The Glass City Marathon – because no one would ever want to run something called the “Toledo Marathon.”
I kid, I kid. We Michiganders love our jokes about Ohio (because we are hands down the superior state, there is much to joke about). Seriously though, Toledo can put on one heck of a marathon. It was an awesome experience from start to finish (if you care, you can read more about how the race went for me personally in the Glass City Marathon post). If you like fast, flat, well-organized, and reasonably priced, the Glass City Marathon might just be for you.
What: The 2019 Glass City Marathon. There was also a half marathon, a 5-person marathon relay, a 5K, and a kid’s race.
When: April 28, 2019 (Start time: 7:02. The elite runners started at 7:00)
Who: There were just shy of 2,000 runners in the marathon. However, there were close to 10,000 runners that weekend thanks to the half marathon, marathon relay, and 5K. Also, Mercy Health sponsors the marathon. So you know the medical treatment will be on point!
Where: Toledo, OH. The start and finish are on the University of Toledo campus.
Price: $70 if you sign up early enough (tier 1 pricing). See below for the pricing blocks. 
Expo
I didn’t make it to the Glass City expo. We drove down from Plymouth, MI the morning of the race so I picked up my packet the day of. From what I’ve heard, though, the expo is really cool! They have a whole kid’s section and a lot of businesses represented. You could meet the pacers and they held talks regarding various race day topics:
SPEAKER TOPICS
1) Course Overview, Water Stops, etc.
2) Medical, Weather Condition Procedure, etc.
3) Listening to Your Body & PT Stuff
4) Hospitality Q&A
5) Pacing
I’m 99% sure they have a pasta dinner for athletes as well. They make a big deal if it’s your first marathon/first Glass City marathon. First timers get a sticker that says “My first 26.2 GCM” and a different color quarter-zip than the veterans. They also had the runners’ names printed on the bibs, which I’ve come to appreciate. There was plenty of correspondence ahead of time regarding the details of the expo, so that was also nice.
Course
The course was fantastic. 10/10 would recommend. They say on their website that “You’ll run faster in Toledo” and that proved to be true for many runners. The course was as flat as a pancake with no more than two small bumps – one in the first half and one in the second. Honestly, you’ll get to the top of these “hills” and ask yourself, “Was that it?” The course is beautiful. During the first half, you run through some stunning neighborhoods. The middle miles are spent winding through the metro park, where everything is in bloom. There’s a mile or two in a wide bike lane on a relatively busy road, but you feel safe the whole time. After that you wind through a few more neighborhoods, back through the metro park, and down a bike path for the last stretch. You run through the University of Toledo for the last mile and finish at the 50-yard line of their football stadium. It’s a pretty cool finish. I would have preferred fewer turns during the first half, but it probably ended up being a good thing because it slowed me down a bit and kept me at my goal pace so I didn’t crash and burn later. I’ve read a lot of reviews where people really hate the last few miles on the bike path. It’s a straight path through the woods with no spectators, no turns. I’ll admit, those miles did feel long. But I thought it was great how much I was able to focus during those miles where focus is so crucial. However, I can see if you’re having a bad race, those miles would be torture.
Aid Stations
Oh my gosh, so many aid stations. There were truthfully TOO many aid stations. I felt like there was one every mile! As far as complaints go, that’s not a bad one to have. The volunteers were awesome and plentiful. I saw lots of stops with Vaseline for the chafed runners, which was a nice touch. Plenty of porta potties, too. The best part? They had Honey Stingers!! How awesome is that?? And good flavors too, like vanilla (I’m sure there were other good flavors, but that was the only one I grabbed every time. Race day is not the day to try the orange mango flavor for the first time) I actually took nutrition because of it and guess what? Nutrition actually helps you race better!
Goodies
Especially when you consider how reasonably priced this race is, the goodies were awesome. Pizza and pasta after the race along with the standard bananas, oranges, cookies, and granola bars. I loved how we got a quarter zip instead of just another race t-shirt. The quarter-zip, predictably, isn’t the best quality but it will still come in handy during the colder months of training! Finishers received a space blanket, a giant medal, bottled water, and a Glass City Marathon stein (made of glass, I see what they did there!) for the beer tent. I’m fairly certain there’s even a tent that offers post-race massages and there were showers available for use as well.
Awards
Like I mentioned above, ever marathon finisher gets a gigantic medal. I’m not sure why they made it so large… maybe so you feel the weight of your achievement? No idea. The age group awards went three deep. I placed third in my age group, but it wasn’t very clear where they were handing out awards, so we just left without it. I am pretty curious what the award was though… In my experience, age group awards range from disappointing to spectacular. You never know what you’re going to get! Since this is a large race with elite runners, I assume there’s prize money involved for the winners.
Pros
Fast, FAST course that was well-mapped and well-manned. If you’re looking to BQ, this is the course for you. Enthusiastic and helpful volunteers, plenty of aid stations, great price, highly organized, and an overall great energy. This race had a pulse you could feel every step of the way, an upbeat spirit that carried you to the finish line and reminded you that what you just did was an achievement worth celebrating.
Cons
My only complaint would be the parking. Granted, parking was plentiful and easy to find, with volunteers directing people to where they needed to go. But as soon as the race started, no cars were allowed out of the parking garage until 11 AM. I heard from another runner that they weren’t allowed out of their lot until 2 PM! Luckily, Jackson was able to run to different spots on the course to see me, but not every spectator can do that. There were a lot of disappointing spectators that didn’t get to see their friend/relative run because they suddenly had no transportation. To be fair, we were emailed a parking map ahead of time that warned us of these closures. But when you actually arrive the morning of the race and a volunteer tells you to park somewhere, you’re not going to remember that email. I just think a sign or two would have been helpful and would have avoided a lot of stress for the volunteers. So if you end up running this marathon, try to park in a lot that allows you to come and go as you please.
Overall Thoughts
It would appear that Toledo has something to offer the world after all – The Glass City Marathon. This race gave me the opportunity to succeed that I so badly wanted. They truly care about the individual’s race. They weren’t just looking to get runners to the finish line. I felt as if everyone involved wanted the runners to have the race of their lives and an experience worth remembering. I could tell that this event was nurtured by those who see running as a community-building, life-giving, awe-inspiring thing. There was a respect for the runners and the race itself that you don’t always feel during highly commercialized marathons. And for that and much more, I will always be grateful to Toledo.
