Pittsburgh Marathon Sunday (Routes, road closures, guidelines inside)

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Marathon will take place this weekend in Pittsburgh.

To the left, you'll find maps of the marathon and half marathon routes.  You'll also see a road closure map.

The event kicked off Saturday with a 5K, pet walk and kids marathon.

About 30,000 runners will participate in Sunday's main events that include the marathon and half marathon.

A Pirates and Penguins game will also take place in the city on Sunday.  Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is confident the city can handle the influx of people.

"Be patient.  Look at the routes that you might want to go and use public transportation maybe to get to the Pirates game," he said.

Hundreds of police officers will be part of the marathon detail.

"I know Mayor (Bill) Peduto has had his people well-versed in keeping the city safe," said Fitzgerald.

On Friday, Channel 11 watched as crews put up the finish line at the Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street.

Peduto announced Friday morning that Negley Avenue was the last street on the marathon route to get a new topcoat.

"It's a way we can showcase the beauty of all our neighborhoods," Peduto said.

More on the marathon:

The Pittsburgh Marathon posted the following tips for runners:

• Sunday events (marathon, half marathon and marathon relay) will start at 7 a.m. Participants must adhere to at least a 13:42 per mile pace throughout the race. Marathon participants will have a 6-hour time limit and half marathon participants will have a 3.5-hour time limit.
• Sunday event participants must pick up race packets (race number, shirt and goody bag) at the GNC Live Well Pittsburgh Health and Fitness Expo on either Friday or Saturday. Packets will NOT be available on race morning. Visit the Expo page for more information.

The Pittsburgh Marathon posted the following runner guidelines:
 
Safety is a top priority and the Pittsburgh marathon works year-round with city safety officials to plan a safe and fun experience for everyone involved. To help ensure a safe race experience, the DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon encourages all spectators, volunteers and runners to be aware of their surroundings.

• If you see a suspicious person, object or vehicle along or near the race course, please report the sighting to 9-1-1 or notify nearby law enforcement personnel.
• Do not store, hide or leave any personal items, backpacks, packages or clothes along or near the race course, including the start and finish line areas and Point State Park.
• No backpacks, duffel bags, bags (paper, plastic, etc.), hard or soft coolers or purses larger than 8.5"x11" will be allowed inside the start line or finish line perimeters. Please see "Permitted Runner Items" below for a list of allowable items.
• Runners will NOT be allowed to bring or carry bags into the start line corrals.
• Only registered runners with official race numbers will be permitted inside the start line corrals. Runners must enter the start line corrals through designated entrances.
• Runners may not switch between corrals once they have entered a start line corral.
• Runners must use clear bags provided at the Expo for Gear Check. Each bag checked must have the proper runner race number attached to the bag. Details will be included with the Gear Check bag at the Expo.
• All bags must be checked into Gear Check prior to the start of the race. Gear Check bags will not be allowed into the start line corrals.

The Pittsburgh Marathon says the following are permitted runner items:

• Camelbacks and/or fuel belts will be permitted, but will be subject to inspection at the entrances to the start and finish line perimeters.
• Military runners carrying Ruck Sacks must contact the DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon office to register the bag's contents. All bags are subject to inspection.

The Pittsburgh Marathon posted the following spectator guidelines.

• If you see a suspicious person, object or vehicle along or near the race course, please report the sighting to 9-1-1 or notify nearby law enforcement personnel.
• Do not store, hide or leave any personal items, backpacks, packages or clothes along or near the race course, including the start and finish line areas and Point State Park.
• Spectators are not permitted inside the start line corrals, on the course or inside the finish line chute area. Only those with official race numbers or credentials will be permitted in these areas.
• Backpacks and duffle bags are discouraged in the finish line area and finish line festival and will be subject to inspection.
• Backpacks, duffle bags, and bags may not be left unattended at or near the start line, finish line, Point State Park and any spectator area.

Specialists from UPMC Sports Medicine recommend the following for race day:

Properly Hydrate

Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of nutrition at UPMC Sports Medicine, recommends that you increase your fluid intake, with both water and sports drinks, in the days leading up to the race.

• Drink freely the day before the race and consume 16 ounces of water before bed.
• When you wake up, drink 16 more ounces of water. Drink eight to 10 ounces of a sports drink about 10 minutes prior to racing.
• During the race, don't drink only water. Carbohydrates will help keep your brain and body energized throughout the race. Once per hour, you should consume at least 30 grams of carbs, which could be 16 ounces of sports drink, or four cubes of sugar and eight ounces of sports drink, or eight cubes of sugar plus some water, or a sports gel in addition to water.
• For every hour of running, drink 14 to 40 ounces of fluid, depending on how much you sweat.
• Each individual's fluid requirements can vary tremendously, so be sure not to over-hydrate, especially if you do not sweat much. Boost Your Carb Intake Adding up the carbs may help to optimize performance and prevent fatigue during the race, according to Ms. Bonci. The idea is to carbo-load, not carbo-explode. Follow this advice during the final days leading up to the marathon.
• Three days before the race, try eating smaller, more frequent meals (about every three hours) and begin increasing your carb intake. A good rule of thumb is to eat five grams of carbs per each pound of your body weight.
• The night before, eat a high-carb meal with small portions of protein and vegetables, keeping fat to a minimum. Treat yourself to some frozen yogurt, sorbet or cereal for a late-night dessert/snack!  • Don't skip breakfast on race day. Your meal should contain mostly carbohydrates (about 200 to 400 grams), keeping your consumption low on protein, and especially your fat and fiber. Bananas, bagels, oatmeal or energy bars are good picks -- all consumed at least three hours prior to the race. Train With What Will Be Provided If you plan to drink or eat anything provided throughout the course on race day, Ms. Bonci recommends training with them now to avoid any discomfort or stomach upset.

The following items will be available to runners at the 2014 Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon:

• To help maintain hydration, water and lemon-lime flavored Gatorade Endurance Formula will be provided at every fluid station.
• For extra energy, PowerBars (in chocolate, vanilla crisp and peanut butter) and GU brand sports gels (in vanilla bean, espresso, mandarin orange, blue pomegranate, cherry lime, strawberry banana and jet blackberry flavors) will be available. Gatorade Prime Chews also are an option.
• For those who lose high amounts of salt when sweating, snacks such as potato chips or pretzels will be offered.
• Do some math! Weigh yourself in ounces before and after a long run (1 pound = 16 ounces). Add the number of ounces of fluid consumed during the run. Divide that figure by the number of hours that run lasted. This equation gives you the hourly sweat rate, so you know how much to maintain drinking per hour.  Don't Try Anything New This is not the time to experiment with new shoes, clothing, food, drink or anything else that you haven't tried on several training runs, according to Kathleen Nachazel, the Pittsburgh Marathon's medical operations director and certified athletic trainer at UPMC Sports Medicine.

Other suggestions:

• Stick to the same clothing that you have been wearing during your training. Anything new may cause discomfort and prohibit you from running optimally.
• Don't wear new shoes, but your existing shoes should have no more than 500 miles of wear.
• Tie your shoes with a double knot, the better to avoid tripping.
• To avoid discomfort or upset stomach, don't eat or drink anything different close to or on race day. Be Mindful Of The Weather Spring weather is often unpredictable, so be prepared for various weather scenarios on race day. Ron Roth, M.D., the Pittsburgh Marathon's medical director and an emergency medicine physician at UPMC, recommends the following:
• Be careful not to overdress. At the starting line, you should actually feel a little chilled because your body will warm up a few miles into the race.
• If it is very cold in the morning, wear top layer clothes that you won't mind discarding along the course as the day warms up.
• If the weather is warm, wear clothing that is light-colored, loose fitting and lightweight.
• If it's raining, wear a trash bag or disposable poncho at the start line and throw it away when the race begins. • Be flexible with your performance goals. Running your personal best time when the weather is 50 degrees and overcast may not be achievable if it is 80 degrees and sunny.

Know what to do on race day:

Tanya Hagen, M.D. , a sports medicine physician at UPMC Sports Medicine, recommends following these tips before the race to help prevent discomfort and optimize performance during your run.

• Before you get dressed in the morning, apply sweat-resistant sunscreen to prevent sunburn and Vaseline or BodyGlide to prevent chafing in key locations.
• After getting dressed, weigh yourself (this will help to measure your post-race fluid balance).
• Confirm that all contact information on your bib is complete.
• Keep your warm-up brief to loosen your muscles yet conserve your body's energy.
• Address problems early in the race. Don't ignore issues like a poorly tied shoe, an area of skin that is beginning to chafe, or a pebble that has made its way into your shoe. Letting the problem persist could result in much bigger trouble, like an injury.
• Relax. It is normal to feel nervous the morning of the race. Have faith in all of your hard work and preparation. Feel confident that you can achieve your goals.

WPXI