Pittsburgh Marathon 2026 is set to draw more than 52,000 participants across 11 events this weekend, with Sunday morning’s full marathon and half marathon at the center of the city’s biggest race weekend yet. Saturday’s Family Day lineup includes the 5K, the mile, the Kids Marathon and the Toddler Trot.
The elite fields are crowded with familiar names and fast times. Everlyn Kemboi, who won the women’s half marathon in 1:10:06 last year, is back, while Buze Diriba Kejela brings the field’s fastest personal best at 1:05:57 and a résumé built on three EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler titles. Stephanie Bruce is returning in pursuit of a third Pittsburgh half-marathon title, and Dominic Ondoro is back to defend the men’s crown after running 1:01:57 in 2025. Mohammed El Youssfi owns the fastest 13.1-mile time in the men’s field at 59:21 and will make his Pittsburgh debut while trying to threaten the course record of 1:01:21.
That depth runs through the marathon, too. Andrew Bowman won the 2024 full marathon, Will Loevner was the runner-up that year and remains among the top contenders, and Jared Ward, who competed in the 2016 Olympics and placed third in the 2022 half marathon, is also back. Milton Rotich and Ian Carter, who finished second and third last year, are returning, along with Aidan Reed after his third-place finish in Pittsburgh in 2025. Jane Bareikis, a native of Kenya, is seeking a third consecutive women’s full-marathon title and hopes to break past her personal best of 2:29:00.
Troy Schooley said the timing makes this a moment for the city, pointing to last weekend’s NFL Draft and what he called the biggest Pittsburgh Marathon ever. He also said the elite fields are especially strong and that the crowd support has been a draw for runners. Friday morning, several elites are scheduled to meet the media at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and help open the Pittsburgh Live Well Expo, setting up a weekend that is about more than racing.
The prize money gives the front of the field another layer of urgency. The full and half marathons will share a combined purse of $102,000, including $70,000 for the half marathon and $10,000 to each winner. The charity side is even larger. A record 4,770 runners will take part in the Run for a Reason Charity Program, which supports 50 official charities and 14 contributing charities and is expected to raise $1.5 million this year, with most of the money staying in the Pittsburgh region. That mix of elite competition and local fundraising has turned the weekend into a citywide event that reaches far beyond the finish line.
Bruce put it simply when asked why she keeps coming back: “It’s the first weekend in May. Where else would I be?”
