Panuel Mkungo (47:03) And Buze Diriba (52:11) Win Pittsburgh 10 Miler
Press Release
November 6, 2017
PITTSBURGH – A competitive field of international and American athletes produced an exciting race at the fifth edition of the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler, also doubling as the PRRO Championship for the first time, on Sunday, Nov. 5. Panuel Mkungo, 23, of Kenya continued his streak of podium finishes in 2017 by breaking the tape in 47 minutes, 3 seconds in a thrilling men’s race. Buze Diriba, 23, of Ethiopia won the women’s division, clocking 52:11 to become the first three-peat event winner and recording the sixth fastest 10-mile road race performance in the world this year.
In the men’s race, under cool, damp conditions, the early pacing duties were led by Silas Kipruto of Kenya and Ian LaMere of the United States, as 15 men ran together through mile four. Heading into mile five, a pack of five men including Kipruto, Mkungo, Simion Chirchir, Stanley Kebenei and Elkanah Kibet started to pull away. This same pack stayed together until the seven-mile mark, when Kebenei started to drop. The lead quartet stayed together until mile nine, when Mkungo charged to the lead. For winning his first PRRO Circuit race and coming up big in his Pittsburgh debut, the Elkton, Maryland resident took home $6,500 – $4,000 as race champion and $2,500 as PRRO Champion.
“I was just feeling out the pace early on and thought about making a move at eight miles, but I held off until the 15K mark. That’s when I made a little push to start to pull away,” Mkungo said. “This was my first-time racing in Pittsburgh and it was such a strong group of competitors today, so to come away with the win is special.”
Kipruto, 32, from Kenya finished runner-up in 47:11, while 2017 IAAF World Championship marathoner and top American Kibet came in a close third with a time of 47:13.
In the women’s race, Diriba, Gotytom Gebreslase, Monicah Ngige and Karolina Nadolska immediately jumped to the lead, and by mile two, they had a 10 to 15 second lead on the trailing pack. This lead group remained together through the five-mile mark, at which time Diriba and Gebreslase surged and never looked back. The defending champion started to pull away with one mile to go and her sprint to the finish was enough to hold off Gebreslase. By winning her third EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler title, Diriba earned a total of $14,000, which includes the PRRO Championship $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus as a past PRRO Circuit 2016-17 event winner.
“I was excited to return to Pittsburgh and defend my title today,” Diriba said. “The course was challenging as usual, but I felt good and am happy to have come out on top again.”
Gebreslase, 22, of Ethiopia came in a close second, recording a 52:15, while Ngige, 23, of Kenya took third in 53:36. Kaitlin Gregg Goodman was the top American, finishing fifth with a time of 56:03.
“We loved seeing all runners celebrate as they crossed the finish line today, but it was extra special to be there as Buze achieved her third consecutive win,” said P3R CEO Patrice Matamoros. “On the fifth anniversary of the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler, we are also glad the weather didn’t keep more than 4,600 runners from enjoying Pittsburgh’s favorite fall road race through four of our most well-known neighborhoods.”
Below is a list of the top 10 overall finishers for the male and female divisions at the 2017 EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler. Cash awards are based on official gun times from USATF.
MALE ATHLETES
| PLACE | Name | Country | AFFILIATION | TIME | PRIZE MONEY |
| 1 | Panuel Mkungo | KEN | Altra Running | 47:03 | $6,500 * |
| 2 | Silas Kipruto | KEN | Unattached | 47:11 | $4,000 * |
| 3 | Elkanah Kibet | USA | U.S. Army WCAP | 47:13 | $2,500 ** |
| 4 | Simion Chirchir | KEN | Unattached | 47:20 | $1,000 |
| 5 | Luis Vargas | USA | Unattached | 47:22 | $1,500 ** |
| 6 | Augustus Maiyo | USA | U.S. Army WCAP | 47:34 | $1,000 ** |
| 7 | Tyler Pennel | USA | ZAP Fitness / Reebok | 47:41 | $500 ** |
| 8 | Stanley Kebenei | USA | NIKE / American Distance Project | 47:45 | $1,600 * |
| 9 | Ryan Mahalsky | USA | Brooks Hansons ODP | 47:48 | |
| 10 | Tyler McCandless | USA |
Altra Running / Boulder Harriers |
47:56 |
* Includes Open prize purse and PRRO Championship bonus money
** Includes Open and U.S.-only prize purses
*** U.S.-only prize purse
FEMALE ATHLETES
| PLACE | Name | Country | AFFILIATION | TIME | PRIZE MONEY |
| 1 | Buze Diriba | ETH | adidas | 52:11 | $14,000 * |
| 2 | Gotytom Gebreslase | ETH | adidas | 52:15 | $2,500 |
| 3 | Monicah Ngige | KEN | Lansing Sports | 53:36 | $1,500 |
| 4 | Karolina Nadolska | POL | MEDSPORT Poznan | 53:48 | $1,000 |
| 5 | Kaitlin Gregg Goodman | USA |
Rabbit / Strava Track Club |
56:03 | $1,750 ** |
| 6 | Susan Tanui | USA | U.S. Army WCAP | 57:20 | $1,250 ** |
| 7 | Calli Thackery | GBR | Unattached | 57:57 | $500 ** |
| 8 | Kaylee Flanagan | USA | Unattached | 59:21 | $500 *** |
| 9 | Kerry Allen | USA |
Pacers Running / GRC-New Balance |
59:47 | $250 *** |
| 10 | Rachel Jaten | USA | Brooks | 1:00.33 | $100 *** |
* Includes Open prize purse and PRRO Championship bonus money
** Includes Open and U.S.-only prize purses
*** U.S.-only prize purse
For more information and complete results, visit: Pittsburgh10Miler.org. Please note the results listed on the website are based on chip or transp time.