Ingold, Foster to Run Bix 7 Road Race

Published on July 25, 2003 under arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release


DAVENPORT, Iowa – His pre-game ritual is always the same, so why change it for the last game of the regular season. Well, changing the running part of the ritual won't change, just the distance. Quad City Steamwheelers head coach Rich Ingold and Managing Owner/Operator Jim Foster will be running this Saturday's 29th Annual Bix 7 Road Race in Davenport, Iowa. Ingold usually takes a shorter run prior to each game, home or away.

"This is going to be my run, it's just a little longer and earlier than normal, but I will get to taste the experience of the Bix 7," Ingold said.

Foster is a former Iowa Hawkeye track runner and will probably run the Quick Bix (a shorter 2-mile version of the race) as he is coming off knee surgery one year ago. Foster's son, Palmer, is also running the Jr. Bix later tonight.

The run, which includes the steep Brady Street hill, is one of the biggest road races in the world, attracting close to 20,000 runners every year, will start at 8:00 a.m. on Brady and Fourth Streets.

So what made Ingold decide to run the race? Leave it to his assistants to help him out on that one. Steamwheelers defensive back's coach Eddie Langford talked Ingold into it after Bix 7 Race Director Ed Froelick suggested to Ingold that he try it out.

"I've run the Pittsburgh Marathon and the Quad City Marathon and the Bix 7 is a big event around here. The buzz is in the air and I didn't have the opportunity to experience it last year because we were in Hawaii playing the Islanders," Ingold said. "I just know how people in the Quad Cities feel about it, it's a great event and I want to be apart of it."

Langford has run the race for 23 years now and thought that it would be a great idea for Ingold to try it knowing his game day ritual.

For those looking for Mr. Intensity (a.k.a. Ingold), he will be wearing number 6689 on his trek across the seven-mile course.

"I am looking to do it in about 50 minutes," Ingold said. "When I go for a short run, I run one mile in under eight minutes so I am going for about 50 minutes.

"I can't kill myself because I have to coach in a game later on that night." Ingold will then hop on a bus to Peoria, Ill. to take on the Pirates at 7:00 p.m. at Peoria Civic Center. Fans looking to attend the Peoria game can go to www.steamwheelerfans.com for more information.

The first Bix 7 Road Race was ran in 1975 attracting 84 runners and had 19,558 participants last year. In 1999, the race saw its largest number of participants at 23,182. The Bix 7 is listed as the ninth largest road race in America according to the USA Track and Field/STATS by the number of official finishers.

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