Pittsburgh Marathon, Half Marathon & Relay

Sunday, May 5, 2024 • Pittsburgh, PA • Course Map

More than 20,000 runners, walkers, relay team members and hand-cycle competitors cross the finish line each year at this race, including roughly 14,000 runners and walkers in the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon alone.

Mostly fast and flat through the streets of this city that sits at the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, the race features a tour of Pittsburgh’s South Side along a point-to-point route that starts downtown, near the intersection of Liberty Avenue at Garrison Place.

From the start, those running the half (sponsored by UPMC Health Plan) make their way first along Liberty Avenue for the race’s first two miles, which take them through the Strip District and Lower Lawrenceville sections of the city.

After the left turn on 29th Street and then again on Penn Avenue, runners and walkers follow Penn all the way south to the 16th Street Bridge, which takes them over from Pittsburgh’s downtown and into its North Side district.

Participants spend the next few miles on their way through the North Side, which is home to much of the city’s most beautiful residential architecture as well as Heinz Field and PNC Park, the home fields of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers and Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively.

This area is also considered a cultural center for the city, as it’s home to museums like the Carnegie Science Center, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Observatory and the Andy Warhol Museum.

Though most of the course is, as noted above, fast and flat like Pittsburgh itself, runners will encounter some uphill and downhill stretches, especially between mile markers 4 and 6 and then again just as the field is finishing the race, between the mile 12 and 13 markers. Neither stretch is overly challenging, however, as most of the elevation changes rise only about 50 feet at each hill.

Runners and walkers will make three bridge crossings during the race, at 16th Street, the West End Bridge and the Smithfield Bridge, which marks the home stretch along the race’s last mile into Fort Duquesne, overlooking the river.

Awards & Accolades

The Pittsburgh Half Marathon was the sixteenth most popular half marathon in the United States in 2023.

We rated the Pittsburgh Marathon as one of the most difficult marathons in the United States.

Race Weather & Climate

Nestled along the Allegheny Plateau region of western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh typically experiences mild to occasionally moderately warm weather conditions in the mid-spring.

  • May 5 average low temp: 50ºF
  • May 5 average high temp: 66ºF

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the UPMC Pittsburgh Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

7:00 AM

Fees

  • $115 and up – half marathon
  • $125 and up – full marathon

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 2024 running of the Pittsburgh Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K Run or Relay race, register online at RaceRoster.com here.

Official Race Website

www.pittsburghmarathon.com

Comments

Ever run in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

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5 comments… add one
  • Karen Moore May 3, 2018, 10:36 am

    Has the Marathon ever been cancelled due to weather? (i.e. lightning/rain)

    Reply
  • Kenn Ridley April 17, 2017, 12:49 am

    I have to agree with Sean about the flat and fast comment, but this race is one of the best I’ve done. It is supported by what seems to be the whole city of Pittsburgh, best support I’ve experienced. I do this one on a yearly basis and I’m from out of state. Great race, great experience!

    Reply
  • Clint Wilhelm May 5, 2016, 8:28 pm

    Sunday’s Pittsburgh half-marathon was my first half-marathon in a few years and it was a good reminder that 13.1 miles is a formidable distance. You have to train to run a 13 mile race or the distance can hurt you. Every runner faced challenges on Sunday. Every runner had to find the grit necessary to get to the finish line. You have to appreciate so many people gathered so early on a Sunday morning who are willing to push themselves through the rigors of running 13.1 (or 26.2) miles to meet some sort of personal challenge — whether simply to cross the finish line, to maintain a tradition, to share an experience with friends or family, or to achieve a personal record.
    I entered this race to test the effectiveness of my winter training and to gain experience for the bigger challenge ahead — qualifying for the Boston Marathon at the Wineglass Marathon on October 2nd. I also wanted to beat my personal half-marathon record. I came close, but finished the race at 1:44:42, just 02:34 short of my 2010 half marathon PR of 1:42:08.
    Despite not getting my PR, I learned a lot from running this race. First, I learned that I could persevere through the challenges of running 13 miles and accomplish a pretty good time, which means the winter training paid off. Second, I discovered that the strategies I used in the race worked pretty well. The ‘head start’ strategy of choosing a runner way out in front of me and slowly reeling him in until I caught him and passed him helped me challenge myself to keep up my pace. Remembering to ‘crest’ over hills helped me turn the momentum of a good pace approaching the top of a hill into speed going down the other side. And, practicing Chi Running strategies over the entire race helped me maintain good running form. This was the first time I listened to my Chi Running app over an entire race. Listening to the app’s metronome helped me keep a consistent cadence throughout the course whether I was going faster, slower, uphill, downhill, or on level ground. And, listening to Danny Dryer repeat his “Chi Focuses” on the app was like having a coach running along side me throughout the race. The ‘Chi Focuses’ helped me stay relaxed, efficient and injury-free by reminding me to focus on good running form, always a good thing for a 50+ year-old runner. And, third, I realized from running this race that including even more hill work and longer, hillier tempo runs in the training regimen with my Boston qualifying challenge partner George might be two of the best strategies to help improve our running over the summer. I’ve struggled to achieve negative splits in my first two races this year, but I think more hill work and longer, hillier tempo runs might be two important training keys to negative splitting future races.
    Overall, Sunday’s race was challenging, well-organized and fun. The rain mostly held off. Many people came out to cheer us as we raced through their neighborhoods, and the runners looked like they were having the times of their lives. That was a whole lot of excruciating fun!

    Reply
  • Donna Barthel March 16, 2016, 2:58 pm

    Looking for the Pgh Marathon Relay route.

    Reply
    • Sean Gorman May 10, 2016, 2:01 am

      The relay is the same as the full marathon route. And whoever wrote “fast and flat, like pittsburgh itself” about that course never ran it, or has a very different sense of flat. Sure, the half cuts off the most challenging section of the full marathon course, but by east coast standards this is one of the tougher courses you’ll get. It’s not a go to for a PR. However, it’s also one of the best supported races I’ve ever been in. The crowd was amazing. It’s worth a trip if you aren’t local, and if you are it can be a yearly tradition.

      Reply

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