With a purse of more than $45,000, Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon is committed to attracting elite and up-and-coming runners to the Sunday, May 2, 2010 event. Winning male and female marathon runners will be awarded $6500 for the Marathon, and $2500 for the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon, and cash prizes are also offered for Masters, Pennsylvania residents and Hand Crank Wheelchair. Those prizes are among the highest for spring marathons nationally.
This is the race's second year back with the support of title sponsor Dick's Sporting Goods, a Pittsburgh-based, nationwide sports retailer. In 2009, the race sold out with over 10,500 finishers; the 2010 race will be significantly larger, with a cap of 16,000 runners.
According to Race Director Patrice Matamoros, the prize money is part of the newly-revived race's growth strategy, and will help solidify the race's identity among a growing number of marathons being hosted nationwide.
"Our city is known as the City of Champions, and was declared the #1 Sports Town in America last year," said Matamoros. "The race should reflect both our city and our sponsors, which means we need to establish Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon as a top destination for all athletes, including the world's finest long distance runners."
The USATF-sanctioned event features an exciting course with a surprisingly moderate incline for a city that is known for its hills. Runners will see various highlights of the City of Bridges, including the Strip District - a wholesale market located in the city - and Carson Street on Pittsburgh's South Side, a zone packed with spectators and lined with restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, and more. The major hill on the course is a gradual 200 ft. climb up Forbes Avenue into Oakland, a hub for Pittsburgh's culture, academics, and healthcare. Runners will go through the University of Pittsburgh's campus and pass its famous Cathedral of Learning, and into Shadyside, Homewood, Highland Park, and then downhill through Pittsburgh's own Little Italy, Bloomfield.
Because the race is friendly to competitors at every level, it offers a wide-range of non-monetary prizes for age group winners, a dynamic three-day GNC Live Well Health & Wellness Expo, a Finish Line Festival, a Kids Marathon 1-Mile Fun Run, and much more. In addition, the entire community is encouraged to participate either as a volunteer, a "cheerathoner," through music-by-the mile, as a charity, or by attending any one of the events as a spectator or participant.
For more information, including elite runner registration and the prize purse breakdown, go to: www.pittsburghmarathon.com.
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