Pittsburgh Marathon Training Plans

The weekend begins on Saturday with the Pittsburgh 5K. Many of Sunday’s competitors choose to take part in the Steel Challenge, which entails running the 5K along with either the half marathon or full marathon the next day. The 5K course takes runners on a point-to-point course that begins next to PNC Park and runs through the North Side before crossing the Roberto Clemente Bridge and finishing at the official finish line downtown. With few elevation changes to speak of, it’s equal parts mellow preview for the next day’s races and a great place for future Pittsburgh marathoners to dip their toes into the water.

The Pittsburgh Marathon and Half Marathon start bright and early the next day, giving runners a jump on what can sometimes be warmer-than-expected conditions. The marathon and half marathon courses start on Penn Avenue in the Strip District, an area of Pittsburgh that athletes participating in the full marathon will see again later in the race. The course then crosses three bridges over the Allegheny River, starting with the Sixteenth Street Bridge. The route makes a brief detour back into the Cultural District via the Rachel Carson Bridge, then back again to the North Side over the Andy Warhol Bridge. The gentle rises of the bridges will present the most elevation changes during the first section of the course.

Runners will pass the National Aviary on the way toward the West End Bridge over the Ohio River, the second of three rivers the course will cross during the marathon. The route then travels down Carson Street on its way to the Birmingham Bridge over the Monongahela River, where the half and full courses split. The half marathon course loops back toward downtown to the finish on a flat, easy course.

The marathon moves on to tackle the famed hill into Oakland at mile 12. Though the course profile makes it look steep, it is a steady climb that you can prepare for with a customized CTP Pittsburgh Marathon training plan. Our plans incorporate workouts that are specifically created to help you conquer the miles of gently rolling hills that you’ll face in the Shadyside, Point Breeze, Homewood, and East Liberty neighborhoods. Once racers descend the final hill leading to Liberty Avenue, the end is in sight, and it’s a nice flat ride to the finish line near Point State Park.

Get ready for your race using a program from Custom Training Plans. Every one of our Pittsburgh Marathon training plans, Pittsburgh Half Marathon training plans, and Pittsburgh 5K training plans gives you workouts that are customized to your level of fitness. By incorporating hill repeats, sprints, intervals, and other drills, you can line up feeling confident in your ability to climb and descend to the finish line.