Posted: November 9, 2007

Athletics: Ingalls Is Race Director Of The Year

From David Monti © 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (09-Nov) -- Bob Ingalls, outgoing race director of the Boilermaker 15-K Road Race in Utica, N.Y., was named 2007 MarathonFoto/Road Race Management Race Director of the Year at a special reception held at the Road Race Management Race Director's Meeting which kicked off here last night at the Hyatt Pier 66 Hotel. The award, presented by the Running Network, recognizes excellence in race directing. "We had one of the largest fields of candidates in years," said award coordinator Jeff Darman in a prepared statement. Ingalls is only the second race director of the Boilermaker. He took over from race founder Earle Reed in 1998 and in his seven-year tenure has grown the Boilermaker to become the second largest 15-K race in the United States with 10,882 finishers in 2007 (the Gate River Run was the largest 15-K with 11,326 finishers). He also introduced a companion 8-K walk, improved the race start with a corral system and added transponder timing. "There is no bigger honor than to get one from your peers," said Ingalls last night as he accepted his award. He will be succeeded at the helm of the Boilermaker in 2008 by Jim Stasaitis, Jr., a long-time race staff member. The award is made annually to recognize and promote excellence in race directing. Nominees were judged on several factors, including overall ability, reputation of race, creativity and organizational ability. Previous recipients include Rafael Acosta (World's Best 10-K), Steve Bosley (Bolder Boulder 10-K), John Conley (At&T Austin Marathon), Julia Emmons (Peachtree Road Race), and Ed Froehlich (Quad-City Times Bix 7). The Road Race Management Race Director's Meeting continues here through Saturday. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest