Updated 18 hours ago

Not even Mother Nature could slow the top runners in the world Friday night in Pittsburgh at the sixth annual GNC Live Well Liberty Mile.

The race was organized by Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc. (P3R), a nonprofit organization that also manages the Pittsburgh Marathon.

The race, held in the Cultural District, featured more than 1,000 participants, with the oldest being 75 years old and the youngest at 3.

The event featured five races, highlighted by the American Development Pro Men and Women races.

The 2016 champions were present to defend their titles, but only Ben Blankenship on the men's side was able to do so.

Blankenship, a 2016 Olympian, was the first to cross the finish line in 4 minutes, 4.60 seconds, beating Kyle Merber (4:05.39) by less than a second.

I love competing and love competing in the road mile, Blankenship said. The aspect of being shoulder-to-shoulder says how competitive it is and that you are running against the man right next to you. These are some of the most fun races I do all year.

Blankenship had the advantage of knowing the course and how to pace himself as the defending champion.

I had an understanding of what to do on this course, Blankenship said. Road miles can always be deceiving. You have to be so aware to guys to your left and right. The final stretch can be deceiving with how close or far you are to the finish line.

For the women, two-time national champion Emily Lipari from Villanova picked up her first road mile win in Pittsburgh with a time of 4:34.77. Lipari improved on her finishes the last three years in this race after placing fourth in 2015 and second last year.

It feels really exciting, Lipari said. This race has always been good for me, and I love this crowd. I know so many people who are from Pittsburgh that come out to cheer me on. It has always been special for me, and I am excited about the progress I have been making.

Lipari also is just the third female winner in the event's history, joining Heather Kampf and Gabriele Grunewald. Kampf was the two-time defending champion and also won the event in 2012 and '13.

For their first-place finishes, Blankenship and Lipari earned a prize of $5,000 from GNC. In all, GNC awarded $30,000 in prize money to the top five finishers in each race.

The event wasn't held for just the professionals. The locals of Pittsburgh also had an opportunity to showcase their talents in the mile run, with three separate waves. The first wave included, One For Fun presented by Fleet Feet Sports Pittsburgh, Pup Trot presented by Humane Animal Rescue, and Kids of STEEL. Following that was the Masters wave presented by UPMC Health Plan and the Unstoppable wave presented by Fleet Feet Sports Pittsburgh.

Drew Karpen is a freelance writer.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, registration for next year's 26.2-mile run will open on Tuesday with the lowest ...

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Olympian Ben Blankenship defends title at Liberty Mile - Tribune-Review