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Runners Gear Up For Pittsburgh Marathon

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Thousands of runners have arrived in town for the annual running of the Pittsburgh Marathon this weekend.

The Health and Fitness Expo opened Friday afternoon at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown.

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It's got everything you can imagine for runners getting ready for the big day. It's where they go to pick up the race packets and stock up on supplies.

The expo will also be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

More than 40,000 participants are expected to run in the Marathon and other events scheduled for this weekend.

Consider this; runners have come to Pittsburgh from all 50 states and from 20 countries. It'll generate more than $8 million for the economy.

At places like the Ten Penny restaurant downtown, it was packed Friday night.

"We've seen people from Boston, a lot of different cities," said the restaurant's manager Michelle Lavalle-Denk. "People from outside Pittsburgh we don't always get to see, so it's great.

Pittsburgh is on display to thousands of guests who will spread the word everywhere about the great place we live.

"It's a beautiful city, too. It needs some showing off, right? It deserves it," said Mike Fryland, of Louisville.

But traffic will be tricky with road closures for runners, and Parkway West construction will make it even worse.

While the trip into town will have no detours, the trip out could get tricky.

The outbound lanes will be shut down completely from Green Tree to Interstate 79.

All outbound traffic will leave the Parkway West at Exit 67 Green Tree, head down Mansfield Avenue to Route 50; travel Route 50 through Carnegie to I-79 north, and then from I -79 north get back to the Parkway West.

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