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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 41 to 51]
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Ed Landon from DC
(5/12/2013)
"Nice challenging course with tons of support" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My second marathon after Baltimore. The organization and crowd support was first rate and much better than BAL. While the course was a bit more challenging (one big long climb and a good number of rolling hills in the last third), it was a much more enjoyable second than my first. Pittsburghers are great race fans - they had the energy of Boston! | |
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K. C. from Pittsburgh
(5/11/2013)
"Yinz come run dahntahn n 'nat" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Pittsburgh Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Love the course, spectators and volunteers. Streets downtown were packed with cheering people, and all along the course there was good support from the community. Friends and family could easily see their runner(s) multiple times. I had no trouble with parking and walking to the start. For visitors from out of town, there should be a map of the starting line. Maybe it wasn't included for security reasons. If you are traveling, I would highly recommend staying at a hotel downtown. It will be worthwhile. Bring along family, too. They will not be bored. Lots to do, all within walking/subway distance. (My only complaint: pre-race announcements should not reference any local, professional sports teams. We do not need a pep talk from a football player. Every runner is an athlete that day! Celebrate the participants: regular people who have regular jobs and train hard for this day. And NO STYX, please!) | |
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J. H. from Greensburg, PA
(5/10/2013)
"A great event with some minor tweeks to improve" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Pittsburgh Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The organizers pulled off a successful event on a nearly perfect weather day. I was in coral B and had no problems at the start. Stayed at a hotel the night before, so parking was easy. Ran with the 3:30 pace group which had two leaders and both were outstanding, keeping a steady pace throughout and providing peviews of upcoming sections and strategies to attack them. Crowds were enthusiastic, especially in Shadyside, but overall, it seemed like there were less spectators than in the past three years. Waited in line for 40 minutes for a post-race massage, but it was well worth the wait. Took the T back to the hotel with no problem. Post race food was a disaster. Race organizers should have put items in bags and handed those out to runners, rather than allowing a free-for-all at the tables. I suspect the half marathoners ravaged the Smiley cookies, bagels and bananas. Like the person who noted all there was left was chips and fruit cups (ugh!), I found the same thing after finishing in under 3:30. Also, an email I sent to race organizers 4 days ago remains unanswered. Better attention to detail could make this an even better event. Still, despite a few warts, I'll be back. | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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. :) | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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!! |
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