Glass City Marathon welcomes runners of all levels for 48th annual event

TOLEDO, Ohio — The 48th annual Mercy Health Glass City Marathon is fast approaching, bringing with it a full weekend of events designed for runners of all skill levels — including those who have never run a race before.

The springtime event, hosted by the Toledo Roadrunners Club, is known for producing competitive times, with more than one-third of participants earning a Boston Marathon qualifying time in previous years. The Glass City Marathon is a fast, flat 26.2-mile course with a field of up to 1,700 runners from across the country and around the world.

The Glass City Marathon is a USA Track & Field certified course and sanctioned race, making it eligible for Olympic Trials qualifying times. It was the 2023 Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) National Championship Marathon and is also an Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group Qualifier, led by the 2021 Road Race Management Race Director of the Year.

While the full 26.2-mile marathon on April 27 may be out of reach for some, race director Clint McCormick emphasized that the Savage 5K, held April 26, is an ideal entry point.

“You don’t just wake up one day — most people don’t — and say I’m going to run a marathon,” McCormick said. “It’s stepping stones. Introduce yourself to the sport, show that it’s achievable, and set those benchmarks.”

The 5K, which is stroller-friendly and open to walkers, joggers, and runners alike, serves as what McCormick calls an “achievable” first step. 

“It doesn’t matter if you walk it,” McCormick said. “The 5K on Saturday is the one event that we do allow strollers, and it’s very family friendly. Most people coming out are not previous collegiate or high school athletes — and they’ve never been an athlete. But you can be.”

McCormick also noted that the event atmosphere is a major draw for participants.

“Once you get into that atmosphere and find that most people are going to be like you, then that really kind of resonates,” he said.

In addition to the race, an expo and packet pickup for the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon will take place on the Friday and Saturday of race week (April 25 and April 26) inside Savage Arena on the University of Toledo campus. 

The events on April 26 also include the Nationwide Children’s Hospital – Toledo Kids Run for ages 2 to 12, and the final day of the event expo.

The full marathon, Owens Corning half marathon and 5-person marathon relay take place April 27.

More information for all Glass City Marathon events, including a race map and how to register, can be found at glasscitymarathon.org. Registration ends April 26.