About 6,500 runners will compete this weekend in the 44th annual Wineglass Race Series through the hills and streets of Steuben County in the scenic Finger Lakes region.
Sheila Sutton, Wineglass Marathon race director, said the event will culminate Sunday, Oct. 5 with the Wineglass Marathon featuring a field of runners from 48 states and 17 different countries.
“There will be over 3,000 runners taking part in the half marathon and about 2,700 in the full marathon,” Sutton said. “On Saturday many runners taking part in the marathon and many who are not will take part in the Williams Toyota Wineglass 5K.”
Sutton said the marathon will feature a strong, elite field of both men and women runners.
“We have runners that are shooting to run a one-hour-and-four-minute half marathon, and a two-hour-and-twenty-minute marathon,” Sutton said. “Some runners are shooting to qualify for the Olympic trials and some to set the course records.”
Chris Sharkey, a Wineglass Race Series board member, said many people are looking forward to a really big weekend in the area.
When the Wineglass Marathon events start
The Williams Toyota Wineglass 5K, open to runners of all ages and skill levels, starts at 8 a.m. Saturday and finishes near War Memorial Stadium at Corning Painted-Post High School. All finishers will receive a medal.
The Wegmans Wineglass Half Marathon starts at 7:45 a.m. Sunday near the Campbell-Savona Central School District and finishes on Market Street in Corning. All runners must be at least 16-years-old.
The 44th running of the 26.2-mile Guthrie Wineglass Marathon, the second-largest marathon in New York state, starts at 8:15 a.m. Sunday on Mt. Washington Road in Bath, near the Steuben County DPW building, and ends on Market Street in Corning.
What effect does Wineglass Marathon have on area?
Sutton said the Wineglass Race Series has a significant economic impact, conservatively adding more than $6 million to the area.
“We’ve had runners stop by the Wineglass office staying at area hotels since last week,” Sutton said. “They will be staying at the hotel until after the race, filling up hotels, going to restaurants, shopping, going to wine tastings, going to the museums and much more.”
Sutton said people who are not volunteering or running in a marathon on Sunday should go to downtown Corning and cheer on the runners.
“It’s a great way to see the second largest marathon in New York State,” Sutton said. “We sold out the marathon in early June and the half-marathon in August. It’s a great way to see a world class race with fast runners.”
The event, which began in 1982 with 250 runners, grew slowly and steadily throughout the 1980s and ’90s, Sharkey said. The event changed drastically about 15 years ago, fueled by features in national magazines when it was named the speediest marathon because of its downhill course.
Sunday Corning street closings for full and half marathon
Corning parking lot closings
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Wineglass Race Series returns this weekend with marathons, 5K in Corning. What to know.
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
