Watch CBS News

Marathon's New Route To Impact Downtown Travel

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon will be held on Sunday and there are a couple of things to keep in mind if you plan to move around the city.

One change is that there are new start and finish lines this year.

The start line for the 26-mile race is at Sixth Street and Liberty Avenue downtown, while the finish line will be on the North Shore near Heinz Field.

In light of the record 18,000 marathon runners signed up this year, the marathon director says you should plan to travel early.

"If you're coming down to the marathon, we're saying to be there by 5 a.m.," Patrice Matamoros, race director, said. "We don't want to have people caught up in traffic and we don't want to have a lot of people miss the start. This is our first time finishing in the North Shore obviously."

"So we have about 8,000 runners that have got to get into the space within one to two hours and then we have downtown spaces too," she continued. "If they come after 6 a.m., Liberty Avenue is shut down for the marathon, the half and the relays so they won't be able to cross town without getting up on an expressway and getting around town that way."


The beginning and end of the race present their own challenges, but so does the middle of the race.

For example, within the 26 miles of the route, the West End has now been included and on the East End, a lot of adjustments are being made.

In Point Breeze, the marathon comes down Fifth Avenue and turns at Penn Avenue, passing St. Paul Baptist Church won't be having services on Sunday because of the race.

RELATED LINKS

More Local News
More Reports From Harold Hayes
Pittsburgh Marathon

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.