Corning, N.Y. — October’s 30th anniversary Wineglass Marathon will have another record field, says race director Mark Landin.
Approximately 1,450 runners from across the U.S. and several foreign countries have already registered, Landin said. Also, about 600 runners have signed up for a new sister event this year, the Wineglass Half Marathon, which replaces the three-person team relay.
The field will be capped at 2,000 marathoners and 1,000 half-marathoners, and Landin expects to reach the cap by mid-July.
“Local runners really ought to consider entering soon,” Landin said.
Last year’s Wineglass set a record with 2,300 runners between the marathon and team relay. That mark will almost certainly be eclipsed this year, with a total field of 3,000, he said.
At last count, there were entries from 44 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as from Canada, Brazil and India.
“It’s really become a national event, and we’re getting a few international runners, too,” Landin said.
The switch from a team relay to a 13.1-mile half-marathon was made for several reasons, Landin said.
As the field for the Bath-to-Corning race grew rapidly in recent years, the relay became increasingly difficult to coordinate, and the exchange points in Savona and Coopers Plains had become overly crowded.
“We had people parking on the I-86 off-ramps in Savona last year,” Landin said.
Aside from logistics and safety issues, Wineglass organizers had also received a lot of requests to add a half-marathon, a popular distance for runners, Landin said.
The half-marathon will start from Campbell-Savona Central School, which should offer adequate space and parking, he added.
The finish line will be the same as for the full marathon, and it’s a new homestretch this year.
In recent years, the runners went past the Corning Museum of Glass, came over the Centerway Bridge and finished in Riverfront Park.
This year, however, the runners will make their final push east down Market Street, and cross the finish line near Centerway Square.
“It’ll be a great finish for the runners, and a great one for spectators to come out and watch, because they can line Market Street on Sunday morning,” Landin said. “The post-race party and awards will still be over in Riverfront Park.”
With 3,000 runners - along with their family and friends - in town for the Wineglass, it should be a good weekend for hotels, restaurants, and attractions such as CMoG and the Finger Lakes wineries.
Many Corning-area hotels are already booked, and race organizers are directing runners to accommodations in Chemung and Schuyler counties.
Peggy Coleman, president of the Steuben County Conference and Visitors’ Bureau, estimated the local economic impact of last year’s Wineglass at $2 million. She expects that figure to be even higher this year.
Since the majority of the field comes from out-of-state, the runners tend to stay for 3 or 4 days, Coleman says.
For more details on the race, go to www.wineglassmarathon.com
