I BQ'd with this early fall marathon and thank goodness! The BAA registration closed in just over 8 hours!

The organization and communication were top-notch! Perfect temperatures too!

Likes:
* Packet pick-up was EASY! Love the wineglass and champagne. The expo tent was nice and I bought several items!
* I thought the course was AWESOME! When you train, don't forget to train for the downhills too. They may not be steep, but they can stress your quads. I loved running through all of the little towns with people hanging out on their porches or driveways and on the streets. Having run the Marine Corps Marathon twice, I thought I would miss the huge crowds. Boy was I wrong! They were plentiful and enthusiastic.
* And speaking of plentiful and enthusiastic, hats off to all the volunteers! I want to especially thank all the kids (scout troops?) who handed out water and Gatorade.
* The finish area was fantastic! All of the food and drink were yummy and plentiful.
* Kudos to Bath and the towns all the way down to and around Corning! Everyone I met was excited about the marathon, even if they had NOTHING to do with it. The folks up there sure are nice.
* The Glass Museum discount with the race bib! I love museums and this one is unique and beautiful!

Wishes:
* Warm place to wait for the start (but I understood why there wasn't this year with the numbers).
* Official Facebook page.

The course is gorgeous and a perfect, gently downhill slope for miles at a time. The premiums were cool. The post-race support was terrific, really first-rate. The town was fun. The whole experience had a really nice feel to it. One of the very best marathons I have run.

Liked this race. Had no real issues for a small town, but my pacer went out very fast and it was hard to keep up. Left the group about 13th mile and my husband said the pacer slowed down to finish on time - too late for me.

I had heard really great things about this race and I agree with all of them! this was my 20th marathon. It's not a "flat" course, but it doesn't have hills that are challenging. The downhills are nice and if you run a smart race, you won't burn out at the end. Packet pickup was a breeze. The expo was small and nothing exciting, but I have no complaints. The swag was awesome and the medal is one of my favorites! If you like crowds/fan support, don't count on this one to get you through. There were some, but not many. The views were gorgeous and the weather was almost perfect (though, it did get a tad warm toward the end). I'll be back to do this one again!

I consider the Wineglass a must-do marathon. It is THE BEST marathon I have run so far. Here are my two cents:

Pros

1. The course was fantastic. I loved running on the country roads with nothing but scenery and runners. It was the flattest course I have ever run. There were only a couple of very small hills and I actually enjoyed the change of pace running up them. The run through the park/on the greenway at the end was very nice.

2. The volunteers were the best. I sincerely appreciated the helpfulness and positive attitude of the volunteers. They were all well organized and each of them did a very good job. You can tell that you guys have done this a few times before.

3. The running shirt was topnotch. I appreciate the fact that you gave out good-quality shirts with a nice printing on it. So many times, races have given out cheap shirts, seconds, or shirts with atrocious colors or printing on them that I wind up donating, throwing away, or using to mow the lawn in.

4. The wineglass was special. It will be something useful to cherish all the good memories from the race with. By the way, you might want to warn runners in the future that you can't take the bottle of champagne through security at the airport. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to have them throw mine away. Too bad; I was looking forward to celebrating with it when I got back to Nashville.

5. Free/close parking. I really appreciated the fact that you allowed free parking in the city garage for the expo and the race day. It made getting to the busses and back to the car after the race so much easier than races I have run in the past.

6. Shout out to the Fairfield Inn - I very much appreciated the Fairfield Inn having breakfast out at 4:00 in the morning. I was not expecting it and it was a very pleasant surprise.

7. Nice portable toilets. Though you had problems with their logistics, I have to say they were some of the nicest and cleanest toilets I have ever seen. That little detail says a lot about how much you care about your runners.

8. Relay points. I actually liked the relay points. There was a large crowd of people at each one that was cheering wildly. Though I didn't run a relay, I found them enjoyable.

Cons

1. Use bigger busses to the start line. The seats in the school buses were so close together that I could not sit with my legs in front of me. I had to turn them to a 45-degree angle, which made it hard for 2 people to sit in a seat and an uncomfortable 30-minute bus ride.

2. Keep the course off of the highway, if possible. It was only for a short duration, but it's no fun running single-file, adjacent to a bunch of cars on the shoulder of the road.

3. Clear out the finish line a little bit. The finish line itself was quite crowded and I actually had to make my way through a bunch of people coming toward me when I crossed the finish line. This is a little annoying when you are somewhat delirious from running and trying to figure out which way to go.

4. I hate to say this, but I would nix the bikes on the course. I have never found bikers to be very considerate and I had two of them actually get in my way as I was running. I am sure they are quite bored traveling at 6 or 7 mph for 26 miles because they are constantly talking... which I find annoying. They really are not necessary anyway. I don't think they add anything to the race.

5. Add some music to the course, perhaps. I would suggest some inspirational music like the theme from Rocky at regular intervals along the course. They can be very uplifting... especially at the end of the race, when motivation is waning.

6. Nix the teenage water station. Every water station I encountered was great, except for the one with the teenagers. Being teenagers, they were not focused on the runners, goofing around, and getting in the way. By the way, the one with the special ed students was inspiring and I appreciate you giving them the opportunity to participate. They did a great job.

7. Make the start line more exciting. It was one of the more boring start lines I have seen. This might be the one single thing to focus on improving.

You can assume that anything that I did not mention above was absolutely outstanding. I appreciate you and Corning for putting on a wonderful race and providing a wonderful experience for those who were lucky enough to get to run it!

This was my 5th marathon and it was very enjoyable. It is NOT flat, but it has enough of a change in terrain to keep it interesting. It is rural, with small crowds in the little towns. Great weather, and Mark is very organized!! Corning is a quaint little town that is very charming. It's also a good place to BQ.

Overall this was a great race. The weather was perfect. Corning is a very quaint, pretty town. The aid stops were plentiful and well stocked. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful!

I had a few minor issues with the race:
This course was not as flat as described. The course went along a highway, which was a little boring in the first half; it was better towards the end when the course went through a little park and was more exciting.

The bridge at the end was certainly filled with people; however, they were very quiet and not cheering anyone on, instead just kind of standing around and looking for their friends/family. I was disappointed with the finish. There's not much that the race organizer can do for this though.

The main disappointment was that we were told that we would be able to stand inside of Philips Lighting at the start. The facility was filled to capacity, so we had to stand outside. I have no idea what we would have done if it were raining. Thankfully it didn't.

I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a small-town race that is well organized.

This marathon was great. It is hard to find anything that could actually impede you from not having a great time and a memorable run. I want to do this one again without any competition - just running along with friends and chatting along the way. The race started out on time and the fall weather was perfect for a marathon. The sights and sounds kept you interested throughout the race. Being alone on the back roads and taking in the beauty of the hills and the leaves changing was a perfect change from the occasional pass through a small town. The spectators were great and made you feel welcomed when you arrived to a town. There is a little hill at mile 5 but you should still have plenty of energy to make the climb with little stress. The arrival to Corning is quite impressive with all the spectators yelling to you as you muster your last traces of energy to cross the finish line. Water, Gatorade and the two GU stops were perfectly set up and there were more than enough stops throughout the race. There was plenty of food at the end of the race and Wineglass medal was a nice touch. Hats off to the people who made this possible!

The weather was perfect and the organization was first rate. I would like to say, however, that the course isn't nearly as flat as mentioned. Maybe because my group is from Chicago, hills have a different definition. It is a tougher course than Chicago, Milwaukee, Phoenix, or Grand Rapids. There were no hats and very little men's apparel at the expo, which was disappointing.There are very few spectators, but overall, a very nice, small marathon.

This was my 13th marathon and 1st Wineglass, and overall it was a well organized event. The buses from the start were efficient and on time. The start went off smoothly and on time. Port-o-Johns were adequate. The course was nice (with some rolling hills) and fairly scenic. The weather (40s) was excellent.

There were a few things that were issues and can be improved on with a little tweaking and they are as follows:

1. Fluid Stations - there was no warning when they were coming. Perhaps post a sign a few hundred meters prior to each station. The cups were about 1/3 filled, which was not good. Some stations had water first and Gatorade second, while others had Gatorade first and water second. Runners did not know what was in the cups until about 5 feet prior to the cup. Also, the cups were identical. The cups should look different and the stations should be consistent. Perhaps have water on the right side of the road and Gatorade on the left, or always have water at the first tables and Gatorade at the last tables. This is pretty standard stuff for a marathon.

2. Mile Markers - they were too close to the ground and very difficult to see. I missed a few of them.

3. Spectating Information - at the expo there were no course maps for spectators to know from where to view the course.

The BIG issue I believe was the fluid stations, and for all of the rave reviews that this race gets, it was surpising that this was an issue.

Other than that, it was a nice race in a nice, small town with a main street filled with pubs, restaurants and shops.

I would consider this one again.