With the news of Competitor Group limiting their support of professional runners last month, fans, athletes, agents, coaches and media have debated, dissected and discussed some of the major financial struggles the sport is dealing with. While some news is less than encouraging, other news shows the investment in professional running is far from gone.

Take the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, for example. Shortly after the depressing Competitor Group news broke, the Steel City organization announced the inclusion of a $10,500 prize purse for their new EQT Pittsburgh 10 Mile. On top of that, their total elite prize purse for their year-round slate of events topped the $150,000 mark. 

We caught up with Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon executive director Patrice Matamoros recently, discussing her organizations support of professional runners, what their goals are as an organization and how the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Mile is shaping up. This is a must read!

Scott Bush (SB): A couple weeks back it was announced your new EQT Pittsburgh 10 Mile on November 3 is offering $10,500 in prize money to the elite field. Why include a prize purse in your inaugural race?

Patrice Matamoros (PM): After the Competitor’s Group decision to cut elite support, we thought it was an important time to continue to show our support for professional runners.

SB: How is the elite field shaping up considering the race is a month out?

PM: We took a chance when we announced the prize purse so late, but we have been more than happy with the response from athletes. Race day should be exciting with Fernando Cabada, highlighting the men’s race, along with Team USA Minnesota teammates Jon Grey and Jon Peterson. Askale Merachi, who won this year’s Broad Street Run, leads the women’s field. We also have Katie Matthews, who was a five-time All-American at Boston University.

SB: There's been much talk lately of pro runners' value to major road races. With a strong elite program for the four races your organization puts on, including over $150,000 in prize money, how do you value pros in your events?

PM: We know adding a competitive field adds prestige to our events. We feel strongly that it is part of our mission to provide support and resources to our country’s top talent.

SB: With such an investment in the top runners, how do you incorporate them into your events?

PM: Our goal is always to engage the top runners in our events with the Pittsburgh community. Doing this creates a fan base, and makes the athletes feel part of the community.

At this year’s GNC Live Well Liberty Mile, Jordan McNamara served as an honorary coach for the Summer Dreamers Academy, a Pittsburgh Public Schools program that includes a youth summer running component. Nearly 180 elementary and middle school students in the program received coaching, training plans and running gear. While McNamara was training for the event, he sent motivational videos to the students, as they were completing their 5-week training program for the event.

During race week, Jordan arrived several days early to meet the kids at their final training run.
After the kids complete their training, they ran the first wave of the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile and then cheered on Jordan.

When you make athletes feel part of the community, they start to feel a loyalty to your race and the city. Engaging athletes in the community is a win for everyone.

SB: How has your elite athlete program evolved since its inception?

PM: Given Pittsburgh’s history of hosting the Olympic Trials in 1988 and 2000 and attracting the country’s top talent, we knew when we re-launched the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2009 that we wanted to have an elite athlete program. We like to give our athletes a first-class treatment when they come to Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Marathon prize purse can’t compete with other established running events, like the World Marathon Majors. Our focus has been on identifying and recruiting up-and-coming runners who can use our race as a launching pad.

Jeffrey Eggleston is a great example of this. When he started the 2011 race as a “rabbit” for the Marathon and then went on to win, he had established himself as a long-distance runner but had not yet had a major win. Now, he’s highlighting the American runners at the New York Marathon.

SB: What makes your four races unique to Pittsburgh and the region as a whole?

PM: We always hope to offer a world-class racing experience to our participants. When we re-launched the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2009, we thought “big” and surprised everyone with our success. Pittsburgh is a sports city. It’s important the sport of running is well represented.

Our races give Pittsburgh the opportunity to see world-class athletes from their door steps.

For more information on the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, check out their website, Facebook page and Twitter feed.