Thousands of cyclists ride between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md., each year on the Great Allegheny Passage.

But this fall, runners will attempt to cover 158.6 miles along rivers, over mountains, through the Big Savage Tunnel, past Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park and out of Dead Man's Hollow in McKeesport.

Registration opened Thursday for the inaugural GAP Trail Relay race. Teams of eight runners will run from Cumberland to Pittsburgh in a 48-hour, 24-leg race.

"The GAP soars over rivers and ravines and cuts through mountain tunnels, making a gently graded, smooth journey through some of the most rugged, spectacular places in two states," Bryan Perry, executive director for the Allegheny Trail Alliance, said in a statement.

Delighted to join @P3Revents @UPMCHealthPlan & @GAP_Trail to announce the inaugural GAP Relay Race. Being held this October, registration opens at noon today, for an 8 runner/24 leg/48 hour relay from Allegany County, MD to @Allegheny_Co , PA, with support from 10 trail groups. pic.twitter.com/rGY4Fh5IbG

— Allegheny Co. Exec. (@ACE_Fitzgerald) March 29, 2018

The race will start Oct. 12 in Cumberland and finish the next day in Pittsburgh. Teams will travel in vans along the route. Each runner in an eight-person team will run three legs and cover 13 to 24 miles during the race. Runners competing on four-person ultra teams ­— same race, fewer people per team — will run 32 to 46 miles. Runners have to keep at least a 15-minute-per-mile pace. The race should take 20 to 35 hours.

The trail will remain open to cyclists and other users during the race.

Registration costs $900 for an eight-person team and $600 for a four-person team. Four-person teams also may register to be placed with another four-person team for $500.

Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, known as P3R, the group behind the Pittsburgh Marathon and several other races in the city, is organizing the relay. It will work with six trail organizations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. UPMC Health Plan signed a three-year deal to sponsor the race.

Patrice Matamoros, CEO of P3R, said she expects the race to become a destination event.

"With the starting line being less than three hours from Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Morgantown, we anticipate the event will draw runners from throughout the region and beyond," Matamoros said in a statement.

The GAP trail makes up about half the 335-mile trail between Pittsburgh and Washington.

Registration and more information about the race is available at gaptrailrelay.org .

Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aaupperlee@tribweb.com, 412-336-8448 or via Twitter @tinynotebook.

---

Copyright ©2026— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---