I have to let y’all know that my favorite way to see a new city is to walk around. The problem is that normally I only see the downtown area by doing this. Enter a local race, like the Pittsburgh Marathon.

Even with a new course this year, the marathon in Pittsburgh, PA will take you through all parts of the city. You will run through 13 different neighborhoods. You will cross all three rivers in the city. You’ll run past both Heinz Field where the Steelers play and PNC Park where the Pirates play. If you are running the half marathon – like I am, you can throw into that mix a jaunt past PPG Paints Arena where the Penguins play.

You’ll start and finish downtown but first you’ll travel through The Strip District. The Strip will be packed with people yelling and cheering runners on. Then, you’ll cross the Allegheny River to the North Side where you will run past PNC Park and Heinz Field before crossing the Ohio River to the West End. You’ll run on into the South Side and past the inclines. Then, you’ll cross the Monongahela River – which is like going home to me as it runs through Morgantown, WV where I went to college.

Once you cross the Monongahela, the half marathon goes left and the full marathon goes right. The half will head down Fifth Ave past PPG Paints Arena, Duquesne Univeristy and on to the finish line. The full will keep going. You’ll run through Oakland and past both Pitt and Carnegie Mellon. Then, you go through Shadyside and Point Breeze, Homewood, Highland Park, and Bloomfield which brings you back to Liberty Ave. You will have about four miles left to go when you hit Liberty Ave for the second time.

You will see some of the most beautiful neighborhoods the city of Pittsburgh has to offer. You will run past some places you should go back to visit – stores, universities, sport facilities, a river-based casino. You will experience what Pittsburgh has to offer in a unique way if you run the Pittsburgh Marathon.

Disclaimer: I am a blogger for the Pittsburgh Marathon. I have, though, run the race twice. The first time in 2012 I ran the full marathon. In 2013, I ran the half. I absolutely love this city and this race.