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May 13, 2024

Pittsburgh Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Pittsburgh Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.6

Number of comments: 224 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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B A Peabody from Metro Atlanta, GA (5/10/2013) "Rivers and Bridges and Hills, oh my!" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed this race in spite of myself. Told by race organizers to arrive TWO HOURS early, I expected a mess at the start and in parking, but leaving my car at the North Shore (with reasonable $5 parking) and taking (free) transit across the river was painless. Looking over the course elevation profile left me alarmed before the race, but the hills really weren't nearly the terror I had anticipated. Good crowd support over much of the course, and well run aid stations helped the miles go by quickly. there was an abundance of on-course entertainment, though the quality varied from 'Wow!' to 'Ow!' An abundance of Porta-Potties both in the start/finish area and along the route was good news; some folks standing in line for same did so needlessly, with available toilets just down the street. The race medals are HEAVY and, with some points along the edges, could be used as weapons in hand-to-hand combat. I have only a few negatives - a) Race organizers responded to all of my emailed questions, but the usefulness and accuracy of those replies was lacking. b)Post-race food was almost nonexistent. I finished among the top 20% of marathon runners and the tables were virtually empty picked over by the half-marathon finishers. I did get a bag of chips, a banana, and a cookie, but that's par for a 5K race. Every other marathon I've run has done better in the food department.
p. w. from Marietta GA (5/10/2013) "nice big city marathon" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is my 33rd marathon overall, my first Dicks. The course was unremarkable - unless you like running bridges, in which case - this is your course because you cross the rivers multiple times. The course was not as hilly as i expected - even the 'big' climb after the half splits. There were supposed to be helper runners that would encourage you up the hill - but i did not see them (or need them myself). I ran sub 3:10, so they may have been just there for slower packs, but it was a nice idea. course has nice rolling ups and downs- with one huge downhill at mile 24 - kind of hard on the legs at that point, but welcoming (it was my fastest mile of the racce) expo was wonderfull - very comparable to even larger races, but not too crowded. never too far without spectators of some kind. great water stops - very frequent- i never felt myself really stressed looking for the next station- about every mile and a half - even late in the race. nice long sleeve tech shirt security tight after boston - but was done without being too restrictive. finish line food was plentiful - even though there were so many more half marathoners. overall - a nice big city race with no real serious faults.
M. Q. from Atlanta, Georgia (5/9/2013) "Met my expectations and beyond" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Everything about this race was FANTASTIC!!! All pros on my list: * easy packet pickup at expo and great shopping * lots of parking on race morning, easy to get to corrals and start * OUTSTANDING security, aid support, crowd support, and support from our troops!!! * GREAT course considering the Pittsburgh terrain * Although very crowded, very nice finish line festival * Nice shirt and AMAZING medal....WOW!!! * WELL DONE PITTSBURGH!!!! I would highly recommend this race to runners of all levels. :)
A. C. from New York, NY (5/8/2013) "Great course sandwiched between utter incompetence" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 First and foremost, this is a great course that takes runners through most of the city. The course is hilly and the weather can be hot so if you're looking to run a P.R. this might not be your race but if you're looking for a great spring marathon to kick off the season with it's perfect. The problem is the organization. Or lack of organization. Oh my... The corrals (especially E) were impossible to get into even ten minutes before the gun went off. They were closed off using baricades so those of us looking for friends or pace groups were out of luck. I don't know how any major race organizers could make such a bush league error. There were two 4:30 pace groups. One guy's strategy was to go out fast and build a 1-minute cushion while the other ran too slow and planned to make up time later. Did no one explain to them what a pacer does? Again, this isn't supposed to happen at major races. The bag check was nowhere near the finish line festival down the road. There is no logical reason for this I can think of. Finishing runners had to limp down the street through throngs of people to get their things. The finish line was a DISASTER! I got pushed along through the exit area without recieving a blanket or a food bag and I still have no idea where they were located. And when I asked a security person if I could go back in and get my blacket the miserable wilderbeast of a woman had the gall to say no! It's not like she couldn't tell I had just run the race - I was dripping in sweat and still had a number on. Luckily another race organizer had more brains and was nice anough to go get me a blanket. On a plus note, there seemed to be more than enough water/Gatorade stations and portajohns along the course. Gu was given out at two locations, as was Vaseline and Icyhot. There was plenty of support from the community in most parts of the course, and the city of Pittsburgh is a great place to visit filled with friendly people. Saw a Pittsburgh Pirates game and had a blast for a very reasonable price. Duck tours and boat tours on the river are also lots of fun.
J. S. from Columbus, Ohio (5/8/2013) "Well organized, ugly course" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon was one of the best organized I have ever seen in my 27 marathons. I stayed at the Host Hotel and that was the way to go. There are a ton of aid stations and they were all very well stocked. The spectators were enthusiatic. There were a number of bands along the route but I found them annoying and not very good. I recommend wearing your ipod to drown them out. The course is hillier than expected, especially miles 12-22, and then a huge downhill at mile 23 so your best bet is to include a ton of hill running - both up and down - to prepare for the course. The course scenery is unremarkable and actually shows the worst of Pittsburgh's urban decay. However, the organization and support on the course make it a worthy marathon to tackle. The finisher medal is huge and post finish ammenities are nice.
Casey Jane from USA (5/7/2013) "Great Crowd/Scenic Course" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The atmosphere of the Pittsburgh Marathon is incredible!!! This race draws a huge crowd, and gets a lot of local media attention. The spectators are incredibly supportive and energizing! I encountered several spectators offering snacks and water to the runners throughout the course. The race takes you through downtown, and a few surrounding neighborhoods. I was surprised how nice the free shirt was; I was also impressed with the quality of race packet. Big/Fun Expo. Drink stations are always well staffed and well stocked. The volunteers are plentiful and very nice and encouraging.
C. C. from Alpharetta, GA (5/7/2013) "Another great Pittsburgh experience" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Returning to Pittsburgh I had yet another great experience. Though a very big race the organization is good, course scenic, and amenities good. Water and aid stations were stocked and ready for me every time. I ran the full and though there were a lot of people on the course until we split from the half it was never crowded like some other races I have run. Expo was huge and moved fluidly. Lots of vendors and the convention center was a good place to have it. I stayed in a hotel with a walk blocks to the start. Awesome weather contributed to a good experience. I recommend this race HIGHLY. I will be back next year to run it again!!
D. S. from Maryland (grew up in PGH) (5/6/2013) "Lost some quality with increase in runners" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This my 2nd marathon- both in Pittsburgh (2010 and 2013) and I was disappointed with a lot of this year's race. Positives: -Great finish medal -Some great neighborhood crowd support -A lot of volunteers -Finish line area was much improved -$5 race day parking! -Cinco de Mayo theme was a nice added touch Negatives: -Switched from Nike to Asics and quality of premium is really cheap- expo had very little shirts to buy that were geared towards FULL marathoners -Expo was a chaotic mess- SOOO not enjoyable- need some structure in how you move through convention center and parking was terrible! Paid more for parking for expo than for race day! -Crowded corrals with terrible access to port a potties (gate wasnt' even moved and hundreds of people in corral had to squeeze around open 2 feet on each side -heard nothing from start line because so far back and no speakers/audio -Minimal food left when I finished- only potato chips and fruit cups (Just because I am a 'slower' marathoner doesn't mean I should miss out on the things that make the Pgh marathon special- no smiley cookies for me!) - Oakland was mostly depressing and that is after the largest hill of the course. Where were the Pitt cheerleaders? Not to mention the end of the race on the back side of the strip district needed more support for that late in the race -Long LONG LONG lines at port-a -potties on the race course -People walking across the race course (mile 25 you are really going to walk grandma across the road?) -My family really missed the map tracking -Results listed on active.com were incorrect - my 15 mile time was listed for my 20 mile time and vice versa. And they published the wrong male marathon winner on active! I don't know if it is because the race has doubled since my first time around, but I had higher expectations for PGH. I am not sure I will run it again (although I am a die hard PGH girl). Made me feel like as a full marathoner that didn't finish 'fast enough' (I was under 5 hours!) that I wasn't quite the bread and butter of the day.
J. B. from Pittsburgh, PA (5/6/2013) "Great Fan and Vounteer Support" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The Pgh Marathon has become a major event for the city. On nearly all parts of the course, volunteers and spectators lined the sidewalks. As a fairly slow hobby jogger, I was surprised when the last half mile was still packed with fans (I finished in just under 4:30). They were pouring onto Smithfield Street, leaving about a 10 foot wide path in the middle. The organizers got the marketing right and the whole city came out to see be part of the action. The only down side is the start, which is very crowded. Let's hope they do not expand the field any more and, if they do, maybe they could have a dual start that merges a couple of miles into the race.
J. K. from Gibsonia, Pa (5/6/2013) "Runner of Steel !!!" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Great overall experience. Traffic was heavy in morning around 6 am. The subway T was a breeze from the North shore. The starting corrals worked well as it was not too congested and was still able to run at a good pace from the start. Spectators, volunteers, and music were great. The hills were ok, the downhill leaving Bloomfield at mile 23 was painful for me along with the last two miles. I also ran for charity, the Crowdrise site is good, but their staff is unresponsive to problems. Post event activities were fun. Lots of Boston supporters too. Definitely would run it again!

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