The inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Pittsburgh Half Marathon is expected to bring between 8,000 and 12,000 participants and spectators to the area.  The event will come to the Steel City on August 4, 2013. 

“Everyone in Pittsburgh understands how competitive we are,” said NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann, “we’re very proud of our city, it’s been named on several occasions the most livable city in America, but the association with the Competitor Group and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon puts us on a world class basis because Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons and Half Marathons are not just all over the country, they’re all over the world.”

The series evolved from 4 events to now 25 in the U.S.  The Rock ‘n’ Roll side of the events comes in the form of local and regional bands lining the race routes in participating cities, which feature not only the runners, but thousands of spectators, volunteers, and staff. 

While the Pittsburgh event doesn’t take place until 2013, the Competitor Group, the event’s sponsor, is already working to make it happen.

“We’re going to be, very shortly, coming back into town with our operational staff for our most important job of working directly with the city and city agencies to keep the city and the runners safe,” said Josh Furlow, senior vice president of operations for the Competitor Group.

He added the planning and course development are in progress, and the actual course of the half marathon will be announced at a later date. 

Early estimates project more than 50% of event participants will come from out of town, and the event could fill more than 5,000 hotel rooms in the city, which could result in an economic impact of about $8 million in the first year alone.  The event will also be held in 2014 and 2015.