Eating pasta the night before a big race to stock your energy reserves is conventional wisdom.

So The Spaghetti Warehouse's plan to greet finishers in Sunday's 2008 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Schenley Park with a hot slice of lasagna might seem odd.

Yet carbo-reloading is just as important as carbo-loading. And besides, this isn't just any lasagna but an 8,800-pound culinary giant that's poised to enter the records book.

Comprising 400 individual pans that will each weigh 22 pounds, the lasagna will measure a whopping 35 feet by 35 feet when it's put together on a series of banquet tables near Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

The best part is the amount of money the post-race meal will raise for the race's Pittsburgh affiliate.

If all goes according to plan, says Spaghetti Warehouse general manager Chris Beers, the so-called World's Largest Lasagna will raise close to $30,000 to fund local breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment initiatives.

"Cancer hits almost every family in America," Mr. Beers says. "So our thought was this: How can we as a small restaurant in Pittsburgh make a large impact on one of the biggest events in the city?"

Time will tell if the lasagna will actually make it into the pages of Guinness World Records.

But even if the stunt somehow falls short, it has already made history: This is the first time a fundraising event will be held during race weekend. Most of the $2.5 million raised in Pittburgh in 2007 was generated by corporate sponsors and entry fees from the race, which this year is expected to draw some 35,000 runners and walkers.

"We're absolutely thrilled," says Kathy Purcell, executive director, Pittsburgh Affiliate of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. "And we think people [who turn out for the event] will be really excited, too."

Of course, you can't build a 4.4-ton lasagna without a mind-staggering amount of ingredients: 2,200 pounds of cheese, close to 500 gallons of sauce, 75 pounds of salt, 50 pounds of bread crumbs, and more than 1,000 pounds of meat.

Just as crucial is an equally large network of volunteers to construct, transport and serve it, and clean up.

Pittsburghers, though, are generous.

Heinz, for example, donated much of the product that will be used to make the dish's tomato sauce, while Pitt Ohio Express will provide trucks for transporting the baked pans to the race.

In addition, hundreds of volunteers -- from Boy Scout troops to school groups -- have been trained on how to build the lasagna, which will start being assembled today so it's ready to be popped into ovens at the Mancini and Jenny Lee bakeries in McKees Rocks at 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

Hundreds more will help dish out the 9,600 slices, which will cost $3 a piece or $2 for cancer survivors, through lunch on race day. (If you're interested in sharing the bragging rights with the Spaghetti Warehouse, you can bid for those on eBay, or you can bid for a few slices.)

And if you'd rather enjoy your pasta from the comfort of a chair, with a nice glass of wine? Spaghetti Warehouse will also hold a pre-race Pasta Power Kick Off tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday at its Strip District location.

The $20 (tax and gratuity included) reservations-only meal will include a salad, bread, drink and choice of nine entrees. A donation will be made to the race for each ticket sold.

Tickets for a slice of the "World's Largest Lasagna" can be purchased at The Spaghetti Warehouse, 2601 Smallman St., Strip District, or during race registrations at Pittsburgh area Dick's Sporting Goods.

For more information, call 412-261-6511 or visit www.pittsburghraceforthecure.org.