Glass City Marathon Reviews

  Great mid-size Marathon and fast

By D G about 2023

Review

This is a well-organized marathon with a fast course. Some nice gradual downhills when you need them like in the park after mile 20. The stretch from mile 22 to 25 can get tough with small crowd support and not much to see but push through since you are getting close. I enjoyed the feel of not running in a city atmosphere like in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit or Pittsburgh. Not saying that Toledo is a better marathon but it was nice that it was totally different than the city marathons. This marathon is also very convenient if staying north of the start on Secor road. The after party was also very nice.

Race Tips

Even pacing or trying to negative split on this course should be attempted. Be cognizant of the direction of the wind and plan accordingly by drafting off others when possible and getting into a position to allow it to push you when it is at your back.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

For the race directors it was great having a number of timing spots throughout the course but should add one to the half marathon point.

  Flat, fast, friendly (2 time finisher)

By Njv about 2023

Review

Great city, well organized, low key !

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Stay on Secor close to UT or downtown on the river. Pre race dinner at Zia's Saturday is excellent.

  Fast and flat

By WC about 2023

Review

Great course through neighborhoods, and metroparks. A few small hills, but mostly flat. Finish on the 50 yard line of University of Toledo Glass Bowl.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Lots of great restaurants to check out in Toledo. Incovias, Rosies and Sebastianos good choices for pre-race pasta dinner.

  Race is well run (5x Finisher)

By Kori K. about 2022

Review

Race is well run, first 8ish miles on open roads, so not too congested. Run by a church and Father will bless you with holy water if you want-not if you don't. Pockets of spectators through second half. Would love to see more live music or DJs along the course.

Race Tips

Great local race energy and welcoming for visitors. Flat, fast course-plenty of parking, but get their early to park near the start and avoid having to navigate around road closures.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Can easily find great places to eat. Toledo and suburbs have awesome restaurant selection.

  2022 edition

By MT about 2022

Review

The race is well organized and runs through some beautiful neighborhoods. Not as flat as I expected and with more twists and turns than I thought, but still a pretty fast course overall, specially if weather is in the 40’s as usual.

2022 weather was, unfortunately, pretty hot (mid 60's at race start) which made it harder than usual.

Still, a very good experience overall, with top level runners and a good race for a PR.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Instead of staying at a hotel downtown (which are few and not very good level in general), consider staying at an AirBnb or similar nearby the race start. Beautiful and safe area for families.

  

By rfg about 2021

Review

I've run it three times. Good course. VERY little fan support on the course.
Two complaints:

1. Toledo is not a great place to visit. Plan on staying out of town, because neither I nor my friends have yet found an in-town hotel worth recommending. The number of good restaurants was small even before COVID. (my favorite shut down in mid-2019) 2. The worst bling of any marathon I've run. Out of three years, I have only one shirt I'd wear in public - even running. The medals are the ugliest in my collection, a fact that is emphasized by their very large size. (To be fair, one would be nice if it was 1/3 smaller.) Why, then, have I run it three times? It's one of the closest marathons to my home.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Get a hotel on the edge of town. Cheaper, and higher quality.

  Flat and fast!

By SB about 2019

Review

I have run the half 7 years in a row, and ran the full this year. It has been 37 degrees 7 out of 8 years! Great crowd support, lots and lots of water stops!

  Great First Full Marathon

By Nikki S. about 2019

Review

This course was very ideal for first time runners. I have done many halfs but this was my first full and it was perfect. There are some small hills along the course and towards the end there are 2 rolling ones that last a little bit longer but they aren't too hateful. There are plenty of water stations along the way, I saw lots of fruit on the ground at some but never saw any at the stations so they may have been passing fruit out. My only dislike about the course is the finish, for like the last .2 or so you're stuck in a small lane as you wrap around and into the stadium which doesn't leave much move to pass people or to even get that crossing the finish line picture.

Race Tips

Start out slow, you are jam packed with everyone for a good while so trying to race right out the gate is super hard. There are tons of gels and water along the way but it was nice to have my hydration pack for the few spots on the trails where there weren't any water stops.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

This is where I wish someone had warned me. I booked my hotel off the marathon site for a discounted hotel. Little did I know that it was not an actual confirmation, even though I received multiple confirmation emails. After driving 3 hours, we arrived at the hotel to find out my reservations did not exist and spent the next hour calling all over town just to end up in some really sketchy hotel. Not ideal for the night before the race!

  Flat and fast

By Anonymous about 2018

  Beautiful course with very friendly support

By RG about 2018

Review

This is a great course - scenic and peaceful, sometimes on a street and sometimes on a nice wide,paved bike path. Everyone - and I mean everyone - was supportive. The people at the water stations (and there are a lot of water stations) cheered us on, even the policemen along the course handling traffic would cheer us on and I've never seen that before. The expo is nice and there are enough vendors that you can find the thing that you forgot to pack.

Race Tips

The course is pretty flat so you don't have to worry about a big hill somewhere along the course. Much of the course is along tree-lined streets and paths although some is a little more in the open.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Race day parking is a little tricky but not overwhelming. The marathon website said that the southwest lot would be open and linked to a campus map that showed numbered lots. I'm a little dense and I was looking for something that was labeled "southwest lot" on the map. I figured it out (I'm not that dense) but using the same reference - i.e. numbers - in the race information as the campus map would have been helpful.

Also, the finish area was not as well laid out as some. Once you cross the finish line, you are handed a medal and there are bottles of water around that you can grab. Other than that, everything else is outside the stadium in some tents. I never got to the tents - wasn't sure how to get to them - and I just left. Remembering that I am a little dense and was totally gassed at the end of the race and didn't feel like wandering around trying to find my way around barriers and so on, some signage would have been helpful to direct people to the tents.

  Great race

By Vinny about 2018

Review

I loved the course. It was nice and flat with variation in scenery. It was a little boring on the bike path in miles 22-25, but could also be because you are ready to be done at that point. The race was very well organized and volunteers were wonderful.

Race Tips

The course really does not have anything hat could be called a hill. I think even pacing strategy is good. The finish into the stadium is cool, but has some twists and turns.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

We stayed away from the campus area, but parking was easy. The expo was small, but easy to navigate.

  

By hh about 2017

Review

Great course support, flat course, good for someone trying to PR or BQ. Weather varies. I have run it in 30s and also in 60s.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Parking is convenient if you arrive early

  

By Whiting about 2017

Review

Great course through some scenic neighborhoods and parks. Water stations when you need them. Well organized and fun to run.

Race Tips

Even pace throughout. No major hills. Weather was perfect. Started at 35 degrees ended at 55

  

By JY about 2017

Review

This marathon was well put on and the volunteers were great. The relay definitely makes you feel like you have extra crowd support. Miles 22-25 had very little crowd support, but I knew that going in and my plan had been to stick with my pacer anyway.

My only negative is that a lot of the race is road and there were a TON of filled potholes (making for very uneven road) so I really had to watch my footing most of the race but thankfully not during the tough miles (22-25) with little crowd support.

I also had an amazing pacer (THANKS, BRIAN) who was fun, relaxed and talked the entire way. He even pulled himself back the last .5 miles (he was slightly ahead on time and I was 15 second behind him) to cheer me on and encourage me to the finish line. This was a PR for me so it'd be hard for me not to recommend this race!

The medal was HUGE and you get a cool glass at the end and, well, there's beer at the end :)

Race Tips

There's a small hill around mile 21 which feels bigger than it is, given your legs are tired. I know they say this for all marathons but this one I found it manageable to maintain even splits. The course isn't pancake flat but the really small hills are actually nice (see elevation chart on the marathon website as it gives you a more realistic view).

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Parking options were great though where I parked did require me to walk uphill a bit when walking back to the car when I finished but there was a radio DJ playing 90's rap and talking to everyone walking back to their cars and I loved it!

  

By Smh about 2016

  

By EG about 2016

Review

It's a very flat marathon that is good for Boston Qualifing but very flat and boring. Not a lot of crowd support. It is run very well tho.

  

By CL about 2016

Review

Fast flat course. The first half is a little windy through quiet, tree lined residential neighborhoods before entering a large park. The second half is a little less scenic with longer, straighter portions before entering that same park. The last few miles are on a bike path. Nice start/finish line. Good race, overall.

  

By Anonymous about 2015

Review

Smaller field with some nice scenery. Decent parking near the start/finish. Pretty flat overall.

Race Tips

Even pacing as the course is pretty flat.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

No hotels really close. Big structure near the start/finish but still need to plan to arrive about an hour early.

  

By CC about 2015

Review

I ran the GCM in 2015 in perfect conditions, mid 40's and sunny. The course was super flat; I can only recall two times I was aware of a mild incline. I recently ran the Chicago Marathon, and Toledo felt way flatter to me. I selected this race to BQ and it did not disappointed. I walked away with a 20 minute PR and a BQ+6. The course was pretty and the scenery constantly changed throughout the race. There were a few miles that could be called monotonous and lacked crowd support (back roads and bike path to the finish) but nothing too terrible. Finishing in the football stadium was awesome!

Race Tips

I used a pace group. A word of caution: my pacer had an unorthodox plan to "bank time" in the first half of the marathon. I was fairly sure of my fitness level, so I took a chance. It ended up working out in my favor, but this obviously would not be beneficial for everyone. However, I must add, my pacer was super encouraging.

Logistical Tips (Hotels, Restaurants, Parking, Discounts, etc.)

Arrive early; there was heavy traffic entering the university on race day. Huge plus: you can wait inside before the start and there were tons of indoor bathrooms! Very organized, easy logistics. If your looking for a flat, uncomplicated race to grab your ticket to Boston, this race is for you!

  

By DMH about 2014