BIX 7 TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY THIS SUMMER
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2020 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

(06-May) -- Organizers of the Quad-City Times Bix 7 announced last night that their event would only be held virtually this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Davenport, Iowa, road race --an important fixture on the USA summer road racing circuit since 1975-- was originally scheduled for Saturday, July 25.  This year would have been the 46th running of the 7-mile road race which recorded 7,719 finishers last year.

"Our team has been working diligently over the past months, exploring every option to make this year's Quad-City Times Bix 7 a safe and successful event," said race director Michelle Juehring through a statement.  "For more than 45 years, the Quad-City Times Bix 7 was held on the last Saturday of July. This year, participants will have the whole month of July to 'Run With The Best.'"

Registered participants for the Quad-City Times Bix 7, Prairie Farms Quick Bix (a shorter race), and Arconic Jr Bix (children's event) will have two options to run this year.  They can either transition into virtual race, held from July 1 - 25, or roll-over their race entry to the 2021 race. An email will be sent to registered runners with detailed instructions.  Those who complete the race on their own will submit their times on-line and will be able to print a finisher certificate.  They will also receive an official race T-shirt through the mail.

Juehring and her team considered rescheduling the race to the fall, but decided against it.

"There are other races on the calendar at that time of year and we did not want to impact participation elsewhere," Juehring told the Quad City Times.  "Also at this point, we don't really know what the situation will be then and we might have found ourselves in a position where we would end up facing the same choices all over again."

The Bix joins other classic summer road races in the United States which have been cancelled, postponed or switched to virtual editions including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 10-K (postponed to Thanksgiving Day), Boilermaker 15-K (postponed until September 13), TD Beach to Beacon 10-K (cancelled), and New Balance Falmouth Road Race (virtual only).

Some of the greatest road runners in history have won the Bix, usually held in steamy conditions.  On the women's side, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya won three times (1999, 2001 and 2003), and Joan Benoit Samuelson won four times (1983, 1985, 1986, and 1988).  On the men's side, Bill Rodgers won twice (1980 and 1981), and John Korir won five times (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004).  American winners include Meb Keflezighi (2002 and 2009), Ryan Hall (2010), Aliphine Tuliamuk (2007), and Molly Huddle (2009 and 2014).  The race served as a USA road running championships in 2002, 2009, 2010, and 2017.

ENDS