:
1. I loved the course. It was downhill then flat towards the end with a few gentle rolling hills. I actually welcomed the hills for the chance to use other leg muscles.
2. I loved the finish too, running on a paved parkway then going across the bridge to Market Street where you could see the finish line ahead.
3. As for the expo, it was small but the race shirt was the best I have found so far and enjoyed the mens and womens sizing.
4. I loved the wineglass, champagne split and beautiful glass medal. The theme of the region was represented well making it extra special for out of town runners.
5. Some of the course was open to traffic (half the road) but it was well marked with cones and cars were courteous. It didn't bother me.
6. Water stops were ample with gatorade first, water second - the way it should be done. Finishers food was ample and very good. Other races I have been to ran out of food if you didn't grab it first. I picked up my bag and changed first then headed over.
7. The volunteers at the finish were great, asking if we were 'OK'.
8. Few spectators, but the ones who were on the course stood out in the rain and were very enthusiastic.
Cons:
1. After we picked up our packets we were told to walk over a footbridge 1/2 mile for the wineglass and champagne split. We drove instead.
2. The bus dropped us off at Phillips Lighting in the parking lot. It was raining and we all squished under a tiny awning at the facility because they weren't letting anyone in. Some runners said other years the building was open. We were all freezing and I wondered if they knew for a few days it was going to rain why they didn't put up some tents. It was very uncaring. Later we found out there were a couple of tents in the area near the actual start.
3. There were about 10 portapotties pre race in the Phillips parking lot and the lines were atrocious.
4. There was no one from the pre-race there to guide us as to where to go. We found out from word of mouth that we needed to walk quite a distance to the actual start.
5. A U-haul was used for baggage check and people just threw their bags in - no organization. After you had to look along a few tarps for your bag in the muddy grass.
6. As for the race start, the director just said 'go' and there were no pre race festivities.
7. I missed several of the mile markers early in the race. Other runners missed them too so it wasn't my imagination.

Lots of changes this year with a new start and finish line, expo location and half marathon replacing the marathon relay. Perhaps it was too many changes at one time because there were some organizational issues (particularly at the start line, where there was considerable confusion). I'm sure the awful weather didn't help matters either.
On the positive side, I loved the course changes. The marathon start line was pushed back about a 1/4 mile or so such that the race started on a nice, straight, not too steep downhill. Even better was the new finish line. The last 1/4 mile went down the straight and flat main street in Corning. The large finish line structure was visible as you made the final turn. As far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect marathon finish setting. What a huge improvement over the old finish line!
Also, the water stations were perfectly spaced and well manned by some great volunteers who had to weather cold and wet conditions.
Overall, a great, fast course was made even better this year. I'm confident the race will run even smoother next year.

Being only my second organized road race ever (and my first marathon) I may not be as qualified to critique this race as some others are- even so.

Pros:
1.The course had enough elevation gain/loss and directional change to keep things interesting without causing a runner to burn extra energy just doing the hills and turns.
2.The volunteers were wonderful- very on top of getting runners drinks and never failed to encourage the runners.
3. The finish line/finish activities was well organized and executed. I had many, many race workers ask if I was ok after the race, volunteering to help me walk, just hold me up, whatever I needed. This was especially surprising since I was not one of the marathoners struggling after the race.

Cons:
While I tagged my Under Armour shirt and threw it on the road shoulder, it was not among the clothes brought to the finish line.
2. The start line was really boring. REALLY boring. A very unofficial start, no crowds to send you off (maybe that's normal- I wouldn't know) and your running past the town highway barns to start. Not exactly picturesque.

Good fall marathon. The course is relatively flat and fast in a scenic area for that time of year. This was my 6th marathon and I was able to PR and earn a BQ. The packet pick up and buses in the morning were run very efficiently, the shirt was nice, and the town of Corning is quaint.

Some cons: All the roads were not closed on the course during the race and there was traffic driving in between the runners at times. At one point, I saw a runner have to stop in her tracks to avoid running right into a car that had cut her off. I had also read that we would be able to wait before the race inside the Phillips Lighting building located at the start, which did not turn out to be true.

Additionally, my wife and I spent the night in Corning that Sunday and planned to go out for a nice dinner and a night on the town after the race. We were disappointed to find many of the restaurants and shops were closed. I found this surprising given that there were so many people still hanging around the town from the marathon - a missed opportunity for local businesses.

Overall, it was a well organized race in a nice town. Hopefully, they'll work out those few traffic issues and get the business community of Corning to "buy into" the race for next year.

I had hesitations about doing such a small marathon. My previous marathons have all had entrants in the tens of thousands. I did not have one disappointment! The weather was great, and the course was beautiful and exactly as described - a few hills but basically flat to downhill. The hills were nowhere nearly as challenging as where I train. I feared there would be times that I would be running by myself and I was prepared for that. But that never happened. I found myself surrounded by friendly people the entire way. My pacer also went out fast. I was having a good day, so it didn't bother me, but I could see how that could hinder race strategy. Definitely not a heavy spectator race, but again, I was prepared for that so at the relay exchanges and in Corning where there were spectators, it was a welcome sight!

It is a great place to BQ; I did!

I thought the race was organized well. The expo was small, but had the essentials. There were plenty of buses. The weather was not cold enough for me even to want to be inside, so waiting in Phillips Lighting was not a problem. The finish area in the park worked well. I didn't really eat much, but it looked like they had a great variety.

Corning is a great small town. Do make reservations if you want a nice dinner.

Overall, it was a great experience and it changed my mind about small marathons.

The packet pickup was at a small but not exciting expo; basically it's run by the shop that sells running gear, but there's no problem with that. They had excellent prices. The long-sleeve race shirt is technical, with a nice logo and a great mauve color. The course is not so flat as described; there are small hills in miles 4, 5, 6 and 13, but they're short and not steep. However, what I don't like is to run with cars besides me. At one point, we run for a block on a sidewalk. I was fortunate to have a great pace group who made me hold for the first half. It was pretty crowded for the first miles but then the course cleared and I had more space. We had water and Gatorade every 2 miles - very well organized. I qualified for Boston, so I'm happy.