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Glass City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Glass City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.2 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 246 [displaying comments 151 to 161]
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L. B. from Toledo, OH
(4/25/2011)
"Big-city marathon in a Toledo-sized town!" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Glass City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I actually ran the half marathon. To begin, the organizers did a fantastic job with promotion, especially via social media. Questions on the Facebook page were answered within hours, and email reminders were sent. Training options through Dave's Running were provided (although I trained on my own, I know Dave's is wonderful). The expo was dynamic and fun, with many unique items on sale and a smooth and seamless packet pick-up process. The course was lovely, running through the historic Old Orchard neighborhood, lovely Wildwood metropark and the University Parks trail, with a picturesque finish in UT's Glass Bowl stadium. Announcers, massage therapists, and musicians at the post-race event were professional and a lot of fun. High-quality medals and shirts were provided to finishers, and thousands of photos were posted online, tagged and emailed within days of the event. My first half marathon was a great experience! | |
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M. B. from Hudsonville MI
(4/25/2011)
"Well Run Race!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Glass City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 When I signed up for this race, I was not expecting much - it's a low-price, small marathon. As it turned out, I would put this race in my top 5. Pros: 1) The expo was not huge but there were plenty of vendors and some deals to be had. 2) The course was great - flat and fast - although it was windy (the way the course was laid out, though, the wind was not as much of a factor as I first imagined). 3) The volunteers were great; there were about 4 places where people were stationed calling out pace and where you would finish running that pace (do you get this in a big race?). 4) Aid stations every 2 miles with energy gel at most of them. 5) Finishing in the stadium, someone was calling out the name of every finisher and offering shout outs to those who were finishing their first marathon. 6) The finisher medal was great (all about the bling!). 7) One of the best-fitting race shirts I have. 8) Finisher glass with a beer line outside the stadium. Cons 1) Could you do something about the wind? 2) Shirt was great but needs a little more. 3) You can always use more porta-potties, but I have never been to an event where there is not a line. | |
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T. G. from Tampa, FL
(4/21/2011)
"Small, but well run, flat and fast" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Glass City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Overall, this is a nice marathon. The start is well organized and not too crowded (even with 2000 half marathoners). Once the full group splits from the half marathoners after 8 miles, the full course gets a little boring and empties out. Support at water stations was great - gels starting at mile 10 or so and lots of gatorade. Weather is always iffy this time of year - we had 25 mph winds and wind chill of 30 degrees. Course is mostly flat and a great BQ marathon. | |
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E. B. from Midwest
(4/19/2011)
"Needs more Jiffy Johns" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Glass City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I've run this race the past two years. Last year my only complaint was that there were not enough jiffy johns at the start of the race and on the race course. The complaint was sent to the race directors. This year there were still not enough jiffy johns at the start, with several hundred people still in line a few minutes before the start of the marathon/half-marathon and not many jiffy johns on the race course, especially during the first few miles. Also, last year at least the basketball arena had the bathrooms on the various floors open. This year only the bathrooms on the first floor were open, which are not enough. Other than that, I enjoyed the course, medal, and glass mug. I can't comment on the post-race food as I generally don't bother with that stuff. | |
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Sanjay Mohanta from Ottawa, ON
(4/19/2011)
"Good Race - Great Value!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Glass City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 My 28th marathon! The course was very flat and boring. The mile markers for mile 3 and 4 were missing and the start line was very, very narrow. Small things for next year but on the plus: the beer mug was great at the end, and the volunteers were very friendly. A good run all things considered. The only other thing of note is the free parking! | |
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john spannuth from Maryland
(4/18/2011)
"Getting better" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Glass City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Ran this in 2003 and again this year. I love the new course - easy area for start/finish. The course ran on busy streets; please place orange traffic cones to protect the runners. I was running in a large group and we had several cars whiz by us. Do NOT change pacers in the full; it changes the chemistry in the groups. if you are concerned about their ability get stronger/more experienced pacers or start 2 in a group. Nice medal and glass. Also, buy blankets for the finish; you can't control the weather, but you OWE it to the runners to keep them warm at the finish. If the day is warm, save them for next year. | |
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B. G. from Cleveland
(4/18/2011)
"Great Experience" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Glass City Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I was very impressed with the race in general. The volunteers were very helpful and the finish in Glass Stadium was great. The medal and the mug were nice touches too! My only complaint was that it seemed like there were large areas devoid of fans; but whenever there were any, they were supportive and excited! The fellow racers were extremely supportive too. In fact, when I was struggling with the 35+ mph winds on the home stretch, two complete strangers told me to follow them. For the rest of the race we paired up, and one would take the brunt of the wind for the other two for a mile and switch. This may have been my first marathon, but I plan on coming back for next year's! | |
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G. R. from Wheeler, Michigan
(4/18/2011)
"Overall, great course and race" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Glass City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first Glass City Marathon and fourth overall. This race was organized incredibly well - I was impressed. The course was equally as good, with a great mix of in town and scenic running. The water stops were very well run, there were plenty of them, and all of the staff was great. The course itself had a lot of twists and turns, and for the most part they were very well marked. The only glitch was the very last 1/2 mile, which wasn't marked well at all. I believe this was because I was toward the end of the pack, but I had to spend a lot of time searching for which way to go. I think a couple of people left their spots early. The finish in the stadium was cool. The medal was the best I've seen, really awesome. The mug was a great touch and the beer was cold after the race. The pizza was all gone, but there were still bananas, pretzels, bagels and maybe some other food left, which was fine with me. The only real negative could not be controlled, and that was the 25 mph wind, with gusts much more than that. Most of the running into the wind was during the first half, and we had the wind to our back for the last 3 miles. Overall, a great marathon, very well put together, and I would recommend it to everyone. | |
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k. r. from chicago
(4/18/2011)
"hidden gem of a race! great swag, great course" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 PROS: 1. great medal 2. finishers glass mug was a great bonus 3. nice shirt 4. flat, fast course 5. finishing in the stadium 6. easy parking 7. split times announced multiple points CONS: i don't really have any big knocks against this race. the expo was average, but appropriate for the size of the event. not much crowd support, but again it's a smaller race. I would love to see this race later in the spring because the weather is so unpredictable this time of year and like any spring midwest marathon it's ridiculous to train for in the winter. COURSE: takes you through some of the most scenic parts of Toledo. utilizing the UT bike path was excellent. most of the course was protected so you didn't have to worry about cars, it was flat, and the long straightaways are great. finishing in the Glass Bowl was cool- as are all stadium finishes. I always thought a course through downtown, over the hi-level bridge would be cool, but i would hate to change anything about this course as it stands because it was very pretty. for having only 1000 runners in the full marathon, I didn't feel out on the course alone because there were plenty of relay participants. overall, excellent experience! I really look forward to doing this race again. | |
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S. T. from Detroit, Michigan
(4/18/2011)
"Great Spring Marathon" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Glass City Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 After reading mixed reviews about the race, I didn't know what to expect. I thought the course had great scenery, plenty of aid, and a very nice medal AND mug. There were nice areas of support, even in the wind, and the course was not an out-and-back. Out-and-backs in a marathon are not only boring (at times) but also show a lack of creativity and community support, in my opinion. For 50 staters and Michigan runners looking for a new marathon, I would suggest Glass City. |
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