Pittsburgh Marathon 2019: Route, Course Map, Time, Event Details

The Pittsburgh Marathon may not have the history or glamour of the marathons in Boston, New York and Chicago, but the event is gaining in stature and prestige every year.

This year's Pittsburgh Marathon will commence Sunday at 7:05 a.m. ET, and it will begin at Liberty Avenue, near 10th Street. From that point, the 26.2-mile race will take runners through all sections of the Steel Town.

The course will cross three rivers and three bridges, and runners will pass the homes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here's a link to the turn-by-turn directions for every step on the course.

The race will finish at the Boulevard of the Allies, between Stanwix Street and Commonwealth Place. Other main streets on the route include Penn Avenue, West Carson Street, Fifth Avenue and North Highland Avenue.

The Pittsburgh Marathon serves as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, and the course has been certified by the United States Track & Field Association.

Several other events are held in conjunction with the main race, including a half marathon, a marathon relay, a 5k race and the one-mile kids marathon.

The race will feature some excellent competition, and the women's field is led by two-time winner Ayantu Dakebo Hailemaryam of Ethiopia. She won the 2016 Pittsburgh Marathon in 2:39:18, and she repeated her title in 2017, running nearly three minutes faster

She will face a talented field that includes fellow Ethiopians Bose Gemeda Assefa an Bizuwork Getahun Kasaye. The top Americans in the field include Christina Murphy and Brittany Tretbar, who are considered rising stars. 

Murphy won the 2018 Columbus Marathon and placed third in the 2015 Pittsburgh Marathon. This is her first time back in the Pittsburgh race since her third-placed finish.

"I am so excited to experience the challenges of the course and the excitement of the crowds again on May 5 and hopefully improve upon my previous performance," Murphy said, per RunnersWeb.com

The men's race will include Ethiopians Tadesse Yae Dabi, the 2018 Philadelphia Marathon champion, and Birhanu Dare Kemal and Kenyans Eliud Ngetich and Boniface Kongin.

The winners of the men's and women's races will both earn $8,000.

Race information courtesy of RunnersWeb.com and pittsburghmarathon.com.