Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon a Showcase of 'City's Finest'; Kenyan Kipyegon Kirui and Alena Vinitskaya of Belarus Emerge as Champions

PITTSBURGH, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 16,000 runners, the spectators, the volunteers, military volunteers and the police all played a role in the successful running of the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon and the FedEx Ground Pittsburgh Marathon Relay. Despite rain and a course detour prompted by a bomb scare, a record field completed the event in under six hours.

Race Director Patrice Matamoros commented, "Runner safety is always our first priority. We're grateful to the Emergency Operations Center, the police, course volunteers including the military, and all the public safety officials who helped us effectively divert the course. Their support truly saved the day, and let thousands of runners and walkers enjoy the event without compromising their safety." Most of the leaders were off the course prior to the diversion, and the finish order and awards were not impacted.

"We are extremely pleased to have had such a strong race today. With a 60% increase in the number of runners and a much stronger elite field, neither weather nor any public safety concerns could keep this event from being a resounding success,” says Jeff Hennion, Chief Marketing Officer for Dick’s Sporting Goods. “It’s a terrific kickoff to National Runners Month, and we look forward to hosting an even larger crowd at the 2011 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon.  We also echo Patrice’s kudos to the various public safety officials for stepping in, taking control of the race at the necessary time, and making the appropriate changes to ensure the safety of the runners and spectators."

In the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Men's Division, a strong elite field enabled the top five runners to all finish in under last year's time.  From the start, Isaac Macharia went out with the half marathoners, possibly leaving some of his best efforts on the first half of the course.  The winner, Kipyegon Kirui, who won with 2:17:12, ran abreast with Wilson Chepkwony much of the race, tracking Machiara down. Once they caught and passed Macharia, it was a two person road race to the finish. Paul Wachira was in the hunt until muscle cramps hampered his run, allowing Mohammed Awol to finish third. Macharia came in fourth, and Josh Ordway rounded out the money winners with a 2:21:21.

In the Women's Marathon, Leah Thorvilson started strong and held the early lead. Once Alena Vinitskaya caught Thorvilson, she held the lead for the remainder race. Ultimately, Vinitskaya ran a 2:42:34; Phebe Ko of Bethesda, MD, finished second with a time of 2:45:50; and Leah Thorvilson took third with a 2:51:16.

In the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon, Baldwin High School graduate Ryan Sheehan, 26, went out hard and ran with Paul Langat, eventually breaking him at the 8 mile mark and then going on to build up a substantial lead, finishing in 1:05:13. Mario Macias ran an excellent race, coming in second with 1:05:34, and Langat took third in 1:06:08. Jeff Weiss, a Slippery Rock graduate from Avella, PA, ran a PR of 1:05:20 to come in fourth.

In the Women's UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon, Kristin Price (originally of Penn Township, PA), became a two-time winner in Pittsburgh. Last year, she was the Marathon champion; this year, she won the Half in 1:17:37. Lisa Cron of Moon Township took second, and Leah Ahlin took third.

For finishing times, please visit www.pittsburghmarathon.com. The Prize Awards listed below reflect the race policy of one award per entrant, so Prize Places will vary from the official open results.

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PITTSBURGH MARATHON PRIZE DISTRIBUTION

The Pittsburgh Marathon is a non-profit organization that promotes the love of long-distance running and enhances community involvement in fitness activities through high quality events for a wide variety of ages and abilities. Sponsors include: Dick's Sporting Goods, UPMC Health Plan, FedEx Ground, Nike, UPMC Sports Medicine, GNC, Trib Total Media, KDKA TV, PA American Water, Rothman Gordon Attorneys, Sheetz, Dunkin Donuts, McKnight Realty Partners, Clear Channel, Pittsburgh Volkswagen Dealers, NUGO, Verizon Wireless, Gatorade, GU, Omni William Penn Hotel, New Harvest, PNC Bank, Shearers, Eat 'n Park, Shapers, Spaghetti Warehouse, Whirl  Magazine, Subway and ESSpa.COM.

SOURCE Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon