Record-setting Liberty Mile showcases Pittsburgh's running spirit

For the first time since November 2019, a road race with a live start went off on the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh.

More than 1,300 runners from ages 3 to 78, including a group of 22 elite pro-milers, tested their mettle Friday evening at the 10th annual Fleet Feet Liberty Mile under near-perfect weather conditions in the Cultural District.

“The excitement was unbelievable, not just for the participants but all of the spectators who lined the streets,” said Troy Schooley, the CEO of P3R, the local running organization charged with coordinating all aspects of the event.

“This was probably more than I expected, and I expected a lot this week. You could see the excitement for the runners of all ages, but the crowd went nuts for all the kids who came across the finish line. Then the great weather made for some really fast times.”

A record was set in the women’s elite pro mile. Sinclaire Johnson, 23, smashed the previous female top mark by seven seconds, crossing the finish line in 4 minutes, 26.54 seconds.

Running at the Liberty Mile event for the first time, the Portland, Ore., resident and Oklahoma State graduate said she was surprised by her time.

“I felt I ran really well,” Johnson said. “I am really happy with the win and the course record. This was a really fun event. A lot of people definitely missed running in Pittsburgh, and there was a record amount of registrations. Everyone is excited to continue to get out there and have fun running.”

Vincent Ciattei, 26, a 2018 Virginia Tech graduate running out of Eugene, Ore., barely missed setting the men’s race record. Running in Pittsburgh for the first time, he took first in 3:58.39.

The top four men’s elite runners finished in under four minutes.

“After last year, barely racing and having no crowds to being a part of something like this, it was something I will never forget,” said Ciattei, who placed 10th in the men’s 1,500 at the Olympic Track and Field Trials.

“It was my first win as a professional runner, so I will cherish this one forever.”

“I think I did pretty well. In college, I ran from the front like that a lot, and I sort of got away from that the past couple of years. I had a pretty disappointing Olympic Trials, but I just wanted to race to win.”

Johnson and Ciattei, both Nike pros, earned $5,000 for their respective victories. Johnson added an extra $2,000 for setting the course record.

Peters Township graduate Nick Wolk, who also ran at Pitt, finished ninth in the men’s pro race, and Pitt grad Nathan Sloan took 11th.

Multitime Point Park national champion Anna Shields was ninth in the women’s race.

Defending champs from 2019, Robert Domanic (scheduling conflict) and Emily Lipari (injury) were not able to compete in this year’s pro races.

The 1,300-plus runners is a Liberty Mile record, as is the more than 200 runners ages 18 and under.

Runners World each year notes the Liberty Mile as “one of America’s most iconic races.” It is the only one during Pittsburgh’s road race year that is conducted in the evening hours.

Spectators lined the course, which began on Penn Avenue between Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue and ended at the corner of Sixth and Liberty Avenue, and cheered on the runners.

A series of races – for beginners and recreational runners, kids (13 and under), masters (40 and over), more competitive runners (13 to 49) and even dogs – led up to the pro-mile main events.

Stan Cottrell, 78, the elder statesman of the Liberty Mile this year, is in the process of running 30 miles a day for 100 consecutive days to raise money for veterans and to aid research and treatment of pediatric cancer.

Friday was the 78th day for the Atlanta resident. He already had run 29 miles earlier in the day, and his Liberty Mile race was his 30th and also the 2,450th of his trek across the country.

His journey began in Malibu, Calif., on May 7 and is set to conclude Aug. 14 in Washington, D.C.

Cottrell said this year’s Liberty Mile wasn’t the first time he has run in Pittsburgh, but he said it was one of the most special. He shared his experience of one time running from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh over the course of 10 days to raise $100,000 for diabetes awareness and research.

“It is such a great feeling that people would want me to race here,” said Cottrell, who offered congratulations to Pittsburgh and race organizers as it returned to live road racing in the city.

“(The Liberty Mile) is connected to the message I’ve been taking with me across the country. Shed your funeral clothes and get up and get moving. Boy, Pittsburgh is doing it in style.”

A Netflix documentary is being produced that will chronicle Cottrell’s cross-country excursion.

Last year’s Liberty Mile was entirely virtual with runners taking part in all corners of the country. While this year’s event returned to the live-race format, event coordinator Jane Sheerer said more than 200 runners were able to utilize the virtual option over the past several weeks.