More than 35,000 expected to take part in the Pittsburgh Marathon this weekend
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's official, the Pittsburgh Marathon has arrived.
Festivities kicked off at the Pittsburgh Health and Fitness Expo at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Over 35,000 runners are expected Downtown this weekend for the marathon but before runners take their marks, they have to check in at the expo.
Friday morning, marathon weekend stepped off in style as participants and their supporters showed up to get their race packets and take part in the expo.
The festivities also saw a speech from Mayor Ed Gainey who said he will be walking part of the course to win a bet with his son.
"Me and my son got a bet," Gainey said. "He doesn't believe I can walk from Shadyside into Bloomfield during the course of the leg I am going to walk. I can't lose, I can't lose to my son. Because when you lose to your son, they won't let you live it down."
Other speakers included Troy Scholey, the CEO of P3R, who said that after the last 15 years, this race has grown exponentially and this weekend means a lot to the city.
"I'm excited, I'm excited for all the runners," he said. "We have over 35,000 participating. A lot of them put in a lot of time and effort to get to this weekend, so I'm excited for them and we can't wait for the weekend to get here."
While runners will take part in the marathon on Sunday, elite runners from around the world will be competing for an over $100,000 prize purse.
Needless to say, if you want to win the big prize, you are going to have to be fast, but most people like Teak Denard of Crafton, they're just looking to enjoy 26.2 miles around the 'Burgh.
"Seeing the people, seeing the city, I love seeing every part of the city and I know with this being the 15th year, it's going to be a full-out celebration," he said.
Information about road closures and bus route detours can be found here.