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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 51 to 61]
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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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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. | |
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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! | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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! | |
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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! | |
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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. |
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