The 23rd Annual Gatorade/Steelers 5K Race, Fitness Walk and Kids' Kickoff Run will be held on Sunday, September 4, at 9 a.m. at Heinz Field. Race day registration and packet pickup begin at 7 a.m. in the Great Hall at Heinz Field. Due to the large numbers expected to attend, all participants are urged to arrive no later than 8 a.m. Free parking is available in Gold Lots 1 and 2.
Steelers alumni Craig Bingham and Edmund Nelson are serving as co-chairmen of the event. Emcees are Michele Michaels of WDVE-FM and Jon Burnett of KDKA-TV 2. Other former Steelers will also participate.
Online registration, presented by Dick's Sporting Goods, is now closed. Race day registration fees are $20 for the 5K Race and Fitness Walk and $15 for the Kids' Kickoff Run.
This year the 5K will feature a new course. Participants will gather on the quay at North Shore Riverfront Park outside Gate A with the start line on the riverwalk below the Fred Rogers statue. The course will follow the Three Rivers Heritage Trail to Heinz Street then to River Avenue, heading back to Heinz Field along General Robinson Street. Runners and walkers will continue to Art Rooney Avenue where they will enter the stadium at Gate 5 to cross the finish line at midfield on the warning track. To accommodate the anticipated large crowd, the race will employ a wave start.
The Kids' Kickoff Run, a 40-yard dash along the south endzone of Heinz Field, will take place at 10:00 a.m.
Gatorade is the title sponsor of the race. Major sponsors include Giant Eagle, Dean's, Dick's Sporting Goods, UPMC St. Margaret, KDKA-TV 2, WDVE-FM, and ESPN Radio 970.
Proceeds from the race go to the Art Rooney Scholarship Fund, which was established in memory of the late founder of the Steelers who died in August of 1988 after living most of his life on the North Side. Each year a $12,000.00 scholarship in Art Rooney's name is presented to a graduating senior from each of the three high schools on the North Side -- Oliver, Perry and North Catholic. Each school nominates three students who have been accepted to college and are in need of financial aid. Click to earn more about this year's scholarship winners.
For more information, please call (412) 697-7713 or email 5K@steelers.nfl.com.
