The Pittsburgh Marathon is set to begin a few hours from this writing – at 7:00 AM Sunday, or 6:00 for walkers, to be exact – will feature 18,000 participants, but event organizers see the event getting bigger. A lot bigger.
It is the third consecutive year of record entries for the Pittsburgh Marathon, though its participants are spread out between a marathon, a half marathon and a team relay. But where does the Pittsburgh Marathon grow from here?
“If you talk to me,” said race director Patrice Matamoros, “big, big, big.”
Like, 35,000 runners big, almost twice as many as are competing today. All this for a race that, just three years ago, was dormant.
Changes made to the course will allow the race to grow to that 35,000 figure, but before the race can get that big, organizers will have to deal with developing enough staff for the event. Still, the race is growing (the 18,000 set to run on Sunday is up from 10,500 in 2009), and will be a major event in the city on Sunday.
At SB Nation Pittsburgh, we’ll have details on top finishers for the event, so be sure to check in again in late morning.