Pittsburgh Marathon

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Run for a Reason

It’s 3AM in downtown Pittsburgh, and over 30,000 runners are packed in at the start line. Wearing tu-tus and knee socks, matching t-shirts or even carrying a huge flag emblazoned with a charity logo, 3,107 of them are “running for a reason” as members of the Pittsburgh Marathon’s hugely popular “Run for a Reason” Charity Program.

This year’s Run for a Reason was the most successful to date: in sum, the runners raised over $1.8 million for the 52 charities represented at the race.

“For me, it’s knowing that there are going to be people who have been training for months, recovering from all sorts of ailments or running for someone else – it’s seeing them cross the finish line. That’s the most fulfilling part of my job.” -Mara Spisso, Charity Program Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Marathon

Pittsburgh Marathon

Due to increasing demand, the Pittsburgh Marathon developed a “contributing charity” level which allowed charitable organizations to spearhead their own, independent fundraising efforts at the race. This grassroots approach worked particularly well for Light of Life, a homeless shelter that raised over $25,000 at the Pittsburgh Marathon. “It just blew everyone out of the water,” says Spisso.

This year’s Marathon utilized over 2,800 volunteers. From Mile Marker Stations to Aid Stations, bag pick-up to shirt pick-up – no job was left unfilled.

“We sent out a survey to our volunteers after the race, and their responses were just overwhelmingly positive for VolunteerLocal  – it was so easy.” -Melissa Cade, Volunteer Operations Captain for the Pittsburgh Marathon

“We had a great experience with VolunteerLocal,” says Melissa Cade, Volunteer Operations Captain. “The customer service was phenomenal. We’ve never worked with another volunteer software organization with that kind of support – it was like a whole new world.”

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