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May 11, 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 51 to 61]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 4 5 6 7 8 .. 22 > ]

j. r. from Roch. NY (5/6/2013) "Where's my shirt?" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the half marathon and it was pretty good. Very hilly but lots of spectators helped make it go by very fast. My biggest complaint was that they were out of small amd medium shirts when I went to the expo. The shirts were given out based on what range your bib number was in. So, while other bib ranges still had my size my range did not, so no shirt until they apparently mail me one. That set up makes absolutely no sense. Never seen it done that way. Other than that no real issues with the race. Had more fun in 2009, but I would still do it again.
E. O. from New Castle, PA (5/6/2013) "Great Event!" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd time running the Pittsburgh Marathon. The course has a couple pretty big climbs, but overall isn't to bad. The fans are tremendous. The even is very well oranized. The only complaint I had was that although I ran the Full marathon my family ran the relay, somehow at the expo they ran out of shirts for the relay teams. Not sure ecxactly how this happens since the event was sold out 2 months ago. Overall great event!
l. z. from Pittsburgh (1/4/2013) "This Race Has Become All About Money" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I love that this race has exploded. But whereas the pre-comeback Pgh Marathon was manageable with a great course, the new and improved marathon is 'let's register as many people as we can for as many different races as we can, then let's start them all together at once...'. Jeez, the start is on a 2-lane road. Yes. Marathoners, half marathoners, and runners of the 1st leg of the relay. Mayhem for about 6 miles. people dodging others, running onto sidewalks, etc. Ugh. The registration fee is WAAAAY too high, as well. This used to be a fun race back in the 1980s and 1990s when it started at the Zoo.
E. B. from Northwest Indiana (6/4/2012) "A good marathon but needs better organization" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I first ran this marathon in 2010 and it showed a number of flaws that many first year organizations have. Unfortunately it has only gotten marginally better. Upon arrival this year there were neither signs nor people to give information or directions as to gear check, start line, et. There was one sign that said information but no one was standing anywhere near it. At a 40 minutes to the gun their should have been. Gear check was no where close to the start line and there were streets closed preventing easy access to the gear check area. I find it hard to believe but they actually ran out of cups at a number of water stops. They had to pour water or Gatorade in cupped hands. At one it appeared from the soggy cup that thye may have reused. This group is still learning how to put on a marathon. While Pittsburgh is a major sports city this marathon is not in the league of the really good marathons.
D. M. from Pittsburgh, PA (5/14/2012) "Great first-time experience" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first time running a marathon and I had a great experience. The first half of the course is flat and then there is a decent hill at mile 12. The next ten miles are longer gradual ups and downs and then a big downhill to the last 3 miles. The fan support along the course was great. It was a sunny, hot day and all the encouragement definitely kept me going. There are lots of water stations, about every 2 miles on the first half, and every mile on the second half. The best part about the race for me was all of the neighborhoods that the course winds through. Many of the them have festivals with tons of community support. I don't have another race to compare this one to, but I do know that I'll be back in the future! I would recommend this race to seasoned marathoners as well as rookies!
J. K. from New York (5/13/2012) "Great mid-sized marathon" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed the Pittsburgh Marathon. The hills were not as bad as I feared and the organization of the race was excellent. The downtown start was so convenient - two blocks from my hotel. The spectators were enthusiastic and the neighborhood cheering groups- bands, cheerleaders, step dancers, percussion groups, choirs, etc. gave it a lot of personality. The marathon is big enough that I had lots of company at a 3 hour pace, but not so big it sells out six months in advance!
R. H. from Morgantown, WV (5/11/2012) "Challenging but a must do race" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I think I picked a challenging but fun one to start with. The second half of the course'definitely said hello to me' as Meb would say. The hills aren't overly steep just long and several of them,but needless to say you have several long down hills as well that gets your quads attention. The crowd support was great from start to finish, and they take great pride in their support of you and their neighborhoods. I BQ'd in my first marathon in Pittsburgh so it wasn't overly tough. A fun course, and will definitely do it again given the opportunity. Everyone we met in Pittsburgh goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and have a good time. The race was extremely well organized.
T. S. from Coatsville Pa (5/10/2012) "Start half marathans at different time" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I think it would be better to wheen out some runners to have the half marathan runners start after the marathan runners. They was no room to run the first couple of miles. If you are running for a time there is no way in the beginning you can set a pace without bumming into someone. Having a couple of thousand people start later would make a world of difference. I think the marathaners should start earlier at least a half hour earlier. Even if we started at 7:00 it would of helped in the heat. I do want to commend the volunteers they were wonderful hats off to them and the spectators. If it wasn't for them handing oranges and water I don't know how I would of finished. To have the support of cheering from the crowd was wonderful. I appreciate the water from the firemen and the spectators along the course that is what helped me to keep going and finish strong.
A. G. from Bridgeport, Ohio (5/10/2012) "Perfect marathon!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my third Pittsburgh Marathon and every time I think it is the best! 2012 was just a wonderful, positive experience. The race course is just fun! You run through so many neighborhoods and fun parts of the city that you don't even feel like you're running. The organization is exceptional. They seem to cater to a runner's every need. I can't say anything negative about the race. Well, I guess if they could've done something about the high temps! The best thing about Pittsburgh is the spectators. They are everywhere, and they cheer you on as if you were their own family members! I highly recommend this race!
B. R. from United States (5/9/2012) "Loved every mile..." (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a great time. The bridges were wonderful, and my favorite 'band' was the choir on the church steps.

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