As someone who enjoys running, I can say that it definitely brings people together. Let me tell you: it did.
Just one week after the 2026 NFL draft, Pittsburgh brought nearly 800,000 people to the North Shore to kick off the Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend to race Sunday May 3. There was a turnout of more than 52,000 runners and walkers who participated in the 3.1-mile 5K, the 26.3-mile race, and the 13.3-mile half marathon. Despite the unseasonably cold temperature, runners and walkers endured and created an event that will be remembered.
There were 480,000 cups used in the course hydration stations as well as 35,000 banana peels found in the aftermath of the races. Participants came from all 50 states and 34 countries to run or walk in this past weekends race. At the end of it all, we had a winner: Will Loever. He won the race with a time of 2:14 in 34 degree spring weather. “I just remembered all the hard work I’ve done and all the miles training on those same streets that I ran today.” Loevner is a member of the Pittsburgh Track Club and owns a personal marathon best of 2:12.
When people say they “couldn’t possibly run a marathon”, I would like to share some stories with them. Like this one: There are thousands of people that have been told in their life that they will have the inability to even move for a while. While there are regular runners that have trained for months to do this, there are also people who have given up at one point, taken a chance, and won. There were hand cyclists, individuals with cerebral palsy, autism, brain damage, people recovering from surgeries, paralyzed veterans, and athletes that were supported the entire race by a specialized team.
Unrelated to the race, there was also a record number of participants in the events “Run for a Reason” program, which supports local and national charities. The record this year was 4,770 runner and walkers that raised more than $1.5 million to support 50 charities and 14 contributing charities, including the Humane Animal Rescue, 412 Food Rescue, and the Mario Lemieux Foundation.
So it isn’t just running. This marathon was a starting point, an ending point, and a building block to people who are new to running. Don’t look at a marathon as something grueling and something that you will dread. Look at it as an experience that you GET to do, not something that you HAVE to do.
