Bix 7 Road Race

The Bix 7 Road Race is held annually in Davenport, Iowa, as a commemoration to Davenport native and jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke. It is followed a week later by the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival.

Bix 7
DateLast Saturday of July
LocationDavenport, Iowa
Event typeRoad
Distance7 miles
Primary sponsorQuad-City Times
Established1975 (1975)
Course recordsMen: 31:51.99 (1998)
Kenya Mark Yatich
Women: 35:18 (2016)
Kenya Mary Jepkosgei Keitany
Official siteBix 7
Participants18,000+

Race

The 7 mile road race is annually held during late July, in the streets of downtown Davenport, Iowa. The race was founded in 1975 by John Hudetz, a resident of Bettendorf, Iowa. After competing in the 1974 Boston Marathon, Hudetz was inspired to bring the excitement to the Quad-Cities with a race of his own. The inaugural race had a field consisting of eighty-four runners.[1] Today the race is often run by 12,000 to 18,000 runners.[2][3]

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.[4] The leadership of Race Director Ed Froehlich, promotion by the Quad-City Times newspaper, and generosity from several corporate sponsorships, has helped the Bix 7 develop into the largest non-marathon race in the Midwest,[5] The race consistently draws elite talent from all over the globe. Running legends Bill Rodgers and 1984 Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson also compete yearly.[6]

The run is primarily sponsored by the Quad City Times and is a separate entity from the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, which is held the following weekend. The race has several other sponsors, at the Platinum, Gold Medal, and contributing level respectively.

Champions
Edition[7][8] Year Entries Purse USATF Championship Men's Winner Country Time Women's Winner Country Time
1 1975 84 $0 Lucien Rosa  Sri Lanka 34:33.8 Kim Merritt  United States 41:04
2 1976 $0 Dan Copper  United States 36:47 41:33
3 1977 350 $0 Kevin Mcdonald Lynn Schmidt
4 1978 500 $0 John Lodwick  United States 34:56 Kathy Loper  United States 45:38
5 1979 800 $0 Gregg Newell  United States 35:40 Ilene Kimsey  United States 46:25
6 1980 1,500 $0 Bill Rodgers  United States 33:58 Peggy Schott 43:59
7 1981 2,500 $0 33:26 Beverly Roland-Miller  United States 41:26
8 1982 $0 Robert de Castella  Australia 32:45* Ellen Hart 38:24
9 1983 5,620 $0 Joseph Nzau  Kenya 33:10 Joan Benoit Samuelson  United States 37:26
10 1984 6,750 $0 Ashley Johnson  South Africa 33:06 Kellie Cathey  United States 38:04
11 1985 7,174 $0 Mark Curp  United States 32:56 Joan Benoit Samuelson  United States 37:38
12 1986 9,325 $0 Geoff Smith  United Kingdom 33:16 37:56
13 1987 12,372 $0 Joseph Nzau  Kenya 33:24 Francie Larrieu Smith  United States 38:10
14 1988 12,425 $0 Mark Curp  United States 33:22 Joan Benoit Samuelson  United States 37:59
Prize money offered
15 1989 15,639 $39,500 Mark Nenow  United States 32:17 Erin Baker  New Zealand 36:35
16 1990 16,521 $39,250 Steve Kogo  Kenya 32:47 María Trujillo  Mexico 37:58
17 1991 18,124 $39,250 Ken Martin  United States 32:21 Uta Pippig  Germany 37:04
18 1992 18,246 $60,000 Alejandro Cruz  Mexico 32:21 Olga Markova  Unified Team 36:48
19 1993 $39,000 Thomas Osano  Kenya 32:10 Uta Pippig  Germany 36:27
20 1994 20,097 $40,000 Benson Masya  Kenya 31:56 Tegla Loroupe  Kenya 36:02
21 1995 18,354 $39,750 Phillimon Hanneck  Zimbabwe 32:08 Anne Hare  New Zealand 37:33
22 1996 18,108 $39,250 Peter Githuka  Kenya 32:05 Hellen Kimaiyo  Kenya 36:18
23 1997 $80,000 Khalid Khannouchi  Morocco 32:54 Colleen De Reuck  South Africa 37:34
Junior Bix Introduced
24 1998 22,143 $50,000 John Korir  Kenya 31:51.99 Colleen De Reuck  South Africa 36:38
25 1999 20,117 $48,200 32:59 Catherine Ndereba  Kenya 37:30
26 2000 15,011 $49,800 Mark Yatich  Kenya 32:31 Colleen De Reuck  South Africa 36:42
Brady Street Sprint Introduced
27 2001 18,958 $45,000 John Korir  Kenya 32:24 Catherine Ndereba  Kenya 37:05
28 2002 19,658 $45,000 Yes Meb Keflezighi  United States 32:36 Colleen De Reuck  United States 37:44
29 2003 $45,000 John Korir  Kenya 32:34 Catherine Ndereba  Kenya 37:12
30 2004 16,627 $45,000 32:36 Susan Chepkemei  Kenya 35:24
31 2005 20,211 $45,000 Gilbert Okari  Kenya 32:24 Nuța Olaru  Romania 36:53
32 2006 $45,000 Lawrence Kiprotich  Kenya 32:13 Susan Chepkemei  Kenya 37:35
33 2007 $45,000 Duncan Kibet  Kenya 32:15 Wude Ayalew  Ethiopia 36:57
34 2008 13,711 $45,000 Edward Muge  Kenya 32:16 Edith Masai  Kenya 37:20
35 2009 18,335 $50,000 Yes Meb Keflezighi  United States 32:25 Molly Huddle  United States 37:39
36 2010 17,598 $50,000 Yes Ryan Hall  United States 32:55 Lisa Uhl  United States 37:52
37 2011 18,057 $50,000 Silas Kipruto  Kenya 32:36 Caroline Rotich  Kenya 36:42
38 2012 18,138 $50,000 32:31 Margaret Muriuki  Kenya 36:17
39 2013 $50,000 Leonard Korir  Kenya 32:15 Sule Utura  Ethiopia 36:34
40 2014 $50,000 Yes Sean Quigley  United States 33:28 Molly Huddle  United States 36:14
41 2015 17,293 $50,000 Leonard Korir  Kenya 33:06 Cynthia Limo  Kenya 36:57
42 2016 $50,000 Silas Kipruto  Kenya 33:03 Mary Keitany  Kenya 35:18
43 2017 $50,000 Yes Sam Chelanga  United States 32:52 Aliphine Tuliamuk  United States 36:30
44 2018 Belay Tilahun  Ethiopia 32:37 Margaret Muriuki  Kenya 35:57
45 2019 Leonard Barsoton  Kenya 32:34 Joyciline Jepkosgei  Kenya 36:04
2020 In person race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Held as a virtual event.[9]
46 2021 Yes Leonard Korir  United States 32:48 Edna Kiplagat  Kenya 37:16
47[10] 2022 6,086[11] $30,800[12] No Patrick Tiernan  Australia 32:32 Fiona O'Keefe  United States 35:58
48[13] 2023 ~10,000 $50,000 Yes Abbabiya Simbassa  United States 32:34 Kellyn Taylor  United States 36:32

Notes
  1. "Q-C race has grown from a humble beginning into one of the nation's most spectacular events". Quad-City Times. 1994-07-31. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  2. "Q-C area entries lagging Of the 10,000 signed up, 1/3 are from the area". Quad-City Times. 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
  3. "Viewpoint: Quality of Bix 7 isn't measured in size". Quad-City Times. 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2008-11-10.
  4. "History of Bix 7"
  5. "Officials unveil new plans for road race". Quad-City Times. 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  6. "Costumes abound during Bix 7 race, festivities". Quad-City Times. 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  7. "ARRS - Race series: Quad-City Times Bix". more.arrs.run. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  8. "Bix 7 year-by-year history". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  9. Abney, Tess. "2020 Quad-City Times Virtual Bix 7 Hits The Virtual Pavement This Weekend". QuadCities.com. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  10. "Beautiful day for a Bix; Tiernan wins". Our Quad Cities. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  11. "Quad City Times Bix 7". Athlinks. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  12. "2022 Bix Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  13. McCoy, Joe. "Over 10,000 runners pound the pavement at 49th annual Quad Cities BIX 7". WQAD. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
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