Wineglass Marathon taking place Sunday
CORNING, N.Y. (WENY) -- Thousands of runners are getting ready to cover anywhere from three to over 26 miles for the Wineglass Race Series happening in Steuben County this weekend.
Over 5,000 athletes from 48 states and 14 countries are expected to be in attendance this year. The top finisher last year for the marathon completed the course in 2 hours and 17 minutes.
"It's one of the top destination marathons in the world and... it's the second biggest one in the state," said Dave DeGolyer, communications manager for Explore Steuben. "It's a fast course. It's mostly flat. So, a lot of people love to run it because they can get personal records."
The marathon weekend takes about a year and a half to plan in its entirety. Over the course of the weekend, organizers use about 2,300 volunteers to help runners check in, pass out water at the around 17 refueling stations, work at the finish line and other necessary activities.
"We throw out a lot of numbers about the marathon with times [and everything] but, it's really about the people," DeGolyer said. "I hear over and over about the people here who volunteer, people make the runners feel welcome... that part of the community that comes through really resonates with people."
The Guthrie Wineglass Marathon will start Sunday at 8:15 a.m. in Bath. Runners finish on Corning's Market Street. The Wineglass Half Marathon starts at 7:45 a.m. in Campbell. The runners will finish along with the marathoners in Corning. The shortest race of the weekend is the Storflex 5K, runners will start in Corning at 8 a.m. on Saturday. The race will also finish in Corning.
Runners will pick up their bibs at an expo at the Corning Museum of Glass. They can be picked up Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The weekend's festivities also feature multiple pasta dinners on Saturday. An all you can eat feast will be happening in Corning at the Radisson. Famous marathoner Dave McGillivray will be speaking to attendees at the dinner. Tickets are still available, in the form of a registration add-on when you sign up for the race. Additional dinners will happen at the Painted Post Moose Club and the St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bath.