Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 26

Saturday, July 26, 8 a.m.

Downtown Davenport IA

Returning to downtown Davenport for its incredible 51st year, the Quad-City Times Bix 7 will again find runners and walkers taking on a seven-mile foot race alongside live bands and cheering crowds, the July 26 event famed for being the largest non-marathon race in the Midwest, having captured the imaginations of thousands upon thousands of enthusiasts from both the United States and countries around the globe.

With this year's race set to feature legendary competitors including Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Frank Shorter, and Meb Keflezighi. the Bix 7 was founded in 1975 by Bettendorf resident John Hudetz. After competing in the 1974 Boston Marathon, Hudetz was inspired to bring the excitement to the Quad Cities with a similar event of his own, and while the inaugural race had a field consisting of a mere 84 runners, modern-day races are often run by 12,000 to 18,000 runners. The United States’ boycott of the 1980 Olympics helped gain the Bix 7 exposure. Bill Rodgers, the world's top distance runner at the time, was unable to compete in Moscow, so he went to Davenport instead. The leadership of race director Ed Froehlich, promotion by the Quad-City Times, and generosity from several corporate sponsorships have helped the Bix 7 develop into the largest non-marathon race in the Midwest, one that consistently draws elite talent from all over the globe. Running legends including 1984 Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, among many others, compete annually.

In addition to the Bix 7, other options for participants on and in the days before the main race include: the July 26 Prairie Farms Quick Bix, a two-mile fun run or walk up the Brady Street hill with live bands playing alongside the course; the July 26 Premier Buick GMC Dealers High School Competition, in which the first Iowa or Illinois male and female high school finishers to cross the Bix 7 finish line will win $1,000 for their school; the July 26 Caesars Sportsbook Team Competition, in which teams of five race the seven-mile course with $5,500 in team prize money on the line; the July 22 Bechtel Trusts Senior Bix for ages 50 and older, with the flat one- to two-mile course offering great views of the Mississippi from the Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf riverfront; the July 24 MercyOne Genesis Brady Street Sprints with their quarter-mile uphill climb; and the July 25 Arconic Jr. Bix 7, an all-inclusive event designed for crawlers to runners up to age 12, with various distances based on age, and each participant receiving a medal, T-shirt, and entrance into the festive post-race party. Beyond the youths, all Bix 7 competitors who cross the finish line are invited to the Quad-City Times parking lot afterward, where representatives from Walmart and other race sponsors will be waiting with food, beverages, and fun.

For more information on the July 26 event, visit Bix7.com.