2013 Bix-7

6:30 am, Saturday, July 27th...we were up and at it. The 2013 Bix-7 was starting at 8 am and we had to get to downtown Davenport, park, and get in line with 18,000 other runners. Yep, I said 18,000! It. Was. Awesome!! Here's a few pictures of the masses...

Photos from the Bix Galleries

The Bix-7 is a huge race in Davenport, IA. The first Bix was in 1975! The whole town gears up to celebrate the Bix weekend. There are festivities Friday night including the Baby Bix, the Jr. Bix, and Street Fest! So much fun!! (We didn't get to go to this part of the festivities, but how cute is this?!? Future baby Bishops will definitely be doing this...and winning ;) ! )

Photos from the Bix Galleries

Brad has run the Bix before in college, but none of the rest of us had! Brad, me, Beth, Gene, and their 2 friends, Brian and Brianna, all ran in the Bix this year. We all got into town on Friday night, so Saturday morning we were a little tired. Beth and I have been running a lot this summer, so we weren't too worried about the 7 mile run. Brad had run 2 5Ks with me, but we figured he would be fine. He's athletic!

Anywho, we got downtown, parked, and lined up. It was crazy!! I couldn't believe how many people were there. I've run in some big races, but this was by far the biggest I've been in! 18,000 people!! The race atmosphere is my favorite. I absolutely love it! And this race atmosphere was fabulous! We ran the whole 7 miles. Brad didn't walk at all! It was so much fun! We even saw his parents (who were at a Bix party) on our route. There were people, bands, and Bix parties lining the ENTIRE 7 mile route. It was so cool! Never a dull moment. Brad and I ended up sprinting down the giant hill and racing for the finish. (I won!) What a fun race! I loved it and the beginning hill was not as bad as we thought it would be! Loved it!

The route...see those hills?!? We ran the black lines.

The start of the race!

Bix-7 race photos

Bix-7 race photos

After the race!

After the race, we walked right into the after party! Free food, drinks, and beer were everywhere! We stayed for a while, "carbed up", and then left for the Rents house. It was kind of a chilly morning! Brad and I finished the race in 1 hour and 8 minutes! Our goal was under 70 minutes, so we made it! We will definitely be running this race every year. Loved it!