Martin Hehir Breaks Course Record To Win Pitssburgh 10 Miler In 46:48 Over Stephen Sambu (46:55)

Press Release
November 4, 2018

PITTSBURGH (November 4, 2018) — A competitive field of international and American athletes produced an exciting race at the the 2018 EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler, on Sunday, Nov. 4. Martin Hehir, 25, of Philadelphia, PA broke the event record with a time of 46 minutes, 48 seconds in the men’s race. Monicah Ngige, 24, of Kenya improved upon her 2017 performance, clocking 52:06, to easily win the 2018 women’s division.

A pack of runners that included Stephen Sambu, Panuel Mkungo, Dominic Korir and Martin Hehir set a fast pace in the first half of the race. The pack picked up speed at the halfway point, and Sambu and Hehir broke from the pack at Mile 7. With a mile to the finish, Hehir made his move and finished 10 meters ahead of Sambu, who finished at 46:55. Korir finished in third with a time of 47:11.

“I love Pittsburgh, and fall is great time to run here,” Hehir said. “I’ve been training for my first marathon, and I felt really good out there. Stephen Sambu was there to push me. With about a mile and half to go, I put in the last surge and pulled away.”

Hehir ended Sambu’s undefeated 10-mile streak and set a new personal record by one minute with today’s performance.

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In the women’s race, Monicah Ngige, Gotytom Gebreslase and Vicoty Chepngeno set a quick pace for the first half of the race. Ngige, who finished third last year, took the lead at Mile 5 with a 15-second lead over Gebreslase. At each mile, she was able to increase her lead, finishing in 52:06 — almost a minute faster than Gebreslase, who finished in 53:04. Chepngeno finished third in 53:22. Kellyn Taylor, who finished fourth, was the top American with a time of 53:52.

“My training was going well, and I was looking forward to this race,” Ngige said. “I liked the new course. It was faster than last year.” The 2018 course was similar to years past, but for the first time in the history of the race, participants ran past two of Pittsburgh’s iconic sports stadiums – Heinz Field and PNC Park.

The sixth annual event, with more than 3,500 finishers, featured a $26,200 guaranteed prize purse, with $5,200 available specifically for U.S. athletes. Hehir and Ngige earned $4,000 each as the 2018 EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler race champions. See below for the top finisher results and distribution of cash prizes based on gun time.

Men’s Division Women’s Division

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Overall
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Comfort
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Cushioning
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Value
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Martin Hehir (USA), 46:48, $5000*

Stephen Sambu (KEN), 46:55, $2500

Dominic Korir (KEN), 47:11, $1500

Panuel Mkungo (KEN), 47:13, $1000

Joe Stillin (USA), 47:25, $1500*

James Ngandu (KEN), 47:35, $500

Josh Izewski (USA), 47:50, $750*

Boniface Kongin (KEN), 48:00

Eliud Ngetich (KEN), 48:55

Colin Leak (USA), 49:00, $250**

Mark Leininger (USA), 49:00, $100**

Monicah Ngige (KEN), 52:06, $4000

Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH), 53:04, $2500

Vicoty Chepngeno (KEN), 53:22, $1500

Kellyn Taylor (USA), 53:52, $2000**

Maegan Krifchin (USA), 55:02, $1500**

Rochelle Kanuho (USA), 55:46, $1000**

Lexi Zeis (USA), 56:03, $500**

Kaitlyn James (USA), 56:07, $100**

Susan Tanui (USA), 57:57

Joanna Thompson (USA), 58:12

Bria Wetsch (USA), 58:57

*Includes Open and U.S.-only prize purses
**U.S.-only prize purse

“It’s exciting not only to see these elite athletes compete to cross the finish line first but to also watch runners from ages 7 to 77 strive to run their best race today,” said Patrice Matamoros, Race Director and P3R CEO. “The scenery, the crowd support and much more continue to attract runners of all ages and abilities from near and far for Pittsburgh’s favorite fall road race.”

The first western Pennsylvania area runners to cross the finish line were Travis Myers-Arrigoni, 26, of Pittsburgh and Leah Anne Wirfel, 25, of Fredonia. Myers-Arrigoni finished first in the 25-29 age group and in 14th place overall with a time of 53:49, while Wirfel finished the race in 1:00.1 to take first in the 25-29 group and 13th overall in the women’s division.

Many runners sported black and gold running gear to demonstrate their pride in our Pittsburgh community, and all runners made their miles count for even more in today’s race. Together, title partner EQT Corporation and P3R will donate $1 for each mile completed during the race to support the victims of the recent senseless shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, their families, and the first responders who were injured protecting our city’s people. The total amount raised will be split evenly between the local Jewish community and the City of Pittsburgh’s first responders.

For more information and complete results for the 2018 EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler, visit: www.Pittsburgh10Miler.org. Please note the results listed on the website are based on chip time. And click here for high resolution images of the winners from today’s race.

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