Spirit of Pittsburgh Half Marathon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

IAIN B.
Bowie, MD

  (11-05-2009)

"Not a bad event considering it was the first year. Packet pickup was easy and the swag was better than most of the larger Ironman events I have done...and the cost was 1/5th! The course itself was a bit bland due to the lack of spectators but the bridges were cool and getting to go past the two stadiums was good. I was close to the front so it didn't matter too much but the aid stations looked sparse and may have been a problem when the masses came through. Race results were up quickly at the race site which is also good. Overall a pretty decent race which I'm sure will get better as it grows."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Chris R.
Monroeville, PA

  (11-02-2009)

"This was my 2nd half-marathon, and the weather was absolutely perfect. 41 degrees at the start and somewhere around 45 or so at the end. Full sun -- a rarity for Pittsburgh. My initial experience was less than ideal. I showed up at the expo only a few minutes after it began, and ended up taking nearly 50 minutes to get my bib. And there were only 50 or so people in front of me. The organization was awful for the vendors, because the registration line snaked between the booths, but you couldn't do any perusing or buying without jumping out of line! What was worse (for them) was that you had to get your swag outside, in a tent. And you had to assemble it yourself ("One of each, please."). Then, if you wanted to visit a vendor, you had to find your way back into the expo via an obscure back door that was actually hard to find. If I were a vendor, I would have wanted my money back. I had heard some bad things about the Columbus race that these guys put on, so I was prepared for some idiocy, but I didn't expect it at the expo. When I arrived race day, I immediately got in line to use the port-o-johns. There were about 1/3rd of the number that should have been there. Lines were extremely long, and I almost didn't make it! Anyway, after I lined up, things completely turned around. The race was announced well, and despite for a horribly flat (pitch) singer of our National Anthem, we started off without a hitch. The course was great; I was fairly familiar with it, except for the stretch on North Shore Drive to River Ave toward the 31st St. bridge. I didn't have an issue with the water, Gatorade, etc., that Justin had, but I suppose the more the merrier. All the volunteers were pleasant and attentive, which was good. Crowds were dismal, which was quite disappointing, but again, this was expected for the first running. At the post-race party, I saw the goodies, but I didn't partake of anything but some water. Guess I missed some good stuff! Traffic out of the South Side was horrible due to construction and the steady stream of mistimed lights. No fault there of the organizers. I clipped 21 minutes off my last half-marathon (Pittsburgh in May 2009), so I was a happy camper. Finished in 1:51:03. It was my longest, fastest race at only 21 sec/mile slower than my (fast) 10K Great Race pace (lots of downhill). Lost my legs the last 2 miles, which was unfortunate, because my breath was good. I'd say this was an average race, but I'm giving it 4 stars because, for the first running, these guys did a good job with the race. A better expo and a larger crowd would have been nice."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Katy S.
Pittsburgh, PA

  (11-01-2009)

"I participated as a part of a relay team, but ended up running the entire race to cheer on my husband who did the second leg of the race.

Packet pickup was a breeze on Friday night. The morning of the race it was really easy to find parking (we parked for free but walked an extra block). The shuttle buses for relay participants could have been marked a little bit better but were easy to find. The wait for the port-a-johns was relatively quick (it seemed long because it was so cold!). I want to give a major thank you to Forever 21 in South Side Works for letting runners hang out in their store to keep warm while waiting for the race to start. The course was a lot of fun but there were parts where it was a little boring because it was through industrial zones. It was great to finish running with a big crowd and it was surprisingly easy to navigate to the food, which was plentiful. Driving away from the race was easy because we found a back way, but if you weren't familiar with the area it would have been awful. Overall, excellent race. I can't wait until next year.
P.S. There were plenty of port-a-johns along the course.
P.P.S. Save your money on the spaghetti dinner from The Spaghetti Warehouse. If it had been $5, it would have been worth it, but $15 was extremely overpriced for the mediocre spaghetti and lackluster service."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Justin J.
Columbus, OH

  (11-01-2009)

"The expo before the race was very simple and small, but it did the job. The goodie bag was decent with a nice race hat and technical long-sleeve T-shirt.

Course was great, not very hilly, especially for Pittsburgh. Had great views of the city as we ran over 3 bridges.

Spectators were VERY sparse, but it was the first running of the race, so that was understandable.

One of the major problems I had was the lack of porta-potties available at the race start... the lines were enormous, and many people weren't able to use them due to having to run over for the start. 30 porta-potties for 4,000 people? No where near enough.

There also were not enough volunteers giving out water and Gatorade... I actually missed getting fluids several times.

The finish was nice, and I got a Myoplex to drink, but I happen to think Myoplex is pretty awful and not that great for a post-run drink. The medal is alright, nothing special.

All in all, the course made it worth it, and it was a fun time. Better water stations would have made it excellent. "

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009