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May 17, 2024

Pittsburgh Marathon (defunct: 1985-2003) Runner Comments

Back to Pittsburgh Marathon (defunct: 1985-2003) Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.3

Spectators 4.6

Number of comments: 85 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

K. K. from Pittsburgh, PA (4/28/2003) "I look forward to this race every year" (about: 2002) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 2002 was my 8th Pittsburgh Marathon, and I missed the downtown start and Point State Park finish. Nevertheless I love this race, especially the volunteers, bands, and spectators along the way. Compared to any other marathon I have run, it is certainly the most fun. I highly recommend it to ANYONE.
Roy O'neil from Philadelphia (3/25/2003) "Too Hard for a First Timer" (about: 2002) COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This marathon is very difficult. Be ready for the hill at mile 10-11. This hill killed me. I wasn't able to finish the run. I quit at mile 16 because of the hills.
Marc Wolfson from Maryland (11/29/2002) "Not a Five Star, but would do again" (about: 2002) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 So I have had five months to think about my Pittsburgh experience. It was my 15th marathon and while it is not in the same league as the Marine Corps Marathon or The Boston, it was a good experience and one worth doing again. I really liked the start/finish at the stadium -- a large facility with plenty of parking. I have only two complaints with that facet: 1. Approaching the stadium to finish, you had to run all the way around the facility to get to the tunnel entrance (no fun at that point in the race!) 2. They had no system set up in the parking lot to help runners meet family or friends afterwards. The course was a tour of the city and included some pretty residential areas and some pretty desolate areas too. The crowd support varies with the neighborhood -- terrific in some sections but down to absolute zero in others. The course terrain (hills and dales) is not as bad as you might expect in Western PA and won't totally wipe you out, but don't choose this race to shoot for a PR -- there are plenty of faster, flatter marathons. There were plenty of good aid stations, enthusiastic volunteers and lots of on course race support. They put on a nice pre-race expo/packet pickup with lots of free goodies, a nice selection of Pittsburgh Marathon commemorative items to purchase and the typical running gear booths. As with many marathons, the weather here is a true X-factor. Early May in Pittsburgh is typically not too bad, but usually the slower you run, the greater your chances of getting caught in temperatures that tend to climb out of the 'marathon comfort zone'. In past years, the weather has been the story -- you may remember when this race was the Olympic Trial and it got WAY TOO HOT. This year it was actually chilly when we started, at 7:45, but by mid-morning it was heating up! While this year's start was earlier than past years, I think they would do even better if it was7:00 a.m. (...Who can sleep the night before a marathon anyway?) Bottom line -- I would give Pittsburgh a try. It is a well-run big city marathon with a fun stadium finish.
Chris Watson from Oakland, CA (10/23/2002) "Great for a first-time marathoner!" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Though this was the first marathon I've ever run, I have watched enough friends and family run marathons to know that this is a very good and well-organized event. There were about 3,000 people running, so after the first 5 minutes there were no logjams. There were plenty of people cheering, plenty of bands along the way, and a great many people handing out bananas and orange slices (one person at mile 8 was passing out big fat strawberries, too!). There were numerous drink stations with water and sports drink and at mile 17 there was a group of little kids passing out Gu and giving high fives to everyone that passed by. The stretch of the run from mile 21 to 22, a long downhill stretch with mom and pop stores and coffee shops, had hundreds (maybe thousands) of spectators, many of whom were cheering loudly, shouting out my name and number as if I were a good friend. What a great day... the weather, the course (moderately hilly ...not too bad), the spectators (thank you, people of Pittsburgh!), the finish in the football stadium (you can see yourself on the 2 giant Jumbotron screens as you enter the stadium and as you near the finish line)... these are only a few of many, many reasons to recommend this event.
Chris Watson from Oakland, CA (10/23/2002) "Great for a first-time marathoner!" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Though this was the first marathon I've ever run, I have watched enough friends and family run marathons to know that this is a very good and well-organized event. There were about 3,000 people running, so after the first 5 minutes there were no logjams. There were plenty of people cheering, plenty of bands along the way, and a great many people handing out bananas and orange slices (one person at mile 8 was passing out big fat strawberries, too!). There were numerous drink stations with water and sports drink and at mile 17 there was a group of little kids passing out Gu and giving high fives to everyone that passed by. The stretch of the run from mile 21 to 22, a long downhill stretch with mom and pop stores and coffee shops, had hundreds (maybe thousands) of spectators, many of whom were cheering loudly, shouting out my name and number as if I were a good friend. What a great day... the weather, the course (moderately hilly ...not too bad), the spectators (thank you, people of Pittsburgh!), the finish in the football stadium (you can see yourself on the 2 giant Jumbotron screens as you enter the stadium and as you near the finish line)... these are only a few of many, many reasons to recommend this event.
A Runner from New Kensigton, PA (10/16/2002) "The 'Burgh marathon still one of the best...but" (General Comments) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 2002 marked my 6th Pittsburgh in a row and my 15 marathon. No complaint about the weather this year. The marathon is still one of the best city race I ran but the entry fee is getting higher and goodies bag thinner. Moving the finish to the stadium was also a bad choice. At first it seemed exciting since the Marathon ad misled runners. 'Finish in the Heinz Field' meant exactly : you will pass the finishing line and immediatly exit the stadium. I really missed to be able to lay on the grass at Point Park instead of the asphalt parking lot. It was very difficult to locate family members. The marathon shirt's logo and motto this year wasn't as good as previous years. Bad mistake with the chip time, even published on the local newspapers. Hopefully it will be a little better in 2003.
A Runner from Pittsburgh (8/19/2002) "1st time finisher - great experience!" (about: 2002) COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first time to finish - the spectators made all the difference. I was overcome by how wonderful Pittsburghers were. The 2-mile downhill stretch after Bloomfield (mile 22?) was tough on my back
A Runner from Austin, Texas (7/2/2002) "Highly recommended" (about: 2002) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The new course was great!!! I thought the hills weren't too bad since they were all before the halfway point, and having a downgrade final stretch with the sun behind us was well planned out. Great marathoning weather and seeing yourself on the big screen in Heinz field was also a huge plus. Last but not least: smaller participation (<3000 marathoners) helps, too. Bottom line: this one's too good to pass up!!! Run it if you're looking for a mid-spring marathon.
Jim from Philly (6/12/2002) "Too hilly" (about: 2002) COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This course is extremely hilly. I had to quit after 17 miles. The fans were great and I will try to finish the race next year. There were plenty of fluid stops. This race is very scenic and I highly recommend it if you are ready for hills.
A Runner from Folly Beach, South Carolina (6/3/2002) "fun, scenic, fast" (General Comments) COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I thought this was a fun and exciting course. Being from the South Carolina Lowcountry (where there are NO hills) the changes in elevation did not bother me at all. A large portion of the final 10K was downhill which is a nice relief. I had a PR on this course and if I don't qualify for Boston this year, I'll be back (I need 41 other states before I repeat). The pasta dinner was very nice in a GREAT hotel. I waited too late to get a room there but I would highly encourage it. The 5K was a bit disorganized with the start and awards ceremony (there was no awards ceremony...my mom placed in her age group and was disappointed with the lack of a ceremony). I've run eight other marathons and this why I enjoyed Pittsburgh: 1) urban with lots of different neighborhoods; 2) lots of bridges, none very steep; 3) neighborhood cook-outs with cheering spectators; 4) the pacers who helped me finish with a PR and 1 1/2 minutes ahead of schedule; and 5) great weather. I actually enjoyed the UPMC turn-around because I got to see the faces of runners instead of their backs (advertising??? I still don't know what UPMC stands for!!!)

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