From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Gettysburg to Erie, and more.
Running in Pennsylvania is never one-note.
One weekend you’re on a flat loop skimming the edge of Lake Erie, the next you’re grinding up a bridge in Pittsburgh with three different rivers swirling below you.
The state’s races mix city grit with quiet farmland, history-packed backdrops, and just enough weather curveballs to keep you humble.
Hills here don’t sprawl endlessly like in the Rockies, but they have a knack for showing up at exactly the wrong moment. Let’s jump into my guide for the best marathons in Pennsylvania!
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What are the Best Marathons in Pennsylvania?
Philadelphia Marathon
Philadelphia | Nov 23, 2025
Course Type: Mostly Flat
Elevation Gain: 744 feet (226m)
Participants: 12,381 Finishers
Price: $140
The AACR Philadelphia Marathon starts on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Art Museum looming like a finish-line promise you won’t see again for 26 miles. Late November air is crisp, sometimes biting, and corral starts send runners into a city waking with church bells, coffee steam, and chatter. The early miles feel like a running tour: historic streets, statues, and wide lanes that open into Fairmount Park’s leafy paths along the Schuylkill River.
Expect three notable hills before halfway and a long, windy stretch from mile 16 to 24 that can test patience as much as legs. The urban marathon course loops back on itself, giving glimpses of faster or slower runners – a mental lift or challenge depending on the day. Crowds shift in style from polite cheers in University City to full-volume chaos in Manayunk, where the energy spikes just when it’s needed.
Road surfaces are smooth, hydration stations offer water, Nuun, and XACT ENERGY mini-bars, and locals sometimes set up unofficial aid stops. The final push climbs toward the “Rocky steps,” with a medal that often includes a working Liberty Bell. Logistics can be messy, but the blend of history, scenery, and constant crowd support makes this one of Pennsylvania’s most memorable running events.
Pittsburgh Marathon
Pittsburgh | May 4, 2025
Course Type: Rolling Hills
Elevation Gain: 933 feet (284m)
Participants: 3,784 Finishers
Price: $175
The first few miles of the Pittsburgh Marathon lure you in. The course is friendly at the start, winding through downtown streets before sending you over your first bridge with the city skyline in full view. But by the halfway point, the game changes. Around mile 11, the climb into Oakland begins, and from there, the course keeps serving up rolling hills that make you rethink your pacing strategy. The Birmingham Bridge at mile 25 is the final punch – short, steep, and perfectly placed to make your quads beg for mercy.
There’s something about Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods that keeps the miles moving. Each one feels like its own little festival. South Side is noisy and crowded, with music bouncing between brick buildings. Shadyside feels more residential and calm, the kind of place where someone might hand you an orange slice from their front porch. By Highland Park, you’ve got a mix of trees, open streets, and the sound of feet slapping pavement in rhythm. Somewhere around mile 22, the beer and popsicle stations appear — not official, just local generosity in action.
The bridges aren’t just photo ops. They tilt and roll underfoot, and the views across the rivers come at the cost of wind exposure. But they’re also part of what makes this course feel like Pittsburgh in its purest form – gritty, scenic, and never flat. By the time you’re back downtown, the noise bounces off the buildings and pushes you home. Crossing that line isn’t just about finishing 26.2 miles. It’s about having seen the city from every angle, with every climb, turn, and bridge etched into your legs.
Gettysburg North-South Marathon
Gettysburg | Apr 27, 2025
Course Type: Hilly
Elevation Gain: 1323 feet (403m)
Participants: 209 Finishers
Price: $133.50
The Gettysburg North–South Marathon kicks off at the Eisenhower Hotel & Conference Center, just minutes from the Civil War battlefields. The course heads out on quiet country roads toward the Mason–Dixon Line, crosses into Maryland, then loops back into Pennsylvania – twice. The small field means no jostling for space, just open road and the sound of your shoes on pavement.
The hills stack up slowly, adding about 1,300 feet of elevation over the full distance. They’re never brutal, but they’re constant, and the few flat stretches don’t last long. Most of the route is paved, with a couple of cambered sections that keep your ankles working. In early May, you could get cool clouds or warm sun, and the exposed stretches can make either one feel stronger.
Aid stations come every couple of miles, but much of the race is just you, the road, and the farmland. Barns, open fields, and long tree-lined lanes break up the miles. By the time you hit the finish, there’s no roar of a massive crowd – just a clear path, the clock overhead, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing you’ve handled every hill and mile this course threw at you.
Erie Marathon at Presque Isle
Erie | Sep 7, 2025
Course Type: Very Flat
Elevation Gain: 84 feet (25m)
Participants: 1,022 Finishers
Price: $165-$185
The Erie Marathon wraps the 26.2-mile road race into a shimmering loop around Presque Isle State Park, with Lake Erie brushing beside you and sand-dune forests on the other side. It’s capped at 2,000 runners, so you don’t feel like a dot in an urban sea; you feel part of a tight, local running crew. This flat marathon course is basically pancake-flat, with under 250 feet of total elevation change, and loops twice using both lake-road and main-road stretches.
Aid stations pop up every mile with water and lemon-lime Gatorade, sometimes next to porta-potties and often shaded by trees. That shade is a rare win when the sun swings in full strength. The surface shifts between asphalt, segments of concrete, and optional grassy edges if you need a softer touch for your legs.
This is one of those PA running events where you could chase a Boston Qualifier, and plenty do. Widely known as a BQ-friendly, flat marathon, the course includes timing mats and meets Boston’s cert requirements. The second loop doubles the visual and everything feels familiar, intentional, and even comforting.
Parking drops you about 0.6 miles from the start at Waldameer Park, and after finishing, prepare for a modest uphill walk back. That pre-race jitter and post-race jade-leg hike bookend a very grounded experience. With volunteers at every turn and no frills or fanfare, you get a lean, focused marathon vibe where logistics are clean and support is quietly consistent.
Crowds That Know Your Name
Pennsylvania marathons don’t always have wall-to-wall spectators, but the support you do get is often laser-focused and personal.
No filler noise – Instead of constant background chatter like in some bigger cities, Pennsylvania races tend to have quiet miles where you can hear your footstrike, broken up by intense bursts of applause right where you need it, like the top of Gettysburg’s mid-race rollers or the home stretch along Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin Parkway.
Town-line welcomes – In the Gettysburg North-South Marathon, you can run a stretch surrounded by farmland and quiet road, then suddenly hit the edge of a village where half the block is out front. It’s not just clapping; they’re calling things like “North’s got this!” or “You’ve got two miles to the turn!” because they’ve tracked your progress.
Strategic cheer zones – The Pittsburgh Marathon’s bridge crossings often have packed sidelines, but it’s not random yelling; it’s targeted energy right as the incline starts to bite. You remember those cheers hours later.
Multiple sightings – Erie Marathon spectators have an advantage: the 13.1-mile loop on Presque Isle lets them bike or jog to another point on the course. You might see the same face three or four times, each time with a different sign.
History at a Jogging Pace
Pennsylvania has a way of turning your marathon into a moving history tour, whether you’re looking for it or not.
Shoreline heritage in Erie – The Presque Isle loop passes beaches, old lighthouses, and spots tied to the War of 1812 naval battles. Even when the lake breeze is in your face, the scenery pulls you in.
Gettysburg’s battlefields – The course winds past preserved farmland, cannons, and stone monuments, with plaques marking troop positions from 1863. The wide, open fields can feel peaceful until you remember they were once anything but.
Industrial grit in Pittsburgh – You cross bridges that carried steel workers to the mills, run past the Strip District’s old produce warehouses, and pass buildings still stamped with the city’s industrial past. It’s a reminder you’re not just covering miles; you’re running through layers of history.
Colonial roots in Philadelphia – Even though the race is big-city, the opening miles along the Delaware River cut past brick buildings and historic districts that predate the country itself. Mile markers feel almost secondary to the landmarks.
Concluesion
Pennsylvania marathons have a way of sticking with you. Not just because of the course profiles or finish times, but because they feel tied to the ground they’re run on. Every race here comes with its own texture: the crunch of Presque Isle’s bike path, the slap of shoes on Pittsburgh’s bridges, the quiet hum of Gettysburg’s backroads.
They’re races that don’t just test your legs; they pull you into the state’s landscapes, its history, and its weather moods. If you want a marathon that feels like more than just a route on a map, Pennsylvania delivers.
Row Brown is the founder of Refresh Row. He is a keen marathon runner, his favorite being the London Marathon. He’s now set himself the mission of Running the Entire Length of Spain, which is scheduled for late 2024.
