5 Facts You Didn’t Know About The GAP Trail
The GAP Relay presented by UPMC Health Plan takes runners on an unforgettable adventure along the Great Allegheny Passage, traveling from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD. The relay race along the GAP Trail takes runners through 150 miles of history, nature, and challenges!
The GAP trail can trace its beginning to June 9, 1978 with the goal of connecting towns together with the trail, eventually connecting to Pittsburgh in 2013. In 2020, the trail welcomed more than 1.5 million people that visited or experienced the trail via walking, biking, or running. Here are some fun facts that all GAP Relay teams will experience on race weekend!
1. The Great Allegheny Passage travels through five counties including:
- Allegheny
- Fayette
- Somerset
- Allegheny (Western Maryland)
- West Moreland
2. The trail travels through 16 towns, connecting communities that runners will pass through!
3. Runners will cross 31 bridges during this journey!
4. To cover the whole distance, runners will take 158,400 strides or 316,800 steps on average!
5. Spanning over miles and miles of nature, runners will see countless birds and animals and even more countless selfie spots along the way!
Teammates will experience the GAP Trail together, creating weekend memories that will last a lifetime! This event is NOT for the faint of heart. It will challenge you and your teammates in ways you didn’t know were possible, but everyone will walk away with an experience unlike any other!