NATIONAL DISTANCE RUNNING HALL OF FAME NAMES ED FROEHLICH 2005 LEBOW AWARD RECIPIENT

November 4, 2005 (New York, NY) -- The National Distance Running Hall of Fame has named Ed Froehlich  of Bettendorf, Iowa the winner of the 2005 Fred Lebow Award for lifetime achievement.

Ed is presently the executive race director of the Quad-City Times Bix 7, Road Race.  During Froehlich’s leadership the race grew from 800 runners to over 20,000 runners and walkers.  The Quad-City Times Bix 7 has runners from all 50 states and 16 different countries. The Bix has also added the Junior Bix 7 which has had between 3,000 to 5,000 children participating. They are currently capping the Junior Bix 7 at 3,500 participants.

Established to honor the spirit and commitment of the man who co-founded the New York City Marathon and who worked tirelessly to build the race into a world-renowned distance running event, the Fred Lebow Award was presented to Froehlich as the kick off the to ING New York City Marathon Race Directors Hospitality Reception at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers.
“This award is a great honor for me,” said Froehlich. “Fred was a true original. He was a visionary, a leader and the ultimate promoter of distance running. All of the major races owe a great deal to Fred Lebow for his endless determination, innovation and his celebration of the human spirit.”

Some of Froehlich’s other accomplishments are:

• Past President of the Professional Road Runners Organization
• Served as Vice President of Running USA
• 1993 Road Race Managements’ Race Director of the Year
• Inducted into the Quad City Sports Hall of Fame in 1998
• Inducted into the Running USA’s Hall of Champions in 2005

“Ed Froehlick, like Fred Lebow, has demonstrated vision, dedication and commitment to the sport of distance running,” said Allan Steinfeld, Former President of the New York Road Runners and a close friend of Fred Lebow. “Ed’s achievements reflect the spirit not only of this sport, but also of Fred Lebow – a man who demonstrated that the ability to succeed comes from inner strength and personal determination.”

The 2005 Lebow Award is sponsored by the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, the New York Road Runners, Larry Rawson and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

The National Distance Running Hall of Fame is located in Utica, New York, along a stretch of the New York State Thruway that could be called “Hall of Fame Corridor.” 

Established in 1998, the Hall’s prestigious induction is celebrated at an annual ceremony held in conjunction with the Boilermaker Road Race during Hall of Fame Weekend, the second weekend each July, in Utica, New York.  Its current list of 27 members includes legends such as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Alberto Salazar, Jim Ryun, Grete Waitz, Kathrine Switzer, Mary Decker Slaney, Joan Benoit Samuelson and the late Steve Prefontaine.  The Hall is dedicated to honoring the sport of distance running and the athletes who have made contributions to the sport, from top runners and the most decorated athletes, to those who pushed the sport’s barriers and eventually broke them. The Hall is housed in a three-story brownstone building and honors these athletes’ talents, initiative and drive through the pictures, memorabilia and awards that decorate the exhibit rooms and pull the visitor into the runner’s world, a place often inhabited by the runner alone as she/he challenges the limits of the human spirit. The Hall of Fame offers membership opportunities for road races, clubs, organizations and individuals, at a variety of levels.  More information can be found at the Hall’s official website, www.distancerunning.com.

Contact: John R. Petrone, Executive Director, National Distance Running Hall of Fame, 315.724.4525.