The Mercy Health Glass City Marathon has been awarded the 2023 Road Runners Club of America National Championship Marathon. This honor is additional recognition of the World-class reputation Toledo has earned, and comes on the heels of being named the 2021 Road Race of the Year, Race Director of the Year, and Regional Championship. The race will be held on Sunday, April 23, 2023 with the University of Toledo Glass Bowl Stadium as the finish.
The RRCA Championship Event Series is one of the oldest distance running traditions in the US, dating back to 1958 when the RRCA awarded its first championship designation. The goal of the RRCA Championship Event Series is to shine a spotlight on well-run, community-based events, and to promote the sport of running by recognizing the top performing runners in the Open, 40+, 50+, and 60+ categories for both men and women as RRCA Champions.
"It's an honor to receive this recognition alongside previous races like the Credit Union Cherry Blossom, our own Owens Corning Half Marathon, Prefontaine Memorial Run, and other nationally recognized events. TRRC couldn’t do it without the continued support of RRCA, sponsors, volunteers, event management services, municipalities, and participants. This has been years in the making," said Tim Carney, president Toledo Roadrunners Club.
Following two years disrupted by COVID-19, 2022 saw the RRCA Championship Event Series take place over a full 12 months, with over 200 races at the State, Regional and National level, attracting over 230,000 runners nationwide, making it the largest grassroots-organized, running event series in the U.S. The seven races that will comprise the 2023 RRCA National Championship Series anticipate total participation exceeding 28,000 runners combined.
RRCA Championship Events receive sponsorship support from RRCA along with Gatorade as the Official Fluid Replacement Drink of the RRCA and Ashworth Awards as the Official Award Provider for the series.
The Mercy Health Glass City Marathon has provided the platform to help this year's partner organizations raise awareness for their mission, community projects and ongoing services. Through this relationship, members and volunteers associated with each organization will also be assisting race-week operations for the event.
For more information, visit www.glasscitymarathon.org
The Mercy Health Glass City Marathon is the Toledo Roadrunners Club’s (TRRC) premier springtime event, first run in 1971. TRRC is a nonprofit club, founded in 1976, and open to anyone with an interest in jogging and/or running, regardless of gender, race, religion, age or ability. Whether you are a fitness jogger, fun runner, competitive runner, or a combination of all three, you are invited to join TRRC.
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Matt McGowan RUNOHIO editor note:
After my freshman year at Ohio Northern University a number of teammates and I ran Glass City Marathon for the first time where I finished 20th. I ran it the next three years finishing 5th, 1st and 2nd. I still have the glass decanter from my win.