Many laced-up gatherers for the third of four scheduled Bix At 6 practice runs through the Davenport streets were saying: "That's more like it." But the unseasonably wimpy temperatures in the high 60s Thursday were nothing like what they'll have come July 25 or the rest of the month.

It didn't seem to bother anyone, as it appeared to be the largest crowd of the season so far, with the 35th running of the Quad-City Times Bix 7 three weeks away.

The friendly conditions didn't bolster the number of participants for the qualifier trials for the Brady Street Challenge as organizers had one entrant in the women's masters division and three runners each for the men's masters and the two open races.

It was the night the event had its two returning champions qualify, assuring that there will at least be a chance for a three-time defending men's open champion, Ryan Grenko, and a two-time defending women's open champion, Pleasant Valley and University of Northern Iowa standout Lauren Carruthers.

Carruthers, a UNI grad who lives in Des Moines and works on retirement plans for ING, wasn't bellyaching over the skimpy number of challengers. She said she might need all the help she can get to win again. A full-time job and the allure of prime-time TV have made training a lower priority this year.

"I have not been training," Carruthers said. "When I got here, I saw that there were only three of us so I knew that we were all going to qualify no matter what. I was like, 'Good, I don't have to puke on the sidelines today.' "

Carruthers won the race in 2008 and was second the year before, but admits there's a lot of work that needs to be done in the next few weeks if she's to fair as well this time around.

"The last time I worked out was a week ago when I was on vacation," she said. "We were on a beach (in Alabama) and my calves are still sore from running on the sand."

Grenko said he feels like he's not much better off, but said that the 1-minute, 1-second time he clocked was the best he's ever felt in a qualifying run.

"This is probably the worst shape I've been in," he said, with his qualifying time just a second off of his qualifying times from each of his past two years. "Hopefully, I can keep it this year. We'll see what happens. My elementary school (in Iowa City) will be sad if they don't get that ($500) check again."

Gary Roberson, the director of the Brady Street Challenge, high school and corporate relays, said they're low in numbers for the high school relay divisions with two boys teams and six girls teams signed on to run when the races happen July 23.

"I've had to call everyone in the past to remind them," he said. "I'd rather not have to do that."