Chester Co. woman racing Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run for 40 years
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Paid Partner Sponsorship: Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
For 82-year-old Ingrid Cantarella-Fox, running is a big part of life.
"I don't stand still very well," says Cantarella-Fox, a longtime participant in the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run.
She says, generally, she tries to get at least one day of running in, going five miles.
"I started running 43 years ago," she says. "I normally run on the Chester Valley Trail."
RELATED: The 2026 Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run
On May 3, she'll be racing in the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run, just as she's done since 1985.
"I missed one," she says. "I like seeing what my body can do, but I'm not a compulsive trainer."
She credits her late husband, Dennis Fox, and his passion for running with getting her kick started.
"I've done the Philadelphia Distance Run. I've done 35 marathons," she says. "Those are all marathon medals."
At age 79, she ran her last 26-miler. Now, she only races the 10-miler through Center City.
"Broad Street's always been special to me," she says.
Particularly, the race on May 5, 1991, which is her wedding day.
"That's the two of us," she says. "We said, 'We got to run Broad Street first and then we'll get married in the afternoon.'"
When Dennis passed in the late '90s, Ingrid pressed on in his memory.
"I got to keep running, because that's what he gave me," she says. "That was a great gift."
And she's only getting better with age. Last year she won first place in the 'Female 80 & Over' category, finishing the race in just slightly under two hours.
"I've been lucky to win my age group for a number of years, since my sixties," she says.
She has a collection of awards to prove it.
"I've probably come in first, second or third every year pretty much since then," she says. "It's fun."
And she has no plans to slow down, even after an ankle fracture earlier this year.
"It's good. It's healed," she says.
At her age, she claims her legs are "stiffer than they used to be," but she doesn't let that bother her.
"It's peaceful, gets rid of stress," she says.
For now, she's not training too hard, but will be ready to compete when the time comes.
"You put a number on me and I'm gonna run as hard as I can run that day," she says. "I'd still like to place."
The Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run is slated to kick off Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 7 a.m..
You can tune in to 6abc for live coverage along the race route, which starts near Central High School and ends at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia.
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