I ran the full marathon at Wineglass in 2015. My race didn't go well but I don't let that take away from the overall great experience I had at the race.

I drove up to Corning, NY from northwestern PA. It was very scenic with lots of fall foliage. That alone was worth the trip!

Expo-The expo was had at the Corning Museum of Glass. It was much smaller than I expected. I got there mid afternoon and I found it difficult to get around. I didn't even bother with the vendor booth because I couldn't get to any due to the crowd and large lines. I've an bigger marathons like Nashville, Pittsburgh and MCM. I was expecting a nice, large expo so I was a little disappointing.

Swag- The swag was pretty sweet though. My favorite was the mini bottle of champagne and the little chocolate that was in the bag. The shirt was a women's cut tech shirt. I don't care for race tech shirts that much but the design was nice.

Things to Do In Corning- Though I didn't care for the expo I loved the Museum of Glass. I spent over an hour in the gift shop alone. It's amazing what they can make out of glass. Walking into the expo there were glass blowing demonstrations that were very impressive. The museum was decorated inside and out for fall with real pumpkins lining the walkway and fall gourds made out of glass displayed in the lobby in the bed of a vintage pickup truck.

My friend and I headed into downtown Corning for lunch. We found a nice little pub right on Main Street just a little ways down from the finish line. It was cool to be able to see the finish line early. After lunch we visited many of the little shops and antique stores that were all within walking distance. We finished up with some ice cream before heading to our hotel.

I really enjoyed this aspect of race weekend. In larger races the streets are always so crammed with people. It was nice to have a race atmosphere on a smaller scale.

Lodging- This one is a little tricky. Wineglass is a point to point race starting in Bath, NY and ending in Corning, NY. When you register you are asked if you're staying in Bath or Corning so they can get an idea how many people from each location will need to be shuttled to the start line. There is no parking at the start line so this is important.

I registered for the race late and didn't find good lodging at either location. We wound up staying 35 miles outside of Corning. One of the nice things about Wineglass is the 8:15 start time. My friend drove me in to meet the Corning shuttle in the morning. (He then headed back to the hotel and took a nap before coming back in to Corning to see the finish. He was able to find free parking a quarter of a mile from the finish line.)

Start Line- The start line of Winglass is a little different then what I'm use to. As I mentioned above you will be shuttle in from either Corning or Bath. The start line is out in the middle of nowhere in Bath. There were some canopy tents set up with table and chairs for people to gather under while they waited. You're encouraged to catch the shuttle as early as possible which I understand but that equaled 45 minutes of waiting out in the cold in early October. I would recommend bringing lots of throwaways and bread bags to cover your shoes. There was a lot of wet grass to walk through to get to the canopies and my shoes and socks got wet right off the bat.

Course- Wineglass is know as being a PR course but don't let that fool you into thinking it's easy. There are quite a few roller coaster hills in the beginning. Don't get discouraged though, the second half has a long and gradual down hill elevation.

The course winds you through paved back roads. There isn't a lot of crowd support but the scenery makes up for it.

I will note that the roads are not closed to traffic. You have to run off to the side of the road. Part of the road is coned off. Be careful with those cones in the beginning. You'll be running in a tight pack at first and I saw many people take tumbles on them as the person in front of them moved out of the way at the last second but too late for the person behind them to see it in time.

The half marathons start at the 13.1 mile mark so that helps with crowd control.

The water stations were great as were the aid stations that were on standby with gobs of Vaseline.

Late in the race the course takes you down into a park which you run around. You come out in a neighborhood and cross a bridge that takes you into Corning. That's where the crowds start picking up.

Your final turn is on Market Street and you can see the finish as soon as you round the corner. All of Market street is lines with baskets of mums one either side. It's one of my all time favorite finish lines.

After you get your medal (made of glass!) you don't have far to go to get to the tables filled with large assortments of food.

Overall this is a great destination race. There was plenty to do over the weekend. Getting around town was easy. My friend was easily able to get to the finish line and park close by.

The course was challenging without being difficult. I plan on making this my 2017 goal race.

I highly recommend Wineglass as a race that every marathoner should add to their list.