African runners win in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH – Kenya’s Kipkoech Ruto took the men’s title in the Pittsburgh Marathon Sunday morning with a time of 2:17.27. Ethopia’s Hailemaryam Ayantu Dakebo won the women’s race in 2:42:47.
In the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, Kenya’s Julius Kogo, the race record holder (1:02:32 in 2013) won the men’s race in 1:03:13, and Ethiopia’s Etaferahu Temesgen won the women’s in 1:13:08.
Some 18,240 marathoners and half-marathoners and 1,219 Pittsburgh Marathon Relay teams ran through 13 neighborhoods, experiencing more than 80 bands and cheer groups as well as thousands of fans to the finish line in downtown Pittsburgh.
Ruto, 27, would lead from the start, gapping the field on event record pace crossing the half-marathon mark in 1:05:56. With almost a one minute lead on his closest competitor, Ruto could relax in the rolling hills of Pittsburgh’s Shadyside, Point Breeze and Homewood neighborhoods.
Werkuneh Seyoum Aboye of Ethiopia, 31, closed the gap begininng at mile 17, catching Ruto just after the 21-mile mark. The two would battle for the next three miles. As they entered downtown, Ruto would use the downhill finish and conserved energy from earlier in the race to win handidly in 2:17:27 to Aboye’s 2:18:42.
“I felt very good. I did relax and save energy, allowing me to feel good at the end,” said Ruto, who won on his first trip to Pittsburgh and will take home $8,000 for the title. American Tyler Jermann, 23, a resident of Flagstaff, Ariz, managed his race well in the rolling hills and would cross the line in third, clocking 2:20:38. As part of P3R’s American Development Progam (ADP), Jermann received $4,000 for his third-place finish and an additional $4,500 for being the first American under 2:25.
“I had a lot of fun out here. I backed off on the hills and some runners caught me, but relaxing a litte allowed me to finish strong,” said Jermann. “I look forward to being back next year.”
On the women’s side Ethopians Hailemaryam Ayantu Dakebo, 20, and Bizuwork Getahun Kasay, 27, would run stride-for-stride for 23 miles through the streets of Pittsburgh. By Mile 25, Dekubo would build a one-minute lead over her fellow countrywoman before going on to win in 2:39:18 to Kasay’s 2:42:47.
Dekubo earned $8,000 for her efforts while Kasay would earn $6,000 as runner-up. For Kasay, her second place also matched her husband’s second place finish, Aboye in the men’s marathon.
American Phebe Ko, 33, an anesthesiologist in San Francisco, and two-time U.S. Olympic Trials qualifer (2008 and 2012) returned to racing after getting through medical school. Ko won third place and will take home $4,000 and another $4,500 for being the first American under 2:50 as part of the ADP.
“My goal coming in was to be top American and I know the Marathon can be unpredictable. I didn’t panic,” said Ko. “It’s great that Pittsburgh really takes care of all the elite athletes and especially the Americans. Training is hard when you’re on call, but I still have a goal to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.”
The men’s half marathon featured a two-way battle between athletes familiar to Pittsburgh. Kenyan’s Julius Kogo, 30, and 2015 champion Kimutai Cheruiyot, 30, raced side-by-side through nine miles before Kogo would begin to pull away at mile 10. He would hold on and break the finish line tape in 1:03:13 to Cheruiyot’s 1:03:29. Fellow countryman, Nelson Oyugi, 23, would make it a Kenyan sweep with a third place finish in 1:05:04.
In the women’s half marathon, Etaferahu Temesgen of Ethiopia, 26, Susan Jerotich of Kenya, 29, and Virginia’s Serena Burla of the United States, 33, would run together through the first five miles in 27:36. Temesgen would make her move soon after with Jerotich following closely behind, but it would prove too much as she would continue to build an eventual one-minute gap after mile 10. Temesgen crossed the line in 1:13:08 to Jerotich’s 1:14:00.