INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has experienced what it’s like to ride in an IndyCar two-seater.

He took a ride in the Fastest Seat in Sports ahead of the 2025 Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

This past Sunday, he rode in the Fastest Seat in Sports again. But this time, the two-seater reached higher speeds as it screamed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval ahead of the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

“Incredible experience,” Pierce said. “I’ll never forget that. So cool… At the end there, with the helicopters, that was pretty cool.”

Pierce added that when he was in the car going around the track, he was able to truly realize just how many people were inside IMS. Keep in mind, Sunday’s race was a grandstand sellout and more than 350,000 fans were thought to have been inside the facility.

“You really can see how many… hundreds of thousands of people of people out here,” Pierce said.

Andrew Chernoff, WISH-TV and WRTV 6 weekend sports anchor/reporter, asked Pierce how the Indy 500 ride in the two-seater compared to the once Pierce took ahead of the Sonsio Grand Prix.

“The Grand Prix I didn’t know what I was signing up for,” Pierce said. “That was a little bit more like the racing itself. The driving in the car was crazy because it was all those turns and this was cool. This was we were just going super fast. This was more just cool to see everybody out there and just be on the track and be a part of such a special event.”

Pierce just wrapped up his fourth season in the NFL.

This past year was arguably the best year of his career. He finished with 47 receptions for 1,003 yards. Pierce also hauled in six touchdowns.

He signed a new, four-year contract with the Colts back in March.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2022 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Jimmie Johnson drove the two-seater that Pierce experienced this weekend.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hundreds of fitness enthusiasts started Memorial Day with a climb.

The Hill 317 kicked off its 16-week season Monday morning after a last-minute venue change to Paul Ruster Park. The event was initially set for Lawrence but moved due to safety issues, organizers said.

“Once police officers realized this was a health event, and no weapons, alcohol, or drugs were involved, they didn’t see a reason to stop people from working out together.”

Brandon Beasley, who founded The Hill 317 in 2019, said the turnout shows how the group has grown from a small running club into a citywide movement.

“I created this health event in 2019, and it’s been going ever since,” Beasley said. “I decided to run the hill, asked people to run with me, and the next thing you know, we have 3-4-500 people.”

‘It’s really your level’

The two-hour sessions include running, walking, or pacing up the hill, followed by a halftime break for calisthenics like squats, push-ups, and jumping jacks. Refreshments and a DJ round out the workout.

“It’s really your level,” Beasley said. “If you can walk up the hill, you can walk up the hill. If you can push yourself to run up the hill, flip up the hill, crawl up the hill, go backwards — whatever you need to do to push yourself to exercise — then we take a halftime break to do calisthenics.”

People of all ages joined Monday’s session. Organizers said even a baby in a stroller made it to the top.

‘No competition. We’re pushing each other’

Mollie Lindeman, softball coach at Cardinal Ritter and a longtime participant, said the community focus keeps her coming back.

“This is amazing,” Lindeman said. “There are so many people here for our first hill of the season. I love to see everyone out here getting up and running today, after or before they eat some Memorial Day food. This is really a great turnout. It’s awesome.”

Lindeman said the group’s supportive environment stands out.

“I am the softball coach at Cardinal Ritter, but I love the community aspect of this,” she said. “Everybody here is together. There’s no competition. We’re pushing each other. You can meet people here and connect with people.”

Free workouts run through summer

The Hill 317 will meet every Monday and Thursday for the next 16 weeks. Sessions are free and open to all fitness levels.

Organizers said the program focuses on building healthier lifestyles through group accountability and encouragement.

Registration and location updates are available online.

If anyone wants to help sponsor the community event, contact info@thehill317.com.