Event and Race Reviews This is a growing collection of Race and Event Reviews. All of these reviews were written by our members and represent each author's experiences and opinions only. Back to Events Listing
Wineglass Marathon
(Corning, New York)
Author: Bebette
Date: 2005-10-04
Why did I pick Wineglass for my first marathon? Because all reviews I read and heard indicated that it was a small (around 500 participants plus relay teams), scenic, well organized and fast race. And I was not disappointed.
The race is held on country roads from Bath to Corning, NY. From Ottawa, it is a 5-hour drive. Corning is the third most popular touristic destination in NY state, so there is plenty to keep the family and friends occupied while we are torturing ourselves during the marathon. My husband and daughters were particularly impressed by the Museum of Glass and the historic district, which are very close to the finish line. Very close by, there is also a fantastic brew pub--the Market Street Brewing Co. Fantastic beer and food.
Participants have the option of being bused to the start line from Corning or back to Bath at the end of the race. I came early and took one of the earlier bus. I went very smoothly.
The race kit is quite nice. You get a nice long sleeve technical shirt and a small bottle of local champagne. The finisher medal is very pretty. It is made of glass, as you can guess it. Chips and bibs can be picked up at the start line, which is handy for the out-of-town runners. T-shirts and champagne can be collected after the race. My only complain was that there was no small shirts when I picked mine. Minor detail.
The course has a net downhill, with one bigger hill at mile 5 and 3 or 4 smaller ones scattered throughout the course. The course is in fact very nice. It was particularly stricking at the beginning when the fog was still hanging over the fields. It makes you happy to be alive. The roads remain open to traffic, but I found drivers very patient and courtious towards runners. There were race marshalls or state troopers to control traffic at intersections. The only glitch I encountered was near the finish line at the Museum of Glass when a bus stopped way beyound the stop line, forcing me to deviate from my ideal race line.
Water stations were well stocked and attended and offer both water and Gatorade. Tehy were located every 2 miles up to mile 20 and every mile after that--very handy under 80F sun. Port-o-potties were only available at mile 9 and 18, but there was plenty of bush to use... The official markers were in miles, but there were some unofficial markers every 5k.
Since it is a small race in the countryside, I was not expecting much crowd support, except at the relay exchange. I was pleasantly surprised to see spectators scattered throughout the route, and drivers honking or yelling to provide encouragement.
This year, organizors had to reroute the last 2.5 miles because of construction. So, the finish line was moved from the parking lot of the Museum of Glass to the end of a very pretty foot bridge a couple of hundred yards away, and right by a nice park that was used as the finish area. There is plenty of shade and lots of grass to sit on. There was a lots of food to choose from--fruits, nice hot soup, pizza, water, bagels, water etc. Massages were also offered.
All and all, a very well run race and, as I am now a living proof, a good race to BQ or PB.
|
