FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Geay, Wanjiru Win PRRO Championship at Bloomsday
PRRO champions also split $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus;
Boilermaker Road Race 15K opens the 2019-20 Circuit on Sunday, July 14
SPOKANE, Wash. - On Sunday morning May 5th, under pleasant, partially
cloudy conditions, the 43rd Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K hosted the 2019 PRRO
Championship, and Gabriel Geay of Tanzania and Rosemary Wanjiru of Kenya
captured the PRRO crowns in 34 minutes, 50 seconds and 39:06, respectively,
and each earned $7000 as race winners. In an exciting men's finish, Geay
outkicked Benard Ngeno of Kenya by one second, while Wanjiru went
unchallenged to the tape, beating women's runner-up Vicoty Chepngeno of
Kenya by 30 seconds.
In addition, for the 24th PRRO Championship, Geay and Wanjiru also split
evenly the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus. Both PRRO champions were eligible for
the bonus because each had won a 2018-19 PRRO Circuit event (Geay,
Boilermaker 15K 2018 and Wanjiru, Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile
2019). The overall event prize purse awarded was $86,500 in Open and
American prize money plus PRRO bonus money.
"It was great to finish out my tenure as Bloomsday race director with two
exciting races on Sunday," said Don Kardong, Professional Road Running
Organization (PRRO) Circuit President and Bloomsday race director &
founder. "And it was also gratifying to have race winners from Boilermaker
and Cherry Blossom split the PRRO Championship Super Bonus at Bloomsday."
Also at the PRRO Championship, $1500 was paid out in PRRO Event Champion's
Bonus money for 2018-19 PRRO Circuit event winners - see summary below -
who also earned top 10 Open prize money in Spokane. [NOTE: An athlete who
wins the PRRO Super Bonus is not eligible for the PRRO Event Champion's
Bonus.]
Bonus money of $1500 went to:
- Buze Diriba (Ethiopia), 6th female, 41:19
For complete 2019 race results, go to: bloomsdayrun.org
The Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K on May 6, 2018 opened the PRRO Circuit 2018-19.
The PRRO Circuit - celebrating its 25th year - showcased world class
competition at 4 classic American road race events shorter than the
marathon distance and featured more than $330,000 in guaranteed prize money
overall, with $109,500 available for U.S. athletes.
PRRO CIRCUIT 2018-19 SUMMARY
Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 6, 2018, Spokane, WA
Jemal Yimer, Ethiopia (34:18)
Buze Diriba, Ethiopia (39:27)
Boilermaker 15K, July 8, 2018, Utica, NY
Gabriel Geay, Tanzania (43:40)
Mary Wacera, Kenya (50:01)
Publix Gasparilla Half Marathon, February 24, 2019, Tampa, FL
Scott Fauble, USA (1:05:09)
Aliphine Tuliamuk, USA (1:12:29)
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, April 7, 2019, Washington, DC
Jemal Yimer, Ethiopia (45:36)
Rosemary Wanjiru, Kenya (50:42)
Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K: The PRRO Championship, May 5, 2019, Spokane, WA
Gabriel Geay, Tanzania (34:50)
Rosemary Wanjiru, Kenya (39:06)
The Boilermaker Road Race 15K, on Sunday, July 14 in Utica, NY, will open
the 2019-20 Circuit season, and the summertime classic U.S. road race will
also host the 2020 PRRO Championship.
To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 17 world and 17 U.S. road
records, awarded more than $7.6 million in prize money and seen more than
2.5 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the
PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $1.9 million, including
$160,000 in PRRO Circuit Championship bonus money.
The PRRO Circuit, a long-time pioneer and champion of a clean sport, has
funded drug testing at its events since 2006. During the 2017-18 season,
more than 50 in-competition tests and an undisclosed number of
pre-competition tests were conducted. The 2018-19 season will have a
similar number of tests.
PRRO Championship and Circuit Year
The PRRO Circuit, launched in 1995, starts and finishes the Circuit Year at
the same event that will also host the season-ending PRRO Championship
race. The reigning titlists of the PRRO Championship and the event winners
on the current Circuit are eligible to compete for the PRRO Super Bonus at
the PRRO Championship.
Visit PRRO.org for more information, including PRRO's history and past
champions, as well as how to join the PRRO Circuit.
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