This race takes its name from Toledo’s nickname the “Glass City,” as it has been well-known for decades as a center of glass and auto parts production and boasts the first building in the U.S. to be constructed completely covered in glass, the headquarters of the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, built in 1936.
The race, which has been a fixture in the local running and athletic community for more than three decades, follows a mostly flat and fast out-and-back course that starts and finishes on the campus of the University of Toledo, near the city’s downtown.
University of Toledo
Toledo,us
Glass Bowl
Toledo,us
The Mercy Health Glass City Marathon (GCM) course will begin on Bancroft Street in front of the University of Toledo. Circle campus before heading West into beautiful Ottawa Hills. 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 the finish on Stadium Dr. outside the Glass Bowl.
The very first Glass City Marathon started and finished at the University of Toledo on June 20, 1971. Sy Mah ran the race that day, as did two Churchills (Walt Jr., a key founder of the Toledo Roadrunners Club, and Walt III) and a runner named Fred Lebow who came all the way from New York City. We hear that Lebow accomplished some things later back East and are glad we could give him some ideas. The race remained on Fathers’ Day and anchored at the University of Toledo until 1981 when the race was moved to the Fall and to Side Cut Park of the MetroParks of Toledo. In 1983 the race moved to downtown Toledo and was titled the Pepsi Challenge Glass City Classic Marathon. Despite the seeming momentum of a new downtown course, Pepsi did not renew its sponsorship and the race fell dormant for the next six years.
The race information has been found on the official website of the event or through publicly available sources. Always refer to the official website the latest race information. Please let us know if any data is wrong or missing, by emailing us.
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