Evan Holschbach in the race against ALS to win, supports Walnut 5K Run/Walk

Evan Holschbach has always been in every race to win.

He was a five-time state track medalist, record holder at Princeton High School and has been head coach of nine Western Big Six Conference and three sectional champions for United Township High School in East Moline.

He has a new race he’s desperately trying to win. And it’s personal.

Holschbach lost his dad, Leon, at age 68 to ALS in 2022, just shy of one year after his diagnosis. Holschbach and his wife, Lindsey, volunteered for the Walnut 5K Run/Walk for ALC last year to support the cause and are giving continued support to raise funds to help find a cure.

“Until you’re a part of that (ALS) community ... I had heard of it, of course, but didn’t know anything about it,” Holschbach said. “I didn’t know anyone outside of the Monier family that had it. Then it quickly became this thing that dominated our lives for a year and has changed our lives since then.”

Holschbach said his father first began having to clear his throat often two years before his diagnosis and experienced difficulties with swallowing and lost his use of his tongue.

That was a huge blow for a man who had a gift of gab and to sing whether in the church choir or from the pew.

“One of the things that really defined my dad was he loved to talk. He loved to laugh and he loved to sing,” Holschbach said. “Between his throat muscles and then his tongue being affected so early, he lost his ability to speak probably within five or six months of his diagnosis and then he just went to a writing notepad. That was the hardest part. He loved to laugh and laugh at his own jokes.”

Holschbach said it was a blessing his dad was able to maintain his mobility and be able to take hikes and hold Evan’s youngest daughter, Lucy, in his arms when she was born just three months before he passed.

ALS hit Leon Holschbach out of left field. There was no family history of ALS in the Holschbach family.

“I think it’s an under-researched illness, which leads to a lot of questions of the causes,” Evan Holschbach said. “OK, was it the mercury in his fillings? Or was it something he was exposed to growing up in an industrial city? Or just a random chance thing that can happen.”

Holschbach, 38 and a father of three, was amazed by the support that the Walnut and surrounding communities have given to the 5K Run/Walk for ALS.

“I think first of all, it shows how loved the Monier family is and how impactful they are in Bureau County. But it also shows also how connected people are to that illness, who have had loved ones pass away from it,” Holschbach said.

The Walnut 5K Run/Walk for ALS keeps growing each year with a record of more than 700 participants a year ago. In 13 years, the event has raised $173,990.59 for ALS research.

This year’s 14th annual event is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, July 5, at 323 S. Main St., Walnut. Registration costs $20 by June 27, $25 after. You may register online at runsignup.com/walnut5kforALS and find more information on all social media sites.

The race for a cure for ALS is one Holschbach wants to win soon.

“It’s one of those illnesses that probably if it got the attention it deserves and the funding it deserves, then it would be curable,” he said.

Holschbach said his mom, Deb, started her own charity event in memory of her husband of 40 years, Leon’s Legacy, in the Effingham area to help raise support for home healthcare. Leon Holschbach became president/CEO of Midland State Bank in Effingham in 2007.

Co-director Brad Monier, whose family has been deeply hit by ALS, losing their mother, uncles and cousins, appreciates Holschbach’s support. Although they were from rival high schools, they became friends when both attended Augusta College, Holschbach running track and Monier playing football.

“I like that Evan shares our thoughts in that although we’ve been dealt a tragedy, we’re trying to use it to make a change,” Monier said. “We both share that we want the event to celebrate life, honor those we’ve lost, and fight for a future free of ALS.”

Holschbach just finished his 16th year as head track coach at UT, leading the Panthers to their fourth straight WB6 title and second straight sectional title, including their first individual state champion since 1972 in the shot put.

“That’s always the team goal to beat the teams in your area that are similar to you,” he said. “Growing up in Princeton, we went there (UT) for one meet and we were like, ‘We’re going up against a big team.’ But East Moline is a 3A school and we have 1,700 kids, but our sectional had teams of 2,500 to 3,500 kids.

“My very first year I was 25 and I thought I knew everything. That year we broke a five-year streak and we got second. And then we won five in a row. It has been an absolute blessing and I love teaching there.”

At Princeton, Holschbach won four state medals in relays and a fourth-place medal in the 100 meters from 2004-05, sharing BCR Track Athlete of the Year honor with teammate Jeff Scoma. His 4x200 relay still holds the school record 20 years later. At the time, Tiger coach Don Carlson said Holschbach would go down as one of the best sprinters in school history.

Holschbach has great memories running track for the Tigers, especially the bus rides home.

“Some kids would go home with their parents so we were all spread out, laughing and just being silly together,” he said.

Kevin Hieronymus has been BCR Sport Editor since 1986. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com