Kiprop, Chelangat Easily Win 48th Running of the Philadelphia Distance Run

By David Block

Patrick Kiprop of Kenya ran his Philadelphia Distance Run (PDR) debut on Sunday,

September 20. The PDR newcomer finished the 13.1 mile course first with a 1:00:55 clocking.

His win was no surprise to certain PR people riding the press truck. This past January, Kiprop finished second in the Houston Half Marathon, posting a 59:14 finish.

The PR people said that Kiprop was the runner to watch for at this year’s PDR, and they were right.

By the two-mile mark, Kiprop and fellow Kenyan Sosten Kipchirchir had broken away from the lead pack; their split was nine minutes flat.

The two Kenyans hit the 5K mark on Kelly Drive in 14:23. The two were still together at the five-mile mark with a 23:06 split.

At a glance, it seemed as though the two Kenyans knew each other and had trained together, but after the race, Kiprop set the record straight.

“I never met him before today,” said Kiprop.

Between Miles Six and Seven, Kiprop broke away from Kipchirchir without the latter resisting.

“I was feeling good,” said Kiprop. “I wanted to pick up the last half.”

By the eight-mile mark on MLK Drive, Kiprop’s split was 37:00. He also had a 200-meter lead over his nearest competitor.

Kiprop’s 10-mile split was 46:28.

After winning the PDR, Kiprop collected the lion’s purse of $2,500.00. Runner-up Victor Shitsama who clocked 1:02:06 picked up the second place share of $1,000.00. Finishing third to receive just $500.00 was Kipchirchir, 1:02:07. Kipchirchir who was tied for first place for the first six miles faded to third.

“I was very happy,” said Kiprop. He said that his next big race will be the NYC Marathon this November.

Mercy Chelangat of Kenya was the first PDR woman finisher, 1:09:21.

This was Chelangat’s second time running the PDR. When she made her PDR debut in 2024, she finished second with a slower posting, 1:10:21.

“I was stronger today,” said Chelangat.

At the beginning of the race, Chelangat was uncertain if she could win. One of her competitors was Susana Sullivan who beat Chelangat in 2024 to collect the first-place prize of $2,500.00.

By the second mile, Chelangat no longer worried about that. She took the lead and kept it for the rest of the race.

Chelangat told this RG writer that she was not worried about anyone catching her.”

“I just wanted to run,” said Chelangat. “I felt good about winning. It was very humid; I felt good.”

Finishing second was Annamaria Kostarellis, 1:10:59, followed by Susana Sullivan, 1:11:55. Sullivan won the 2024 PDR, 1:09:42, while Chelangat had to settle for second place.

The first nonbinary finisher was Winter Parts who clocked 1:10:55 to collect $2,500.00.

“Some of the nonbinaries dropped out of the race,” Parts said. “The first part of the race felt humid. It wasn’t so bad the second half.”

According to Runner’s World, in 2021 the PDR was the first race in the U.S. to give equal amounts of prize money to the nonbinaries as that of the top male and female finishers.

“That’s one of the reasons why I love this race,” said Winter Parts.