CORNING, NY (WENY) - The 40th Annual Guthrie Wineglass Marathon took place Sunday morning. Runners from the community and beyond gathered to race 26.2 miles from Bath to Corning. 

Nearly 6,000 people participated in this year’s marathon. Three thousand runners suited up to run the half marathon, while 2,800 were slated for the full race at 8:15 A.M. The half marathon started in Campbell at 7:45 A.M. The Wineglass Marathon resumed this year after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the races last year. 

People from far and wide traveled to New York for this marathon. 2009 NYC Marathon Champ and former American long-distance runner Meb Keflezighi was one of these individuals. While he wasn’t racing, he enjoyed providing a boost for runners. 

“I'm an ambassador of the sport,” Keflezighi said. “I love these people cheer me on over the years, whether it was in Boston or New York or the medal in the Olympics... for me to be here and greet them at the finish line... having a speech last night on motivation and all that stuff, I'm honored to be here and it's always a pleasure.” 

Keflezighi quickly took note of the tight-knit bond within the local community. He took note of how this unity makes the community so close and influences him to continue encouraging marathon runners. 

“I'm here to put a stamp on the event they do here,” Keflezighi said. “You can see the unity here. I went and spoke to the high school and things like that. They just want me to reach out to the community and I'm just blessed to be part of that program.” 

Donnie Coward finished in first for the men with a time of just under 2 hours and 20 minutes. For the women, Melissa Hardesty finished in first with a time under 2 hours and 43 minutes. Visit the Wineglass marathon race result page for a full list of today’s times.