Wine Glass Marathon Expo 2019

CORNING, N.Y.(WENY)-- Wine Glass Marathon is back again and taking over Steuben County this weekend. The annual marathon attracts runners from all over for the weekend-long event. Some runners are from local areas running for fun and competitively, while others have traveled from other states to use this marathon to qualify for much larger races.
"We heard it was a great race with great fan support and it's one of the fastest and flattest around. No we are here to set a goal, we're hoping to qualify for Boston this weekend. BQ or best!" says Erin Smith from Hersey PA. and Lisa Curtin Westminster Maryland.
At the Wine Glass expo, which is located at the Corning Museum of Glass, you can pick up all of your gear and learn more about the race and the area in general. The staff at the information tables have all been hand selected and have run in the marathon before, so they are all familiar with the race and are able to tell you what to except while running this weekend.
"It has like a nice pack at the very beginning, but then it spreads out quite a bit, so it's a really great race to run your own race. A lot of races that I've been in you're always weaving around other people, you kid of get off your pace, and this one feels like a smaller race," says Cat Hill, Head of Information at the Wine Glass Marathon Expo.
And for those who have never run in any of these races before, Hill told WENY News that it is one of the most fun and supportive races she has ever been involved in.
"We have these awesome water stations that cheer you on and there always, you kind of come around the corner and there's pockets of people yelling and cheering, people come out on their lawns to cheer, so it's really supported," says Hill.
Participants are welcome to run in groups and or pairs during the marathon, but Hill also told WENY News that it is a great race for anyone who likes to run by themselves and at their own pace.
"It has like a nice pack at the very beginning, but then it spreads out quite a bit, so it's a really great race to run your own race. A lot of races that I've been in you're always weaving around other people, you kid of get off your pace, and this one feels like a smaller race."
For anyone who attended the expo on Friday night, the owner of Haven Defense offered a self defense class for $25 where runners could learn how to defense themselves, even in a fatigued state.
"So we're teaching the runners runner safety to use the weapons that they have, your arms and your legs, being able to defend off any attacker. You know runners, especially females, are pray for bad guys and so as were running, were fatigued and so we need to be able to fight through that fatigue with out arms and our legs," says Suzanne Doughterty, Owner of Haven Defense.
The first day of information and gear pick up was on Friday, October 4th, but there is another opportunity on Saturday, October 5th, form 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. to check out the expo and pick up all of your gear for Sundays races. You can click here for more information about everything happening this weekend for Wine Glass Marathon Weekend.