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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 61 to 71]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 5 6 7 8 9 .. 22 > ]

j. w. from Midwest (5/9/2012) "One of the very BEST!!!!!" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I can't say enough about Pittsburgh!!! I had never been there before. BEAUTIFUL city with great people. Every neighborhood (and there were many) came out in full support. This is a 'Must Run' marathon!
E. O. from New Castle, PA (5/9/2012) "Great Experience, for first Marathon" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Marathon and it was a great experience. The race was very well organized, the support from the community was awesome, and the finishers medal and shirt were very nice. The only negative was the heat (Out of anyones control of course). Special thanks to the spectators who brought out their hoses and sprayed us down as we ran by! Will run this marathon again without a doubt.
Dante Bacani from Chicago, IL (5/8/2012) "The City of Bridges puts on a VERY good race" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My wife and I traveled from Chicago to Pittsburgh to participate in the 2012 race: I ran the full marathon and she ran the half marathon. Thanks to the overlapping race courses, we were fortunate to be able to run the first 11 miles together before we parted ways at the Birmingham bridge (S. 24th St.) for her to complete her last two miles and for me to head toward the University of Pittsburgh and the remaining 15 miles of the marathon. The half & full courses weave through many neighborhoods; the courses take you over five bridges, so you end up crossing all three rivers. It's a somewhat hilly course, though the variance in elevation between the low and high points of the course is about 200 feet the most difficult stretch occurring right after the half & full marathon courses diverge and the marathon heads toward Pitt and the Cathedral of Learning. The full marathon course goes through a lower income neighborhood called Homewood for about two miles (16.5 to 18.5, roughly). The area might give some runners pause if they drive through it prior to the race (as we did the day before); however, the people in that neighborhood who came out to cheer for the runners were among the best of the entire course (and the music played by the DJs in that neighborhood was the best of the course too, IMHO). The course support was VERY good and VERY visible throughout the race, which was incredibly important for the 2012 race because it was unseasonably hot: The temperature rose to the mid-80s according to one bank's display that we ran by, though it had cooled a bit to the high 70s by the early afternoon. The road leading to the finish line had been resurfaced in the days/weeks leading up to the race, but the temperature and direct sunlight on it was such that the tar was literally melting in the last 100-200 yards leading to the finish line it was THAT hot out there by the time I finished the race (approx. 1:40pm EST). The race marshalls had declared a RED alert at some point during the race due to the high temperatures and lack of clouds (it was sunny the entire day beautiful, but not ideal running conditions). Ambulances were seen regularly toward the back of the pack to care for any distressed runners, and the water, Gatorade, Gu, and PowerBars (and ice, at times) was plentiful for the last 8-10 miles, which helped out tremendously, esp. for us slow runners who were out on the course for nearly six hours. (I finished in 5:55:23 or thereabouts.) The expo was fairly standard stuff: Pretty well organized, nothing exceptional, but nothing lacking either. All in all, we had a wonderful experience in Pittsburgh; it's a race I suspect we'll return to run again someday.
R. M. from Indiana (5/8/2012) "Great marathon" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the 2012 Pittsburgh marathon. Virtually everything about the race was top notch. The route was somewhat hilly, but the last 5 or so miles was a net downhill. Water stops were good and I even got a beer at mile 24. And since the weather was unusually warm, there were many sprinklers and misters. The streets were wide and the route was scenic. And the medal is big and heavy. The expo was good and the post race was in a large park. There is not much they can do to improve this race. Do it!!!
D. D. from Portage, MI (5/8/2012) "Challenging course" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The course is tough, but gives you a nice tour of the city. The bridges and hills -including some sharp downhill turns make for a challenging race. The organizers do a great job with communicating -lots of informative e-mails and a nice guide book-but the start is kind of a mess. The relay runners and half-marathoners really clog up the start. However, the course is marked well and has lots of volunteers and support. Fans and bands were great and line the entire course. The goodie bag is fantastic and the expo was good. This year's shirt was from Asics and is a nice wicking, long sleeve shirt. The medal is nice and solid, and is shaped like the bridge logo. The after race food was sufficent and there are plenty of fluid and gel stops on the course. I would recommend this race to anyone, and if it fixes a few minor flaws like the start it could really standout among spring marathons.
S. M. from Ottawa,ON (5/8/2012) "Go to Pittsburgh!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My 36th Marathon! A tough hilly course filled with lots of bands (no need for an i pod) lots of aid stations and great fans. Hats off to the fire station that sprayed water on the runners. Stay few days (only 5 hours from TO) and discover the Big Mac Museum, Cartoon Museum, Aviary and Warhol museum. 1. Expo - any expo that has window installation (with people lining up!) is a jam packed expo. Running shoes for $55 and $1 gels go straight to my heart - as well as free tuna 2. Bands - I think there were only a few spots where the bands weren't playing. A good selection. 3. Fans - Wow! Great support. Almost as good as Philly or Boston. That is saying a lot. 4. Glossy magazine - Again, concise and informative. A great addition to a running kit. Bad: 1. Timing - the Pirates had a game the same day! traffic was bad. 2. Volunteers - more needed before race to point out gear drop off prior to race
M. A. from North Dakota (5/8/2012) "Good Race" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I thought this race was well run overall, but would make a few tweaks to it. First, the expo and packet pick-up was in a congested area downtown with NO parking available. The expo was poorly set up - get your bib one spot, get your bag in another spot, get your shirt in another spot. There was no rhyme or reason to it and absolutely no flow. There were a decent number of exhibitors but they seemed overwhelmed with the sheer number of people showing up. We were at the venue when it opened and by the time we left, many booths were out of supplies. The course was good - some killer hills, but Pittsburgh is hilly. I loved the downhill to the finish and the finish festival was well done except there was basically no shade for runners who had been out in the heat for hours. The few trees were taken by spectators who appeared to be camping out to stay cool. The free food was great - bananas, fruit cups, bagels, chips, and cookies. There were also vendors set up to sell food if you wished. All in all, a great race, but I think given the time of year and the heat, it would be better to start it an hour earlier.
G. H. from Ohio (5/8/2012) "Tough, but great race" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall, it was a great race. Very organized and great staff/volunteers. Zero snafus/complications/frustrating situations. Great course that takes you through a lot of cool neighborhoods with great fans. Do yourself a favor and do plenty of hill training beforehand.
Benjamin Stewart from United States (5/8/2012) "Can you say hills???" (about: 2012) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my very first marathon and although i didn't know what to expect I was not surprised by anything other than the hilly course. I also ran into paralyzing cramps in my thighs at mile 15. By 20 I had to see a medic to be rubbed out. Would this dis-qualify me from finishing the race? I got up after 5 minutes and continued the race. Although walking the remainder of the course i still can't find my name as a finisher, with an official time. Why??
m. b. from NY (5/7/2012) "Better than most!" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Can't control the weather. The rolling hills in the back half caught up to me after the 200ft climb half way. Still set a new low for me. Only negative, they were only giving out the medals on the left side of the chute so I had to walk upstream to go get my medal, refreshments were on the right - I was more concerned trying to get hydrated and get sodium back in me. Great fan support and volunteers! Will recommend this race!

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