It's that time of year again for running! The first event this season is the Glass City Marathon a week from today on Sunday April 22nd, 2012.
From their website:
The marathon course will begin in the center of the University of Toledo campus between Lot 10 and the tennis courts. Heading north into the quiet neighborhoods of Old Orchard and Ottawa Hills, the course leads you to the area's finest Metroparks system utilizing the University Parks bike Trail. A tour through Sylvania leads you to Olander Park, passing the statue of Sy Mah then back down the bike trail to a short tour of the UT campus concluding with a grand finish in the Glass Bowl Stadium.
This course has little elevation changes, smooth paved roads, and is expected to provide very fast race times and a memorable experience.
Start Time: 7:00 AM
Course Open: 6-hours
Maximum Field: 1500 Runners
Minimum Age: 16 on Race Day
For more information including registration checkout their official website.
http://www.glasscitymarathon.org/
The Toledo Roadrunners Club season never really ends. The events start on 1/1! The unusually warm winter made the early part of the year great for races.
It's my goal to get in enough shape that I could do a 5k and join the Roadrunners. They seem like a great group and a lot of them always say thank you as they run by. I volunteer as a radio operator for the event.
If you run past water stop at mile marker 9.9 say hi :)
Just looked at the map...it seems more like a Ottawa Hills/Sylvania marathon to me.
I'm running the half for the second time. The course is very nice, but I do wish it would start/end downtown.
INeedCoffee posted at 11:44:00 PM on Apr 15, 2012:It's my goal to get in enough shape that I could do a 5k and join the Roadrunners. They seem like a great group and a lot of them always say thank you as they run by. I volunteer as a radio operator for the event.
If you run past water stop at mile marker 9.9 say hi :)
Most of the 5Ks have runners/walkers of all abilities. It's not uncommon to see people walking across the finish line. They are all welcome and encouraged to finish. It's a great group. I BARELY finished the Happy Trails 5K last year. I've been training since then and I'm running the Glass City Half next weekend and I've registered for the full Detroit Marathon in October. Don't hesitate to sign up for a 5K and give it a try. I think you'll love it.
You can always start with one of the group runs that happens every week. It's open to everyone and is always a great time. I've never been to the Wednesday runs at Fallen Timbers hosted by Dave's, but I think the Thursday runs at Levis Commons hosted by Second Sole are a great time.
First place runner at my location.
http://imgur.com/PASd3.jpg
I was surprised when I read that the "Glass City" marathon wasn't held downtown. Anybody know why?
I ran the Glass City Marathon long ago on the old course that started in downtown Toledo. The route scaled the high-level bridge, moved along the east side of the river from Rossford to Perrysburg, crossed the bridge into Maumee, ran around Sidecut Metropark, and then along the west side of the river from Maumee to downtown Toledo for the finish.
The GCM has been at the new route for a few years now. The course change may have been due to more people participating, change in sponsors, or because of traffic enforcement costs and difficulties on the old route.
In response to Dee_Diva's question: I was surprised when I read that the "Glass City" marathon wasn't held downtown. Anybody know why?
Response - I may be wrong (and please correct me if someone knows more on the subject) but from what I have heard the police services are VERY expensive. We're not talking low thousands but tens of thousands of dollars and the labor rules imposed on the organizers are very restrictive that do not allow simple cost cutting, logical steps to be taken.
By holding the event in a location where they minimize the amount of corners and police necessary they greatly reduce that cost.
^ that does make sense, but I do wish they could have it run partially through downtown. I don't know of any other marathons that avoid the center city completely.
The sponsors didn't want to provide moving targets for the gangbangers.
Congratulations to Matt Folk, the first 3 time winner in GCM history and owner of the Second Sole store at Levis Commons.
I couldn't find the story in the Blade just now (and it may have been a different news outlet), but I read a few days ago that part of the reason the location was moved was due to growth potential. The number of runners doubled from the last year held downtown to the first year held at UT.
GCM was my first half marathon and I completely enjoyed myself! Made great time and had a lot of fun. A little sore today, but I'm absolutely positive I can do the full next year!
Over the last year, I've done a few of the Second Sole group runs, about 10 5K's in the Toledo area, and I'm a member of the Roadrunners...and I am by no stretch of the imagination a "fast" runner (average 9:30/mile 5K, 11:30/mile in half marathon yesterday). The thing I like most about running, is that it is such an individual sport...it takes people of all skill levels and every event I have ever been to is great...doesn't matter if you are last - you lap everyone who spent that time sitting on their couch!
JB, I am considering joining the roadrunners. I looked on their website and only see the official 5ks on the calendar of events. Where and when are their informal runs? I did the 5k yesterday and would love to do the Columbus half in October
Any of the official TRRC events will be on their event calendar, but the group runs are usually independent of TRRC. There's a Second Sole run on Thursday's at 6:30 and Dave's usually has them, as well. You'd probably be better off calling either store to ask for group run info.
TRRC membership includes a newsletter that's usually packed full of event flyers, too.
