Pittsburghers Heading to ‘Sister Marathon’ in Reykjavik on Icelandair

One of Pittsburgh International Airport’s European carriers is partnering locally to bring athletes to Iceland’s largest running event later this summer.

Icelandair, with nonstop service between Pittsburgh and Reykjavik, has teamed up with P3R as part of an international marathon partnership between Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon and the Íslandsbanki Reykjavík Marathon.

The partnership between marathons, which launched in January, encourages runners to participate in both races and “connects Pittsburgh’s high-energy, neighborhood-driven race weekend with Reykjavík’s scenic, nature-infused marathon experience, creating new opportunities for runner travel, cultural exchange and global storytelling,” according to P3R, which operates the Pittsburgh Marathon.

Held annually since 1984, the Íslandsbanki Reykjavík Marathon is Iceland’s largest running event, often hosted alongside the capital city’s Culture Night. The event attracts roughly 16,000 international participants to the scenic and generally flat city course. Runners of all ages can choose from several distances, including a full marathon, half-marathon, 10K and fun run, making it accessible for both seasoned athletes and new participants.

“As sister marathons, the two events will collaborate on destination-driven storytelling, highlight runners traveling between Pittsburgh and Iceland, and explore curated travel opportunities encouraging participants to “Run Pittsburgh, Experience Reykjavík” — and vice versa,” according to P3R.

An Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8 arrives at PIT from Reykjavik on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Evan Dougherty)

“When we were presented with the opportunity to be involved with the Pittsburgh Marathon and the cultural exchange between two sister cities, we were very excited and thought it was a perfect fit,” said Michael Raucheisen, communications manager for North America at Icelandair, adding that the carrier is pleased with the partnership and the attention its involvement has received from the local community.

“Iceland is a quick and easy flight from PIT, and we appreciate the support from Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities,” he said.

Iceland air provided a prize package to an athlete participating in both events that included four nights in Reykjavík, round-trip airfare, race entry to the 2026 Reykjavík Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K, and a $500 Visa gift card for meals, excursions, or travel.

VisitPITTSBURGH President and CEO Jerad Bachar said Icelandair’s nonstop service between Pittsburgh and Reykjavik was key in landing the partnership between the races and driving more visitors between the cities.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in P3R’s efforts to grow Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon’s global footprint and further drive its economic impact on our region,” he said. “By leveraging the convenient connectivity of the Icelandair direct flight, we look forward to welcoming more global athletes and spectators to experience the very best of Pittsburgh.”

Icelandair resumed seasonal service to Reykjavik on May 8 with service scheduled to run through Oct. 18 with up to four weekly flights.

Since launching service between Pittsburgh and Reykjavik in 2024, Icelandair has become a key carrier connecting the region’s business and leisure travelers to Iceland and over 25 connecting markets throughout Europe. Unique to Icelandair is its stopover option allowing travelers connecting to and from Europe to book a layover in Iceland for up to seven days at no additional cost.

Icelandair has been a key partner at PIT as the airport continues to expand its transatlantic network. In addition to Icelandair resuming nonstop flights to Reykjavik for the peak summer travel period, British Airways increased back to its daily flight schedule to London Heathrow Airport, while on May 25, Aer Lingus launched four-times-weekly service to Dublin, giving PIT its largest schedule to Europe since 2018.