Brought to Pittsburgh with the support of The Breathe Project, the Clean Air Dash and Festival is a 5K race, a 1-mile Fun Run/Walk, and a Festival all-in-one, all on the South Side sliver of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.
The gorgeous trail threads its way through trees along the banks of the Monongahela River, under several bridges, and directly on top of historic mill sites. It’s mostly flat, certified by USATF, and as fast as you want.
You could keep going all the way to Washington, D.C., since the trail system between here and there is now complete, but we’ll only time you for the 5K! Staggered starts and chipped bibs mean you start when you want. Run with your friends, or wait for a lull so you can sprint all by your lonesome. Run fast enough and we’ll slow-clap for you at the awards ceremony—and give you a gift card to New Balance Pittsburgh so you can keep on kicking!
Not all of us are runners, however. That’s what the Festival is for. Ever done trailside yoga? Be the center of calm, as chaos spins around you with free classes and stretches from BYS Yoga and The Yoga Hive. Or instead of centering yourself with the Earth, try to escape it by ascending several stories on the Venture Outdoors climbing wall and watch the race go by, far below.
Promenade along the muddy Mon in our 1-mile Fun Run/Walk while you await your friend or family member’s triumphant finish. Bring Fido and let him go nuts in the new off-leash dog park on the Festival’s grounds. Does anyone actually have a dog named Fido? Where did this come from? Show me your Fido and his nametag and you get a free hamburger or other hand-crafted grub slung from some of Pittsburgh’s new darling food trucks.
And when it’s all over, you’ll be in the heart of what’s arguably Pittsburgh’s most vibrant neighborhood, with great shopping from lowbrow to boutique, live music both in venues and on the sidewalks, and amazing food choices like Cambodian, Thai, fusion tacos, and frusion Pan-Asiatic mélange brunch. OK, now I’m just making stuff up. But really, the restaurants are great!
The park can be reached by several bus routes, or you can walk or bike in from along the trail. Our free bike valet parking, borrowed from Bike Pittsburgh, makes cycling to the event worry-free. Auto parking at the site will be severely limited, so please use the parking lots at both ends of the trail or the parking spots all through the South Side.
And please pass this flyer around: http://gasp-pgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Clean-Air-Dash-flyer.pdf
Not convinced? Check out a sneak peek of our course below:
On Twitter? Follow us @GASPPgh and @athletesforair on Twitter to get the latest news on this event and all kinds of air quality and sustainability happenings in the Burgh. Search #cleanairdash to see what everyone else is saying about the Dash.
What’s left? REGISTER! http://beta.active.com/pittsburgh-pa/running/clean-air-dash-and-festival-2013
Registration ends October 18th at noon, so don’t delay.
See you on October 19th!