Teo Heckman had a game plan.
He started out the morning Sunday at the Pittsburgh Marathon start line, followed by a walk over the Allegheny River to the North Shore. The Portage man used the marathon’s smartphone app to keep track of seven family members, including his wife, who were participating in the half marathon.
Heckman alerted his three daughters, ages 3, 7 and 9, that their mother, Rachel Heckman, would be coming by their North Side spot shortly on her 13.1-mile race, giving them time to get ready with their signs.
“It is nice to see where they are, and, especially, there’s an estimated finish time on it,” he said. “So that tells me if I have time to hit the next spot or not.”
For now, he did. The group took a short walk to PNC Park and planned to spend awhile there to get a glimpse of all seven family members. They’d wind up the morning at the finish line on the Boulevard of the Allies.
About 26,000 people participated in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Marathon, running through city neighborhoods and over rivers. Marathon and half-marathon runners were joined by relay teams and handcycle participants. It was 35 degrees at the start, the coldest temperature since at least 2009, and warmed up slowly throughout the morning.
Once the race started and runners disappeared toward the Strip District, supporters set off on their own footrace of sorts — getting to the next spot to catch a fleeting moment with their favorite participant. The chilly weather didn’t appear to have any impact on the crowds that came prepared with homemade signs, cowbells and their voices.
Spectators around the course had their smartphones out to track runners and use a map to get to different spots.
Kim and Kerry Rudich were a bit perplexed on where to go next after watching their son, Tyler Rudich, and his girlfriend, Abby Carlisle, start the race. They were tracking the half-marathon runners through the marathon’s app. But being from Connecticut, they weren’t sure what spot would be the best next option.
“I think it would be more helpful if I knew the city,” Kim Rudich said.
They were navigating Pittsburgh with their Bernese mountain dog, Juniper.
“We wanted to be here so we threw the dog in the car and drove out here yesterday,” Kim Rudich said. “As a parent, you don’t want to miss all their stuff,” even in adulthood.
Jen Topa and daughter Jane Topa, of Rochester, N.Y., quickly rolled up their signs at the start line and looked at a map after their two family members ran past. They were supporting Dave Topa, Jen’s husband and a Pittsburgh native, and daughter Molly Topa, a student at Duquesne University, who were running 13.1 miles.
The mother-daughter pair planned to get over the Allegheny River to see them at Mile 5, to the South Side for Mile 9 and then at the finish line.
“We love cheering,” Jane Topa said, adding it was her sister’s first half marathon.
The support meant a lot to Ricki Hastings-Weltner of Harrison, who ran his third marathon Sunday. He expected to see his husband along the route, as well as several friends.
“The hardest part is the mental aspect of it,” he said. “The crowds on this course are amazing, they cheer you on. This marathon is fun.”
Even with the thousands of supportive strangers, it’s important to see those familiar faces.
“It lights up your day to see that somebody’s out there cheering you on,” Hastings-Weltner said.