Nov 16, 2024
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☰
Pittsburgh Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Pittsburgh Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.6 
Organization 4.5 
Spectators 4.6
Number of comments: 228 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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C. B. from Missouri
(8/12/2024)
"Fun race, tough course" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Signed up last minute due to Providence getting cancelled. Course support and aid stations are top notch. Race shirt and medal are awesome. Don't count on a PR here - The first half isn't too tough, with one moderate hill and a few bridge crossings. There's a monster of a hill at the halfway point followed by rollers throughout the 2nd half of the race. But hey, it's Pittsburgh, so hills should be expected. Finish line festivities were awesome with tons of food. One big complaint: The course measured significantly long. My Garmin clocked me at exactly 26.5 miles and everyone else I spoke with had about the same. | |
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Gary Lok from CA
(6/11/2024)
"Great support for back of the pack runners" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There was support for us slower runners and race officials were at the finish line congratulating us and handing out medals. Very participant friendly and I will definitely return. | |
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P. P. from Washington DC
(5/10/2024)
"My First Marathon in Pittsburgh" (about: 2024)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon. If this is your first time doing a marathon, well, prepare accordingly because it is packed with hills until around mile 22-22. The last 3-4 miles are downhill and flat, although by that point, you are drained. The crowd is great. They did not slack in drink and goo stations. The volunteers really did an excellent job at every station. Funny signs from the spectators kept me laughing along the way. All around, great organization and well done. | |
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Race The Nation from North Carolina
(3/2/2023)
"The Bergh Knows Running!" (about: 2022)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was simply one of the best managed events we've visited thus far. First and foremost, despite heavy rain complete with thunder and lightning, the crowd support was terrific throughout the entire course. The aid stations very well managed and stocked. The signage throughout clear and impossible to miss. And the best part for me, all the streets were shut down for traffic, so nice open roads which provided plenty of room for the runners. This is also a great Expo. It's in a convention center, so lots of room to move about. No lines to pick up your bib and swag, and many, many vendors. They also had a nice touch of displaying the finishing shirts and medals for the last 12 years. Pittsburgh has a great downtown. We stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Downtown, where we were able to walk to the start and finish as well as the waterfront and sports district. That area was hopping, fun crowds out eating, drinking, and enjoying the weekend. They have an event for EVERYONE; 5K, 10K, half, full, full relay! And for the half marathon, you can run either the front half or the back half! How cool is that? The marathon course takes you on a terrific tour of Pittsburgh. The back half is certainly more challenging, but I like that in a marathon. You can get a good feel for the race and the place from our Pittsburgh Marathon video at Race The Nation. | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(5/3/2022)
"Welcome Back" (about: 2022)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Pittsburgh Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The first live Pittsburgh Marathon since 2019 was generally a success. A course change necessitated by a bridge collapse in January went well. I'm pleased that the race went forward despite some thunderstorms during the race. The weather kept many spectators away but the hardy souls who turned out were enthusiastic. The negative is that apparently organizers were short on volunteers as many of the water stations were self serve which is not typical for Pittsburgh. Overall another great running of my hometown race. Pittsburgh has many great breweries. When in town make sure to check out Grist House and 2Frays. | |
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E. K. from Pittsburgh
(7/23/2019)
"Fun, hilly course" (about: 2019)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first marathon! Expo was a lot of fun, got great sunglasses as well as other cool swag. Race morning was rainy. Too few bathrooms at the starting line, but there were dozens of port-a-potties within the first three miles so wasn't too bad in the end. Lots of pacers made it easy to keep pace and kept you with a crowd for much of the race, very nice touch. Hills are murderous. Every time you think you got over one another one pops up. Even the tiny ones really stack up over the whole race. I was hoping to gain speed at the downhill on mile 24 but by then shin splints had me going down pretty cautiously. Spectators were incredible, people were really pumped up from all neighborhoods. Tons of fun to see. Post-race was a bit tough to find people, my family got lost trying to walk around the cordoned off parts of downtown. Lots of booths and fun stuff. Kids got candy, I got ice bags from a PT. Nice. Great experience, looking forward to running again! | |
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R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA
(5/16/2019)
"Excellent Race" (about: 2019)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Pittsburgh Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I believe this may have been the best Pittsburgh marathon of the 7 I have run. Organization was flawless. Course was excellent. Crowds were light, but I imagine that had to do with the off and on rain. Changed up the medal this year and it was beautiful. Really like the participant shirt. I really enjoy this race and can't wait to run it again next year. | |
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R. G. from philadelphia PA
(5/28/2018)
"Top Notch Race" (about: 2018)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Pittsburgh Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Really great job by everyone involved with making this race happen. Organization: Good website- you should feel well informed going into the race. I was surprised at the size of the expo- very nice for a race of this size. Absolutely text book handling of water stations. Hats off to the volunteers who all knew how to do their jobs! Post-race food was unremarkable, but certainly sufficient-no complaints. It was a bit of a free-for-all once you got out of the runner area at the finish - perhaps the only component of the race where some improvement is warranted. I've got plenty of marathon finisher medals and some of my favorites are from Pittsburgh. They are substantial, but not gaudy. I was impressed that they had a 3 hour pacer for this race. Not often seen, but really helpful for the younger guys looking for that BQ. Course: I describe this course as one for the hill lovers. The hill that you will remember is the climb into South Oakland, but there are several extended, but not particularly steep uphill sections. You will certainly have your fill of them as you complete the final steady climb leading into the blessed Bloomfield downhill section. You come back to earth hitting the seemingly endless straight shot down Liberty Avenue around mile 24. Nonetheless, it's a great course on which to finish strong. Considering the May time frame and the nature of the course, it's a tough one if you are thinking PR. Spectators: There were pockets of spectators who were always enthusiastic. Overall though, I found the support to be a little less than I was expecting. The Pitt campus was a ghost town since classes were already out, which was disappointing, but to be expected. I observed more PSU love than Pitt love during the race. Come on Pitt!! To conclude, I highly recommend this race for an enjoyable marathon experience in a great city. Pennsylvania is blessed with two excellent big city marathons in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Run PA! | |
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R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA
(5/9/2018)
"Another Great Year" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Pittsburgh Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I look forward to this race each year and there was no disappointment in 2018. This was my 6th time running in the event (4th in the full marathon). Expo was solid as usual. I work in downtown Pittsburgh, so I'm able to get to the expo during the day Friday on my lunch break with ease. Race morning is easy if you park across the river near the stadiums and walk across the bridge. I arrived around 6am and made it to my corral with time to spare. Course was excellent with a nice mix of hills and flat surface. Definitely need to do your hill training, but the course is not as hard as it could be. Some hills early, but nothing major. A good climb from mile 10 to about 15. After that, there are some hills, not serious enough to mention. A nice downhill just past 22 and flat thereafter. Weather was perfect this year, but can't give the RD credit for that. Shirt was average. I really loved the medal. I noticed the fan support was a lot lower this year. My assumption is the small crowds had to do with the forecast calling for rain the entire race (which never happened). Those fans that did show up were outstanding. A special thanks to the most enthusiastic group of spectators I have ever encountered. I must have seen them 5 times throughout the day and there energy was contagious. Don't know I have ever seen spectators so pumped up for a marathon. If you are looking for a quality race, go run Pittsburgh. It is first in class. | |
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M. R. from Wellington, Florida
(5/8/2018)
"World class event in world class city" (about: 2018)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Pittsburgh Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For the 16 time returned home to Pittsburgh to run the marathon. As always great event,but even more special was the way race organizers honored those of us who have run the last ten years. Class act, greatly appreciated. |
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