By Nicholas Cunningham
A quick water break, pun intended, and maybe a small nap was all Bix 7 Race Director, Michelle Juering, and her race committee took after last year’s massive fiftieth anniversary week-long Bix celebration. “I don’t know if we ever took a break,” explained Juering. “We just dropped, maybe took a nap, and bounced right back up and started planning our 51st. We already knew what we wanted to do for this year and the next couple of years.”
With the edition and success of the Bechtel Trust Senior Bix kicking off the week’s festivities, bringing it back as a mainstay was a no-brainer this year. “The Senior Bix came out as a way to honor those that help us get to fifty years,” said Juering. “1100 signed up, it was pouring rain that day, and it was a huge success.”
Along with all the events that people are accustomed to during Bix weekend, one significant addition is the Friends & Family Gathering Area: a new area located on 4th Street, situated between the Quad-City Times parking lot and the R. Richard Bittner YMCA. This space will feature live music, food trucks, and family-friendly activities, offering a separate but close-by area for participants to gather after the race in addition to the main post-race party. “We’ve been trying to make this work for about five years now, and all the pieces, most importantly, safety protocols, finally came together,” said Juering. “You can sit down and listen to live music where it’s not too hot yet. And we’ve got food trucks out there so you can watch people come in and finish, and maybe you see that and say, ‘I want to be a part of that next year.’
As Juering travels the nation visiting different run conferences and events, there is a certain something that sticks out to her when it comes to the QC hosting the Bix. “Midwest hospitality,” said Juering. “We hear from elite athletes often, that when they have choice of what race to do, it’s the Bix because people are cheering along the entire course. We have almost four thousand volunteers come out and help and take pride in what they do.”
And to those that came out specifically for last year’s golden anniversary for the Bix and are on the fence about doing it again, Juering has a special message for them. “I would hope they would remember the feeling they had training for it, the day of or after,” said Juering. “Not only the sense of accomplishment, but the fun, the camaraderie, and being part of something big in the Quad Cities.” And if you’re a Bix veteran, she also has your reason to participate as well. “Come do it for the shirt,” said Juering. “I think it’s pretty awesome this year.”
For more information or to register for the Bix 7 visit, www.bix7.com.
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