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Thousands Of Athletes Hit The Streets For Pittsburgh Marathon

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Dick's Pittsburgh Marathon got underway with 30,000 registered runners and once again made its way through 26.2 miles of Pittsburgh terrain, and covered what is known as the best of Pittsburgh.

Spectators along the way, cheered encouragement, often a simple "woo" as the runner passed, or live music, like a band on the South Side. One spectator declared the South Side was the best place to be, when it comes to watching the Marathon.

A proud mom declared, "I thought it might help my son see me."

The race began at 7 a.m. at the intersection of Liberty and Seventh Avenues. From there it traveled through many neighborhoods in Pittsburgh from the North Side to the West End, South Side, Oakland, Homewood, East Liberty and more before coming through the Strip District into the final stretch to the finish line on the Boulevard of the Allies.

GALLERY: Check out photos from the marathon!

As runners got to Homewood and mile 17, the were greeted by volunteers of all ages, including 8-year-old Jaquay. He said the only thing he had to say to runners, as they grabbed water, was a simple, "You're welcome."

But runners in Homewood also got a blast of cool air, as Daryl Williams was standing by with a portable blower.

"This is the first year we brought out the blowers," said Williams.

By mile 23 in Bloomfield, some runners needed extra encouragement and they found that from Annie Zeis, who cheer loudly from the sidelines shouting, "We're proud of you Pittsburgh, nice job," as she waiting for special friends to pass.

Minutes later they did, and she was ecstatic.

In the end, the best neighborhood of all may have been Point State Park, because that's where the finishers reunited with family and friends for a celebration of the day's victories.

Several hundred police officers also kept an eye on the things during the race, which was estimated to attract 150,000 to 200,000 spectators.

  • Watch The Start Of The Race From NewsChopper :

Gebo Burka Gamade, of Ethiopia, won the men's marathon division with a time of 2:16:30.

The rest of the top 5 is as follows:

  • Fidele Jefferson – 2:17:37
  • Tewodros Zewdu – 2:18:50
  • Takele Gebreliul – 2:19:26
  • Joseph Mutinda – 2:19:28

Clara Santucci, 27, of Dilliner, Pa. won the women's marathon division with a time of 2:32:25

The rest of the top 5 are as follows:

  • Yeshimebet Bifa – 2:34:44
  • Meseret Ali Basa – 2:40:40
  • Tezata Dengersa – 2:42:01
  • Jane Vongvorachoti – 2:44:51

Marathon weekend kicked off Saturday morning with a little help from Pirates' centerfielder Andrew McCutchen.

About 4,500 kids, along with their parents, took part in the One-Mile Kids Fun Run on the North Shore.

After the race, if you'd like to watch yourself or someone you know cross the finish line, click here!

For more information on the Pittsburgh Marathon:

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