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