At the 40th annual running of the Bix 7, participants, volunteers, and onlookers found ideal weather conditions and a sea of excited people from all over the country.
There were over 18,000 runners on Brady Street in Davenport Saturday morning, July 26, 2014. Along the front line was 2014 Boston Marathon winner, Meb Keflezighi. He won the Bix 7 race in 2002 and 2009.
The sea of runners and walkers took off at 8 a.m., and the first one back was Coloradoan and first time Bix winner, Sean Quigley, who finished in 33:27. Quigley took third in the race in 2010.
“You’ve got to have your best day, and you know you’re up against quality athletes, and to come out on top is hard to do and some guys never do it in their career,” Quigley said, “so you’ve got to strike when you can and appreciate these moments.”
Meb finished in 12th with a time of 34:17.
The first woman to cross the finish line was Rhode Island-native Molly Huddle. Huddle won the race back in 2009 and finished Saturday in 36:13.
“I felt prepared. I was lucky enough to win in 2009, so I had hoped to repeat that when I came back,” Huddle continued, “and I’ve had great luck here at Bix so I hope to be back and continue the streak and conquer the hills every time I come out.”
It didn’t require elite status to win big at the Bix Saturday; 62-year-old Kathy Schmitt was chosen as the Jackpot racer. Schmitt was given a 3.1 mile head start in her race for $2,500 from Rhythm City Casino. Schmitt won the money and finished more than two minutes ahead of the overall winner.
Did you run the Bix? Check out photos of the racers on the route – click here.