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Jul 3, 2024

Pittsburgh Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Pittsburgh Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.5

Spectators 4.6

Number of comments: 226 [displaying comments 151 to 161]

More Comments: [ < 1 .. 14 15 16 17 18 .. 23 > ]

C. S. from Pittsburgh, PA (5/3/2010) "Love the Pittsburgh Marathon; NEEDS Improvements!" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Overall, I enjoy the actual event - running 26.2 miles. I do appreciate the volunteers and the sponsors for their efforts and energy. I feel that we could always have room for improvements, being that I did do the marathon last year. I thought things were much better last year - especially at the finish line. Food was terrible! This year! Warm banana, rolls! Plain bagels! Certainly not enough room to move - very congested! I feel that all runners deserve special treatment - NOT PAYING $100 for special treatment like having ice. This was much NEEDED at the finish. There was none to be found. They wasted a place for VIP tents, when this place could of been more open for all runners and their fans. First aid areas need more space. The bathroom situation has not improved! With 8,000 extra runners, we need more (and that's not even including volunteers, fans, media, etc. The starting line has moved up, but it should have been moved up farther. :) Overall, this is just my opinion and I understand that several things come into play when planning a huge event. Thank you for your efforts!
A. S. from Pittsburgh, PA (5/3/2010) "Absolutely great marathon!" (about: 2010) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and despite less than ideal weather, I loved it. The course is wonderful - fantastic views of the city (very nice, gradual downhill from mile 23 on) - and best of all were the PEOPLE of Pittsburgh, cheering and volunteering. It just seemed like everyone had a heart of gold. The expo was great, especially with Meb Keflezighi attending! The finisher's medal this year is really nice bling with a ribbon design of Pittsburgh bridges - very, very nice. I will definitely be back! Just moved here a year ago and love the place more than ever. THANK YOU, PITTSBURGH
M. M. from Youngstown, Ohio (5/2/2010) "Perfect!!!!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wow. All 5's. Very pleased with everything about this marathon. Fan support was great. Organization was great and the course was perfect. Couldn't be more pleased.
G. J. from Washington, PA (5/2/2010) "Great Marathon" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My 10th marathon. I didn't train well for this one... my longest run was only 16 miles. Weather was terrible, but I still had tons of spectators and the volunteers were amazing. Organization was great for me; however, after there was a bomb scare and they changed the course, a lot of the runners were very confused on where to go and they re-routed them through the finish line area. I'm sure there will be tons of negative feedback about that but runners need to understand that the race did a good job taking the situation under control. The medal was great, aid stations were great, the shirt was pretty good, and the expo was great with some great running celebrities. Post-race food was decent. Runners typically don't want to eat stuff they were just offered on the couse... such as bananas, water and Gatorade. A great race, and I'm looking to do it again. Somewhat of a hilly course, but maybe that's just because of my lack of training. Thanks, Pittsburgh!!! Seven states down - 10 marathons total - and 43 states to go.
G. S. from Buffalo (5/2/2010) "Pittsburgh" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Pittsburgh Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was incredible the number of spectators that turned out in the constant rain. Also, there were volunteers everywhere along the course, standing in the rain. The course is completely closed to automobiles. There were two GU stations and an impressive number of Gatorade/water stations. There is nothing to dislike here. It is easy to see why this marathon filled up early in the year. Getting to the parking lot on Smallman Road at the end was a struggle. I went up to Penn then to Liberty and was turned away from walking down both streets. Normally both streets would have been open.
Anastasia Bannikova from Philadelphia, PA (1/18/2010) "Great marathon for a first-timer" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Despite being in Pittsburgh, which is surrounded by the Alleghenies, the course was fairly flat; and the last 2 miles were actually downhill, which gave everybody an extra push at the end. Kudos to cheering crowds and volunteers - they were just awesome. Everyone had something for runners - be it water, energy bars, orange slices, gummy bears and even beer (at mile 24). Volunteers were also handing out Vaseline on popsicle sticks to prevent chafing, but I almost mistook it for honey! Lucky for me, I asked what it was in advance. :) I completed my run in 4:01, and it's still my personal record. I was so inspired that I ran two more marathons later that year. It is a wonderful first marathon in a wonderful quirky city; I highly recommend it to runners of all levels!
L. M. from Cross Junction, VA (12/9/2009) "Well done but could use some improvements" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I had been looking forward to this for years and am from the Pittsburgh area. So it meant more to me to do the run in the Steel City. There are many others I want to do before I think I'd do this one again. Pretty well organized overall, but I think the start could be improved with a wave start rather than corralling everyone into the neck of a wishbone. Two streets around the convention center formed into one on Smallman Street, and there were recommended places of where to be standing for the start, but there was only one gun start and the first several miles were crowded. About two-thirds of the course was worth seeing and well attended by fans even amidst sub-par weather, but the other third was not in the prettiest parts of the city and I started wondering if I was on the right path. I'm also accustomed to hills, but don't let the other comments about the hills being okay fool you. It's not an easy course by any means. Probably the most annoying part was the relay exchange zones. They didn't have chutes, so they'd take up the whole street and be in the way of the rest of us just trying to pass through. This was more of a problem during the first half as I think the majority were half marathon teams. The bands that came out were great, the expo was pretty extensive and kept me busy for a couple hours, and the finish was great. I don't want to talk anyone out of this; I'd still recommend it, but be prepared!
E. B. from Dayton, Ohio (11/30/2009) "One of the best races I've done!!!" (about: 2009) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This race was great. The course was well designed. There were few hills, which is amazing considering the brutal hills in Pittsburgh. It was organized very well. Plenty of water stations, oranges, and Vaseline. Even people throughout the neighborhoods donated water and supplies. The crowd support was my favorite part. Around mile 20, I got a bottle of water from a little girl and her mother who were handing them out (not affiliated with the race). Local high school bands came out too. The start and finish line may have been a little chaotic, but it's a race in the city. There isn't much extra space in which to put that many people. There could have been more volunteers at the finish line, though, and I could have used some more direction to the bag check since it had been moved from the beginning of the race. As for parking, it's always a mess in Pittsburgh. I can see how it may have been frustrating, especially for those from out of town. Overall, the race was great. I loved it and can't wait to do it again.
J. M. from Pittsburgh, PA (11/12/2009) "A great run in a great city" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is a very fun run. The 2009 return of the marathon to Pittsburgh was not without organizational glitches, but it was well done and the crowd response was very motivating. The variety of neighborhoods made the race very special (the beer at mile 24 was outstanding!), although parts of the course were a bit empty (such as the last part of mile 24 and the first half of mile 25). Overall, this was a great experience and the city did well.
T. M. from DC (10/27/2009) "Me and my wife's first marathon together" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Pittsburgh Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was a great time.

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