bix 7

Before we moved, I had heard about a race in Quad Cities called the Bix 7. I knew it was a big deal, but wasn't exactly sure why. A seven mile run in Iowa? What's the big deal!?

So, I did a little research. The first Bix 7 was run in 1975 and was started by a Quad Cities resident who had just run the Boston Marathon the year previous. He wanted to bring some of the excitement he felt in Boston back to his home town. So, he found a pair of world class runners (Steve Hoag who finished 2nd in the 1975 Boston Marathon) and Lucian Rosa (would later become a university track coach) to run the race and encourage people to run. The first race had 84 people and only three females. 

Today, nearly 20,000 people run from all over the world, including more than a handful of elites.

And, though it's not a long run, the course is known for it's "Battle up Brady" - a one mile hill right at the beginning. The battle up Brady combined with the heat and humidity Iowa has to offer in late July are enough to deter many runners. 

We moved in three days before the 39th annual Bix 7. I decided I'd go for a test run on Friday, see how I felt, and then decide. 

Well, Iowa welcomed me with a fabulous 66 degree run and rolling hills that reminded me of New Hampshire, so I was in. I registered that night. 

Ryan and the girls came to watch and we all had a great time. The Battle up Brady actually wasn't as bad as I imagined and it was the coldest Bix 7 on record. Running in 60s is pretty much perfection. Because I hadn't run at all since Ragnar, I had pretty low expectations: I just wanted to keep an average of 10 minutes/mile. And I kept my goal.

It was a perfect welcome to our new home with some historic roots to our old one.