Vince Ciattei wins Liberty Mile for 2nd year in row

Nearly perfect weather conditions greeted runners and spectators alike Friday evening as the 11th Fleet Feet Liberty Mile showcased quick-pace competition in Downtown Pittsburgh’s only evening road race.

More than 1,300 runners of all abilities, ages 2 to 85, including a group of 20 elite pro-milers, were challenged to run their best mile on streets in and around the Cultural District.

“The crowd and the atmosphere are electric,” said Troy Schooley, the CEO of P3R, the local running organization charged with coordinating all aspects of the event.

“I’ve seen a ton of young kids running, supported by their parents and their grandparents. There are probably people down here running who might have thought they couldn’t complete a mile who are completing it right in front of our eyes. All ages and all abilities; that’s what this event is all about. Getting out and running with us. It’s been great.

This year’s Liberty Mile continued Pittsburgh’s return to live-start road racing since the covid pandemic wiped out such events for 15 months starting in spring 2020.

Last year’s Liberty Mile was the first road race since the EQT Ten Miler in Nov. 2019.

Runners World each year calls Liberty Mile “one of America’s most iconic races.”

There are more than a dozen additional road races in Pittsburgh through the end of November. That includes the 45th Pittsburgh Great Race on Sept. 25 and the Ten Miler on Nov. 6.

America’s best milers, including U.S. Olympians, world-record holders and national champions, competed for a prize purse of more than $27,000.

The men’s and women’s pro winners each pocketed $5,000.

Vince Ciattei , 27, a 2018 Virginia Tech graduate running out of Eugene, Ore., repeated as the men’s winner with a top time of 4:03. He broke 4 minutes last year with a time of 3:58.39.

“I had great memories of this race last year. It was my first-ever race in Pittsburgh, so it was great to be back this year,” Ciattei said. “That definitely gave me confidence. And my family was here to watch me, which was pretty cool.

“I knew that I had a target on my back. I just wanted to do what I did last year, which was stay near the front and try to control it. I raced well.”

The women’s pro winner, Nikki Hiltz, 27, out of Flagstaff, Ariz., raced in Pittsburgh for the first time, and the first time was the charm. They finished with a time of 4:28, edging two-time Liberty Mile champion Emily Liparti at the tape.

Liparti returned to the Liberty Mile after injury prevented her from running the race last year.

“I’ve always wanted to run this race, but this was the first year my schedule allowed it,” Hiltz said. “The crowd was just so loud coming down in the chute to the finish that I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me. I knew there were some really good kickers in this race, so I just tried to close as hard as I could.”

Hometown standout Hanna Green, a Latrobe native and 2013 Latrobe graduate, placed fifth overall in the women’s pro race (4:36).

“I had never run a road mile, so having my first be here, it was really special,” said Green, who now lives and trains in Eugene, Ore.

“It was so much fun, and I just love this city. All my family and friends came out to cheer me on. My brother ran the Pup Trot and was third, and my sister ran the Unstoppable mile. It was a whole family affair.”

Michigan resident Andrea Pomaranski, 40, gave a serious challenge to the American women’s masters road mile record as she bested the field, including runner-up and last year’s winner, Jennifer Bigham, in a time of 4:47.

Bigham came in second at 5:10.

Mt. Lebanon’s Sean Battis, 40, took first in the men’s masters by two seconds (4:41). It was his first Liberty Mile masters race.

The Unstoppable races, for those ages 14-39 who can run better than a 6-minute mile, featured a $500 prize to the men’s and women’s winners. Both also secured a spot in the 2023 Liberty Mile pro heats.

Nick Wolk, a Peters Township grad, won the men’s race with a time of 4:17, and University of Pennsylvania graduate Mikayla Schneider captured the women’s race in a time of 5:00.

Mile heats began at 7 p.m. and included the One For Fun for first-time runners and other recreational runners, the Corporate Challenge, Kids of Steel, the Pup Trot, and the 4Run2 heat featuring runners ages 14-19.

The Run Happy Awards were presented for the first time and celebrated the fun participants had while running their mile. The awards ranged from Middle of the Pack, Most Red White and Blue, Best Costume and Best Finish Line Face. All of the winners received a pair of shoes from Brooks Running.

Spectators lined the course, from the starting line on Penn Avenue between Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue to the finish line at the corner of Sixth and Liberty Avenue, and cheered on their favorite runners.

While the Liberty Mile returned to a live-race format last year, more than 200 runners also utilized the virtual option.

This year, 171 ran virtually, said event co-coordinator Kelsey Emch.

Results for all the races can be found here.