My marathons

Pittsburgh Great Race

Pittsburgh
Point State Park
Point State Park. Photograph by John, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser describes the Great Race 10K as a predominantly downhill course from Frick Park in Squirrel Hill to Downtown Pittsburgh, passing five college campuses.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Downhill from Frick Park to DowntownPredominantly downhill from Frick Park to Downtown.
  • A community fun run since 1977Started in 1977; nearly half a million participants since.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientDownhill from Frick Park to DowntownPredominantly downhill from Frick Park to Downtown.

The 6.2-mile route passes through several East End neighborhoods. The organiser calls it Pennsylvania’s largest 10K and one of the largest in the country, and the 10K minimum age is 12.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientA community fun run since 1977Started in 1977; nearly half a million participants since.

The 10K starts at Frick Park and finishes Downtown, and the Great Race weekend also holds a 5K and a Junior Great Race for children.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

No gel needed at this pace

Finish

Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.

For your long training runs:

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
10.0 km6.2 mi

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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