[1][2] Established in 1977, this race has been held the last Sunday of September each year except 2003, when Pittsburgh's city government faced financial difficulty.

[3] Since the revival of the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2009, participation in the Great Race has increased dramatically, meeting registration caps enacted to limit the total number of runners.

Both races finish at the same location in Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh.

[6][7] Beginning at the foot of Frick Park, the course of the Great Race leads through some of Pittsburgh's best-known neighborhoods, including Squirrel Hill, Oakland, The Bluff (Uptown), and Downtown.

Finishing roughly 400 feet below the start line, except for notable climbs in the first and fifth miles, the course is predominantly downhill, enabling a competitive race.