The Wineglass Marathon is a point-to-point course starting in Bath, NY. It travels along scenic roads through the valley to Savona, Campbell (where the half marathon starts), onto Coopers Plains, Painted Post and finishes on historic Market Street in Corning, NY. Runners will turn "Right on Bridge, Left on Market" where the golden tree lined street will guide them to the finish that is in their line of sight.
It is a fast and fairly flat course with an overall net elevation drop of about 200'.
The Wineglass Marathon was the 39th largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 41st largest in 2022.
This year 14.2% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 16.2% of runners qualified for Boston in 2023.
This gives the Wineglass Marathon the 86th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 92nd highest percentage so far in 2024.
Its Course Score of 99.76 ranks it as the 55th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 1st fastest course in New York.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Wineglass Marathon a PR Score of 99.76. This PR Score ranks it as the 44th fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 1st fastest in New York.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Wineglass Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 1158 feet (353m) Min Elevation: 928 feet (282m)
I have only good things to say about this race. This was my 8th Marathon and my second favourite next to New York.
It was very well organized. The expo was small but in a great location in the glass museum with plenty of race swag for sale. Loved the jacket. The morning of the race was well organized, very efficient transportation to the start. There were plenty of porta potties and a heated barn was available to warm up in.
The race was mostly a very gentle downhill with a few uphill portions. It was a warm sunny day by the end but low humidity so I was fine as I was able to manage my hydration very well. That being said, I did bring my own electrolytes as the number of stations are not on par with a major race. The support was good, especially at the start in Bath and near the finish.
The town of Corning is beautiful and the Main Street was a perfect spot to finish. There are plenty of great restaurants and brew pubs downtown.
The best part of the race is that I was able to BQ for 2026 as a 70 year old with an 11 minute buffer.
We stayed in Pointed Post. The roads close down early so if accompanied by any spectators , make sure they are able to get out in time to get to Corning.
dp's review of 2019 Wineglass Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
This was my 2nd time to run this marathon. I had a PR each time. I would recommend to all.
Book your hotel early and enjoy your visit to the Finger Lakes.
D.B. 33F's review of 2018 Wineglass Marathon.
3 /
5 Stars
Review
The Good: downtown Corning is such a cool town! September is usually a nice climate for running in NY
The Bad: NOT scenic like everyone says... it is 26 mi alongside the highway. And training... you will be doing your longest long runs in the peak of summer heat!
Race Tips
Straight course, crowded at times. Start farther to the front of the pack than usual because people tend to go faster here. If you don't, you will get slowed down by the runners in tutus taking selfies.
My wife and I ran the marathon in 2018 and we both had our best outing. We were both shooting for a sub 4 hr having come close in previous races. We both finished 7-8 mins under that mark. Race day was cold and wet but we both really enjoyed the course as our training had been in the hottest part of the South Texas summer. We often finished our long training runs in heat near triple digits. I liked the fact that the course is point to point. i found that previous marathons would show distances of 22.5 - 22.7 on my garmin watch because of all the turns. i wanted to run a point to point and trim some of that time. my watch showed 26.33 for Wineglass. We loved the finger lakes region and are planning a return trip for 2019. I would recommend this course to anyone whether you have never run a full or you have done 10+.
Race Tips
I used a pacer for the first time and he did a really good job (3:55). i left the pace group around mile 24 and finished 2-3 minutes ahead of my pacer. I was really happy with my pace group.
We stayed at staybridge suites, a short walk from downtown. It was fine. We knew to avoid cones in first part of course as we had read the reviews. Maybe they will open more of the road next time. As long as you pay attention, you will be OK. The support was great.
Mary's review of 2018 Wineglass Marathon.
5 /
5 Stars
Review
At first, I had real doubts and concerns about this marathon - having to bus to the start and it's a very rural course. Let me tell you, my doubts were all erased, and this race was easily one of my most favorite running/race experiences ever. The bus to the start: yes, sounds awful, but there are more than enough porta-potties at the start, plenty of covered space to keep toasty and there were so many volunteers at the bag drop, that I kept my items until maybe three minutes before the race started. A great kick off. As for the rural course, yes, it is, but the towns along the route are really, really proud of their involvement, and people come out in crowds to support. Most (all?) of the water stops were run by local organizations, and you could tell that this event is just really important to them. I didn't for once feel bored or that I was "out there". It's a smaller race, but I was near others the whole time. Everyone running was so cheery too - very encouraging to each other, cracking jokes etc. I cannot rave enough about this. The finish - Corning is the sweetest, cutest town, now, don't expect a post race party - there might have been one at the Glass Museum but I don't remember now... (don't get me wrong though - there's PLENTY of food and non-boozy beverages right at the finish) but the town really comes out to throw their own celebration of sorts. There are a ton of restaurants/bars that are all open and so welcoming, and really well staffed. We walked into one bar/restaurant and got seated right away, and again not that this is the race organizer's doing, but it was just great service, great people and I didn't miss a post-race beer tent at all. Really, I think it would detract from the charm of the race. Cannot say enough about this race, a true, true gem.
Race Tips
Take the earlier buses to the start, to guarantee a chair inside the tent/highway dept. at the start (there's plenty of space to stand/sit on the ground though, if you don't make it!)
Regardless if you're running the full or half, stay in Corning. I think the bus ride from Corning to the start is maybe 25 -35 mins (as opposed to 10 or 15 from Bath), but it's worth it.
