What is the course like for Glass City Marathon?

Mostly Flat course on Road/Pavement. See the elevation chart on this page for details.

Is Glass City Marathon USATF certified?

Yes this race is listed as certified.

What are typical race-day temperatures for Glass City Marathon?

Average ~53F (high 62F / low 41F).

Can I generate a pace band for Glass City Marathon?

Yes use the Pace Band button on this page to create a course-specific pace band.

Glass City Marathon | Race Info, Course, Elevation & Pace Band

Fast, flat course

Full Review:

I like the plethora of aid stations and love the finish in the stadium.

Race Tips:

Pace band really helped me stay on pace. The course is flat so don't need hill training.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Plan to be at bus stops early for transport to race.

Reviewed by JFS About 2026

Local & 3x Finisher | Great Mid Size Race

Full Review:

Well organized and nice course with a mix of roads and going through the metroparks, all paved. Not much incline and finishing in the stadium is great. High BQ% for a reason!

Race Tips:

This is not a race to expect much fan support. Fans at the beginning, 5k mark, some at Southview high school and surrounding neighborhoods, then nothing until towards the finish. Don't expect big city crowds in a mid market area.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

This race is not in downtown Toledo, it is in the North West side aka Ottawa Hills/University of Toledo. Best hotels are outside of town in Perrysburg/Maumee area. Takes ~20min to get up to the University from there. Best parking pre-race imo is outside of Rocket Hall, right next to the bike trail and easy to get back out post race to Dorr St and over to the highway.

Reviewed by F About 2026

Great course to run

Full Review:

I liked that much of the running was on trails through the park system. It was a very fun/fast run.

Race Tips:

Gentle rolling hills through the neighborhoods. Most of my training was on bike trail which is fine for Columbus and Houston but some more gentle hill training may have helped but I did BQ.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Parking lot at Dorr/Douglas was easy to find and leave when done.

Reviewed by JSM About 2025

Weather can be hit or miss, but the marathon itself is great

Full Review:

I loved the course and the support, while not huge, was enthusiastic. People came out in the residential neighborhoods to tailgate and provided us with extra fuel and drink (the ice cold bottles some offered were heaven-sent). It's really flat, but there's one little, steep elevation one has to do twice that can be soul-crushing the second time. Organization was great. Gear check could have been more clearly announced. Post-race food was meh. After the half runners had gone through, all that was left was cold pizza, chips, and a cookie. I'd have loved a banana and more drink options! It was either water or alcoholic beer (I love my beer, but after a marathon prefer non-alcoholic versions).

Expo was a little sparse. Almost no free samples, though they did have everything I needed to prep for the race.

Race Tips:

You can't really plan for good weather. The past few years, it's been on and off with perfect race conditions one year and terrible the next. That being said, it's a great course when the weather is good!

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Parking is great. There are maps sent out about where to park based on when you'd like to leave by. It can mean a bit of walking (maybe 1km?), but that's always kind of good after a marathon.

Reviewed by DT About 2024

Great course! Post race nutrition was horrible.

Full Review:

Expo was good. Course was beautiful and flat. Post race there were dixie cups w warm water until you walked out of the stadium across the parking lot where there were bags of lays chips, cookies and pizza. No fruit whatsoever. No food trucks. No chocolate milk. No electrolyte drinks.

Race Tips:

Have your friends and family bring post race nutrition/recovery drinks.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Renaissance is not recommended.

Reviewed by Anonymous About 2024

Fast and flat

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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

Reviewed by WC About 2023

Flat, fast, friendly (2 time finisher)

Full Review:

Great city, well organized, low key !

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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

Reviewed by Njv About 2023

Great mid-size Marathon and fast

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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.

Reviewed by D G About 2023

2022 edition

Full 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 40â€™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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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.

Reviewed by MT About 2022

Race is well run (5x Finisher)

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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

Reviewed by Kori K. About 2022

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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

Reviewed by rfg About 2021

Great First Full Marathon

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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!

Reviewed by Nikki S. About 2019

Flat and fast!

Full 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!

Reviewed by SB About 2019

Great race

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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

Reviewed by Vinny About 2018

Beautiful course with very friendly support

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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.

Reviewed by RG About 2018

Flat and fast

Full Review:

Reviewed by Anonymous About 2018

Full 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).

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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!

Reviewed by JY About 2017

Full 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

Reviewed by Whiting About 2017

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

Parking is convenient if you arrive early

Reviewed by hh About 2017

Full 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.

Reviewed by CL About 2016

Full 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.

Reviewed by EG About 2016

Full Review:

Reviewed by Smh About 2016

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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!

Reviewed by CC About 2015

Full 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.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

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

Reviewed by Anonymous About 2015

Full Review:

Reviewed by DMH About 2014

Race Day Temperatures	High: 60°F (16°C) Low: 43°F (6°C)
Race Start Conditions	45°F (7°C) Humidity: 81% Clear E 7 mph
PR Score	98.81
Course Score	99.16

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Glass City Marathon

Race Information

Weather Averages for Last 16 Years

Race Day Temperatures

High: 60°F (16°C)
Low: 43°F (6°C)

Race Start Conditions

45°F (7°C)
Humidity: 81%

Clear
E 7 mph

PR Score

98.81

Course Score

99.16

Elevation Chart

Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Glass City Marathon

Compare the Glass City Marathon to other Marathons

Race Reviews

Marathon Pace Bands

Run the Right Pace in Your Next Marathon

Nearly 500 marathon courses.Ships same or Next Day

Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers

It's here! Our annual list of the year'sbest marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.

2026 IS HERE!

Glass City Marathon

Race Information

Weather Averages for Last 16 Years

Race Day Temperatures

High: 60°F (16°C) Low: 43°F (6°C)

Race Start Conditions

45°F (7°C)Humidity: 81%ClearE 7 mph

PR Score

98.81

Course Score

99.16

Elevation Chart

Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Glass City Marathon

Compare the Glass City Marathon to other Marathons

Race Reviews

Nearly 500 marathon courses.
Ships same or Next Day

It's here! Our annual list of the year's
best marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.

High: 60°F (16°C)
Low: 43°F (6°C)

45°F (7°C)
Humidity: 81%

Clear
E 7 mph