Kaitlyn Hughes | news editor

A usually traffic-packed Boulevard of the Allies was vacant on Sunday, save for the spectators standing on the sidewalks.

The unusually quiet atmosphere in Downtown was broken when the crowd burst into applause as the first finishers of the 48th annual Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race turned down Liberty Avenue to cross the finish line.

About 9,400 runners participated in “One Great Weekend,” which consists of a 10k race, a 5k run/walk and the Dollar Bank Junior Great Race.

As sweat beads dripped down their faces, some runners smiled and sped up as if they could continue for another mile. Others gritted their teeth after enduring 6.2 miles of pain.

Timothy Purcell, the first male finisher in the 10k, crossed the finish line at 30:28, averaging about 4:54 minutes per mile.

Purcell said he enjoys participating in big races because everyone comes together for one common goal.

“It feels great coming out and being in a historical race,” he said. “It’s a great way to challenge yourself. It’s great to see people I know challenge themselves.”

Purcell was not the only one who came out on top.

Madison Trippett was the first female finisher with a time of 33:09, and Devin Redinger was the first non-binary finisher with a time of 41:22.

Rory Cooper won the handcycling division for a fifth time at 24:23. He said he enjoyed the race and being a part of it with everyone else.

“It’s good for people to see that wheelchair groups can run too,” Cooper said.

Dan Barry, who won the Great Race twice in a wheel chair, came back to show support to this year’s participants because he knows how much it means to hear people cheering on the sidelines.

“I think it’s a great social event. It is welcoming to all ethnic groups and all ages,” he said. “You can’t do that with all sports activities.”

Along with the social component of the race, Mayor Ed Gainey said the annual event has an economic impact in the area. Small businesses get the chance to open their doors to people from 40 different states and seven different countries.

“This is not just another race, it’s a memory,” Gainey said.

Caliguiri, the 55th mayor of Pittsburgh, started the race as a community event in 1977. It was renamed in his honor after he died in 1988 from amyloidosis, a rare disease that arises when a protein called amyloid builds up in the body’s organs, which can lead to heart or kidney failure.

From every Great Race and Junior Great Race registration, $1 is donated to the Richard S. Caliguiri Amyloidosis Fund to support medical research. Additionally, $5 was donated for every runner who participated in both the 5k and 10k races.

Tom Windle from Plymouth, Michigan placed second in the 5k early on Sunday and then headed to Squirrel Hill to start the 10k.

He thought the course was fun with the majority of it being downhill. He took the four-hour drive to participate in the Pittsburgh-based race with his family.

“It’s fun to celebrate with other people working on the same thing as you,” he said. “It’s a good community to be a part of.”

Kylie Ancic traveled from West Virginia to participate in the race. Not only because she liked the course, but because she enjoys the atmosphere of the Steel City.

“Everyone seems like they wouldn’t want to be doing anything else on a Sunday,” she said.

Race Director Brian Katze said the Great Race is unique because they do not give out prize money and it does not consist solely of elite runners.

“You can make it your race,” he said. “It really is a community event.”

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu