Pittsburgh Marathon

Last updated
Pittsburgh Marathon
Pittsburgh Marathon Event Mark.png
DateFirst Sunday in May
Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Event type Road
Distance Marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K
Primary sponsor Dick's Sporting Goods
EstablishedMay 5, 1985(39 years ago) (1985-05-05)
Course recordsMen: 2:10:24 (1995)
Flag of Kenya.svg John Kagwe
Women: 2:29:50 (1988) [lower-alpha 1]
Flag of the United States.svg Margaret Groos
Official site Pittsburgh Marathon
Participants3,418 finishers (2019) [1]
Finish line downtown in 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon Finish Line 2010.jpg
Finish line downtown in 2010
Bomb squad dealing with suspected explosive in microwave oven, 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon 2010 bomb squad.jpg
Bomb squad dealing with suspected explosive in microwave oven, 2010
Water station around the 5 km (3.1 mi) mark on Penn Avenue in 2009 Mass of runners (3502535684).jpg
Water station around the 5 km (3.1 mi) mark on Penn Avenue in 2009
Marathoners on Negley Ave. in 2011 between Friendship and East Liberty 2011pghmarathon2.jpg
Marathoners on Negley Ave. in 2011 between Friendship and East Liberty
Passing Strip District warehouses near the 16th Street Bridge in 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon.jpg
Passing Strip District warehouses near the 16th Street Bridge in 2010

The Pittsburgh Marathon (also known as Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual road marathon usually held on the first Sunday in May in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States, first held in 1985. The hilly course runs through the city center and crosses each of Pittsburgh's three main rivers. Generally, over 3,000 runners finish the marathon each year. The weekend's events also include a half marathon, marathon relay, and 5K.

Contents

History

The marathon was first announced on October 3, 1984, with U.S. Steel and PNC Bank as sponsors. [2] [3] The inaugural marathon was held on May 5, 1985. [4]

The Pittsburgh Marathon hosted the United States Olympic Marathon Trials for women in 1988 and for men in 2000. [5] [6] The trials used the same course that the main marathon did, but were considered separate events from the main marathon. [4] In addition, Pittsburgh has served as the site for the United States men's national championship three times, the National Wheelchair Championship in 1986, as well as the Olympic Marathon Trials for both Finland and Denmark in the 1980s.

In 1996, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) became the title sponsor, replacing Giant Eagle, and the race was renamed the UPMC/City of Pittsburgh Marathon (or a variation thereof) for a few years. [7] [8] In late 2003, serious financial difficulty within the City of Pittsburgh municipal budget and UPMC's withdraw from the title sponsorship led to the suspension of the race from 2004 to 2008. [7] In 2009, the event was revived with a new title sponsor, Dick's Sporting Goods, which renewed interest in the race. [9]

In 2010, a small microwave oven containing a suspected explosive device was found on the sidewalk near the finish line. [10] [11] Because a car bombing attempt in New York City had emptied Times Square the previous day, authorities were on high alert and delayed the race for about 10 minutes while a bomb squad robot neutralized the oven's contents by blowing up the microwave. [10] [12] Ravioli was found among its contents, and police later believed the oven had never contained any explosives. [10] [13]

The 2020 and 2021 editions of the race were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants having the option to either run the race virtually or obtain a refund. [14] [15] [16]

Course

Historically, the course has wound through the unique and hilly topography of the city. Crossing five different bridges, the course traverses all three rivers of Pittsburgh at least once. The start and finish lines have changed many times, but have always been in either Downtown or the North Shore. Previous finish lines have included Point State Park, David L. Lawrence Convention Center, and the 50-yard line of Heinz Field. [17] The current finish line is on the Boulevard of the Allies near Point State Park. Numerous other historic and well-known Pittsburgh neighborhoods are along the route, including the South Side, Oakland, Shadyside, East Liberty, Highland Park, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, and the Strip District.

Other races

Aside from the main marathon event, several races occur during the weekend of the marathon, including a half marathon, two to five person marathon relay, 5K race, and "kids marathon". All races except for the "kids marathon" and 5K utilize the same starting time and largely the same course as the marathon.

Participation

Attendance and popularity of the events has risen greatly since the 2009 revival. The 2012 race had the largest field in the history of the race. Registration for 2012 closed with roughly 25,000 participants between all races, with 6,000 entrants in the full marathon, 13,000 entrants in the half marathon, and 800 teams in the marathon relay, with the remaining entrants registered for the 5K. [18] [19] Additionally, an estimated 60,000 spectators lined the course, and 4,000 volunteers provided assistance. [20] 2012 also marked the earliest sellout in the race's history with all events except the 5K selling out on or before March 6, 2012. [19]

Throughout the course, thousands of neighborhood residents show their support by lining the streets of the course and volunteering at aid stations. [21] Neighborhood organizations are awarded financial grants for community-engaging celebrations along the route. [21] Sixty bands, almost all of which are from the Greater Pittsburgh area, line the streets throughout the course, spanning a range of musical genres. [22]

Winners

Key:

   Course record (in bold)
   American championship race
Ed.DateMen's winnerTime [lower-alpha 3] Women's winnerTime [lower-alpha 3] Rf.
11985.05.05Flag of the United States.svg  Ken Martin  (USA)2:12:57Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Lisa Ondieki  (AUS)2:31:54
21986.05.18Flag of the United States.svg  Dean Matthews  (USA)2:18:17Flag of Italy.svg  Laura Fogli  (ITA)2:37:04
31987.05.03Flag of Mexico.svg  Rodolfo Gómez  (MEX)2:13:07Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Silvia Ruegger  (CAN)2:31:53
41988.05.01Flag of England.svg  Malcolm East  (ENG)2:19:49Flag of the United States.svg  Mary-Lynn Currier  (USA)2:51:28 [4] [23]
[lower-alpha 1] 1988.05.01Flag of the United States.svg  Margaret Groos  (USA)2:29:50 [4]
51989.05.07Flag of the United States.svg  Ken Martin  (USA)2:15:28Flag of the United States.svg  Margaret Groos  (USA)2:32:39
61990.05.06Flag of Ireland.svg  Dick Hooper  (IRL)2:15:49Flag of Portugal.svg  Conceição Ferreira  (POR)2:30:34
71991.05.05Flag of Germany.svg  Herbert Steffny  (GER)2:16:21Flag of the United States.svg  Lynn MacDougall  (USA)2:42:45
81992.05.03Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Jorge González  (PUR)2:17:33Flag of Russia.svg  Albina Gallyamova  (RUS)2:32:02
91993.05.02Flag of Kenya.svg  Abel Gisemba  (KEN)2:16:55Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Lizanne Bussières  (CAN)2:35:39
101994.05.01Flag of Kenya.svg  Abel Gisemba  (KEN)2:13:51Flag of the United States.svg  Tammy Slusser  (USA)2:37:14
111995.05.07Flag of Kenya.svg  John Kagwe  (KEN)2:10:24Flag of Russia.svg  Alina Ivanova  (RUS)2:35:30
121996.05.05Flag of Venezuela.svg  Rubén Maza  (VEN)2:12:01Flag of Russia.svg  Tamara Karlyakova  (RUS)2:36:12
131997.05.04Flag of the United States.svg  Dave Scudamore  (USA)2:13:48Flag of Russia.svg  Tatyana Titova  (RUS)2:37:41
141998.05.03Flag of the United States.svg  Keith Brantly  (USA)2:12:31Flag of Russia.svg  Albina Gallyamova  (RUS)2:36:50
151999.05.02Flag of the United States.svg  Alfredo Vigueras  (USA)2:14:20Flag of Russia.svg  Tatyana Titova  (RUS)2:40:00
162000.05.07Flag of the United States.svg  Kevin Taylor  (USA)2:37:53Flag of the United States.svg  Tammy Slusser  (USA)2:53:30 [25] [26]
[lower-alpha 4] 2000.05.07Flag of the United States.svg  Rod DeHaven  (USA)2:15:30 [4] [27]
172001.05.06Flag of Kenya.svg  Elly Rono  (KEN)2:17:15Flag of Poland.svg  Wioletta Kryza  (POL)2:34:16
182002.05.05Flag of Kenya.svg  Reuben Chesang  (KEN)2:14:53Flag of the United States.svg  Magdalena Lewy  (USA)2:36:48
192003.05.04Flag of Mexico.svg  Juan Camacho  (MEX)2:12:05Flag of Russia.svg  Lyudmila Korchagina  (RUS)2:29:53
not held from 2004 to 2008 due to financial issues [7] [9]
202009.05.03Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Kassahun Kabiso  (ETH)2:22:51Flag of the United States.svg  Kristin Price  (USA)2:36:33
212010.05.02Flag of Kenya.svg  Kipyegon Kirui  (KEN)2:17:12Flag of Belarus.svg  Alena Vinnitskaya  (BLR)2:42:34
222011.05.15Flag of the United States.svg  Jeffrey Eggleston  (USA)2:16:40Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Yihunlish Delelecha  (ETH)2:35:36
232012.05.06Flag of Kenya.svg  James Kirwa  (KEN)2:14:09Flag of Morocco.svg  Malika Mejdoub  (MAR)2:39:31
242013.05.05Flag of Kenya.svg  James Kirwa  (KEN)2:13:37Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Yihunlish Delelecha  (ETH)2:41:30 [lower-alpha 5]
252014.05.04Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Gebo Gameda  (ETH)2:16:30Flag of the United States.svg  Clara Santucci  (USA)2:34:06
262015.05.03Flag of Kenya.svg  Stephen Njoroge  (KEN)2:15:19Flag of the United States.svg  Clara Santucci  (USA)2:32:25
272016.05.01Flag of Kenya.svg  Kipkoech Ruto  (KEN)2:17:26Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ayantu Dakebo  (ETH)2:39:17
282017.05.07Flag of Kenya.svg  Jacob Chemtai  (KEN)2:15:25Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ayantu Dakebo  (ETH)2:36:20
292018.05.06Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Fikadu Teferi  (ETH)2:13:47Flag of the United States.svg  Sydney Devore  (USA)2:32:38
302019.05.05Flag of Kenya.svg  Boniface Kongin  (KEN)2:10:34Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Bizuwork Getahun  (ETH)2:36:29
not held in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic [14] [15]
312022.05.01Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Álvaro Abreu  (DOM)2:16:07Flag of the United States.svg  Nicole Hilton  (USA)2:49:51 [29]
322023.05.07Flag of the United States.svg  Tyler McCandless  (USA)2:16:08Flag of the United States.svg  Margo Malone  (USA)2:41:56 [30]
332024.05.04Flag of the United States.svg  Andrew Bowman  (USA)2:15:52Flag of the United States.svg  Jennifer Brewer  (USA)2:49:39 [31]

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Pittsburgh Marathon hosted the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials for the women's marathon. [4] It was run on the same day as the main marathon and on the same course, but was considered a separate event. [4] Nevertheless, the marathon organizers treat the time that Margaret Groos set during the trials to be the "event record". [24]
  2. The bomb disposal robot is in the middle of the road, while the oven is on the sidewalk at the top right, next to the bicycle and in front of the orange sign. The finish line can be seen beyond the bridge.
  3. 1 2 h:m:s
  4. The Pittsburgh Marathon hosted the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials for the men's marathon. [4] It was run on the same day as the main marathon and on the same course, but was considered a separate event. [4]
  5. Both the first-place finisher, Mary Akor, and the second-place finisher, Hirut Guangul, were disqualified after they were found (in separate situations over the next years) to be taking banned substances. [28]

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