November 5: Course Record Holders And Defending Champs Buze Diriba And Tyler Pennel Return For The EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler
American and international pros to compete for prize purse totaling $26,200, including $5,200 U.S.-only bonus money, and the 2016-17 PRRO Championship crowns
Press Release
October 26, 2017
PITTSBURGH – An impressive field of American and international runners are set to race at the fifth edition of the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler onSunday, Nov. 5. The race also doubles as the 2016-17 Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO) Circuit Championship, a circuit that showcases world class competition at four prestigious U.S. road race events shorter than the marathon distance.
In the women’s field, two-time defending EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler champion and course record holder Buze Diriba, from Ethiopia, leads a deep field. Four-time IAAF World Championship medalist and three-time Boilermaker 15K Road Race champion Mary Wacera, from Kenya, and 2017 Nationwide Children’s Columbus Half Marathon winner Sophy Jepchirchir, from Kenya, will challenge Diriba for the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler and PRRO Championship titles.
Also toeing the start line will be Ethiopian Gotytom Gebreslase, a Junior World Championships medalist who recently won the 2017 Shelter Island 10K; Kenyan Monicah Ngige, a two-time Cooper River Bridge Run winner who is having a record-setting year; and American Kaitlin Gregg Goodman, a three-time U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier who set a new course record as the 2016 Cape Cod Half Marathon winner.
“I finished second in my last two races and am hoping to continue this streak of podium finishes in Pittsburgh. I’m also looking to set a new 10-mile personal best,” Gregg Goodman said. “This will be my fourth race in Pittsburgh, and the competition is always great, so I’m excited to be coming back!”
Making his triumphant return to Pittsburgh is 2015 EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler winner and course record holder Tyler Pennel, who suffered a sacral stress fracture in March and took two months off from running completely. Other notable runners on the men’s side include Silas Kipruto, winner of the 2017 Boilermaker 15K Road Race, and Stanley Kebenei, a member of Team USA who finished fifth overall in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 2017 World Track & Field Championships in London.
“I’ve had an amazing race season so far this year, and training for the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler has gone well, so I am ready to compete and win,” Kebenei said. “This will be my first race in Pittsburgh. While my goal is always to finish first, I’m also looking forward to enjoying a new course in a new city with fellow athletes and spectators.”
Kebenei, Kipruto and Pennel will be joined by Kenyan Panuel Mkungo, who has won three long-distance races in 2017, along with Americans Elkanah Kibet and Augustus Maiyo, who both serve in the U.S. Army and have competed at the IAAF World Championships as Team USA members.
In addition to the event prize purse totaling $26,200, the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler also offers $5,200 in American-only prize money as part of P3R’s American Development Program. Launched in 2014, the program offers a competitive prize purse and unique community engagement opportunities, making Pittsburgh a top destination for elite American runners.
The 2016-17 PRRO Championship has also helped to attract race champions, U.S. record holders and Team USA members for the 2017 edition of Pittsburgh’s favorite fall road race. As 2016-17 PRRO Circuit event winners, four pro athletes – Diriba, Wacera, Kebenei and Kipruto – are also eligible for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus if they win this year’s EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler. For more information about the 2016-17 PRRO Circuit and PRRO Championship prize money, go to: prro.org/bonus.html
The elite field should make for an exciting race on Sunday, Nov. 5. For more information about the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler, visit: Pittsburgh10Miler.org