Pittsburgh Marathon, Pitt graduation and Pirates game coincide on Sunday

May the fourth be with you on Sunday (May 4), when Pittsburgh will have three major events happening.

The Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon is expecting the biggest participation in its history with more than 46,000 participants; the University of Pittsburgh is hosting its largest-ever graduation class and the Pirates welcome the San Diego Padres.

Marathon handcycle athletes begin at 6:50 a.m. Runners will take off at 7 a.m. on the 26.2-mile course that closes streets throughout the city. Pitt’s graduation is happening at 2:30 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena, Uptown, which holds nearly 20,000, depending on the setup. The Pirates host the Padres at 1:35 p.m. at PNC Park on the North Shore, which has a capacity of 38,362.

“There have been times in the past when the Pirates have had a home series during marathon weekend,” said Brian Schmidt, senior vice president of operations for P3R, which manages and organizes the marathon and various events.

Schmidt said he knew about the Pirates schedule well in advance because games were announced in 2024. “We have been working close with the Pirates and Pitt to coordinate everything,” he said.

Jared Stonesifer, a University of Pittsburgh spokesman, said via email that “the university has been planning our commencement ceremony for many months, and we have been in close contact with the organizers of the Pittsburgh Marathon. We intentionally chose a start time of 2:30 p.m. so as to not conflict with the Pittsburgh Marathon or the start of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game. Because Pitt graduates its largest class ever on Sunday, the ceremony will take place at PPG Paints Arena to ensure every student can participate and receive an appropriate number of tickets for their family and friends.”

Schmidt said Pitt’s graduation has been on the same day as the marathon in the past.

Larry Fitzgerald, a former Pitt and NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals, is the Pitt commencement speaker.

The only part of the race close to the graduation will be a section of the half-marathon course, Schmidt said. It should be finished by 11:45 a.m., before graduation. Roads including Centre Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard will be open for guests to get to the graduation.

“I would just tell people to allow for extra time,” Schmidt said. “And to anticipate some traffic.”

There are also several marathon events happening Saturday at Point State Park and on the North Shore. Everything should be done well before the 4:05 p.m. start with the Padres, Schmidt said. On Sunday, most of the runners on the North Shore should be gone early enough for the Pirates 1:35 p.m. game.

Road closures

During the weekend, more than 100 streets in Downtown, the Strip District, North Side, West End, South Side, Uptown, Oakland, Shadyside, Point Breeze, Homewood, East Liberty, Highland Park, Friendship and Bloomfield will be closed.

More than 300,000 spectators are expected to line the marathon course.

Initial Downtown closures begin at noon Friday on the Boulevard of the Allies between Wood Street and Stanwix Street. This section will remain closed through the conclusion of race weekend on Sunday.

For Saturday’s events, closures begin at 6:45 a.m. on the North Side and Downtown areas. Streets are expected to reopen by noon.

On Sunday, closures for the marathon and related events will start Downtown at 1:30 a.m. and continue around the city until approximately 2:30 p.m.

Road closure times include additional windows for course setup and teardown. Streets will reopen on a rolling basis once cleared by city officials.

Runners

Weather

One thing people should not have to deal with this weekend is inclement weather. TribLive news partner WTAE-TV meteorologist Jeff Verszyla said the early outlook for the weekend is mostly cloudy, with scattered showers — but not a washout — on Friday with a high near 70 degrees.

Saturday should be mostly cloudy with the morning temperature in the upper 40s and some afternoon sun with the temperature reaching the low 60s in the afternoon.

Verszyla expects Sunday to be a mostly sunny day with the temperature in the low 40s at 7 a.m., upper 40s by 9 a.m. and in the low 50s by 11 a.m.

Parking/Public transportation

Schmidt suggests using the ParkPGH app for real-time capacity for Pittsburgh’s garages. For Saturday’s events, parking on the North Shore includes the West General Robinson Street Garage, which opens at 5:30 a.m. Gold Lots 1 and 2 open at 6 a.m.

On Sunday, Gold Lots 1 and 2, Red Lots and West General Robinson Street Garage open at 4 a.m.

Most lots are cashless.

If you are taking Pittsburgh Regional Transit, allow extra time, Schmidt said. There will be detours because of street closures so check the Pittsburgh Regional Transit website.

Details: thepittsburghmarathon.com or mlb.com/pirates or commencement.pitt.edu