Scenes and stories from along the course of the 51st Quad-City Times Bix 7

Runners faced wet streets and more rain, but had cooler temperatures.

Despite the weather, people still lined the course to cheer on the runners. 

MercyOne Genesis, which runs the medical tent, said it saw approximately 17 people at the medical tent, dealing with more slips and falls than in past years but fewer heat-related issues.

"Every one of the 104 medical tent volunteers did a fantastic job today," said Ed Motto, MD, medical tent director. "From our doctors, nurses and LPNs to the team members who handle logistics, security and materials. We are a well-oiled machine and love what we do. I am grateful for having such a great team of professionals who take the time to come out and take part in the MercyOne Genesis medical tent every year.”

In a separate release, MEDIC EMS of Scott County said it transported two runners to a local hospital and responded to seven calls total on the racecourse.

Spectators set up along race course

Joe Kint, 80, and his friends and family were erecting tents and tables in front yard of his Kirkwood Boulevard house when the news of the race delay came down.

Already, at 6:30 a.m., Kint, his partner Polly Taylor and his friends had set up two large yard tents and some tables with snacks and a makeshift bar. Bix 7 posters lined the tents’ exterior.

Kint began his Bix 7 gatherings around 1980, he said.

The year prior, in 1979, Kint was on his porch when he saw a wave of runners jog past. He went inside to tell Taylor, but when the two returned outside, the runners were gone.

The yard party grew from six people the next year to up to 150 people once in the late 1980s.

Last year, the party had 75 friends and family members who joined to watch.

“If it weren’t raining, it would be busier,” Kint said of the early-morning showers. No other watch parties on the block, except one empty tent, had been set up yet.

Kint called himself “an old runner that likes to support young runners that can still run.”

As a spectator close to one of the water distribution sites, Kint gets to see some of the Bix 7 logistics others don’t see, he said.

“There’ll be cups all over this place, and then 15 minutes later there’s not a cup,” he said.

Running early to cheer on others

A trio of runners were jogging the Bix 7 route under the rain long before race time.

“We like to do it early, so we can finish and cheer on our friends,” Anne-Marie Zugarramurdi, 52, said around 7:30 a.m.

She was running along Kirkwood Boulevard with two others, who had both been running the route before race time for more than 12 years.

Zugarramurdi joined the early-morning runs six years ago, she said.

The trio runs from the intersection of Brady Street and Kirkwood Boulevard, through the turnaround and back. Their route measures about five miles.

“A little rain doesn’t hurt us,” Zugarramurdi said.

Volunteers set up at turnaround

Thick raindrops splashed into paper water cups as Bix volunteers, decked out in rain ponchos and umbrellas, lined the cups up for runners at the turnaround Saturday morning.

Saturday’s rain put a damper on the turnaround’s normal house party-esque celebration, volunteers said, but it brought out the best party of the event – community.

Tony Haut, who helps run the turnaround’s water operation with his wife Linda, said the people who bear the weather to volunteer are the heart of the Bix.

“A hardcore volunteer staff that shows up to come out in the rain like this, with a little thunder in the background, and still show up to fill up cups, this is the heart of it,” he said.

Taco 'bout a good time

Saturday was cloudy with a chance of tacos, according to 16-year-old Ari Goodwin. The Assumption High School student ducked under an awning on Brady Street at about 8 a.m. Saturday morning, hiding from the rain drops.

On his head he wore a pair of blue headphones and on his person, a taco costume. His argument for the unique attire was as good as any: "Why not? I'm a jogging taco today."

Saturday was his second time running the Bix and the rain wasn't going to stop him. Ahead of the race he helped set up gates with Boy Scout Troop 898 where a few of his friends were going to run "the full seven" with him.

Father son bond at the Bix

By 8:30 a.m., 30 minutes before the delayed start of the race, the rain was coming down steadily. The center of Brady Street, normally packed with runners, was bare but for a few.

Among those who decided to brave the storm and continue warming up were Luke McFaddon and his 13-year-old son, Caden. The pair made the drive down from Waukegan to run their second Bix together.

"Never done it in the rain," Luke said. "We've been training for this for several months and we're excited to be here. It's something our family does together."

With family living in the Quad-Cities, the pair were looking forward to hearing the cheers along the way. As rain started to pick up closer to the 9 a.m. start time, Caden wasn't concerned at all.

"I think it'll feel good," he said, adjusting his Chicago Bears hat.

His dad agreed.

"Our family loves challenges and this will be an extra challenge for us," Luke said.

A mad dash to the center

As rain continued to pour down, runners, walkers and everyone in between crowded under awnings, in door ways and even the River Center. Staying dry became just as much of game as anything, with participants getting creative with their rain gear.

A few costumed as Elvis hung out near the M Bar on Brady, sipping cocktails to keep warm. Some opted for black trash bags.

"Designer. Hefty brand," one commented.

Others went for ponchos, Ziploc bags to protect phones and cameras and a few umbrella hats. As the minutes ticked by, runners quickly dashed to the center of Brady Street, looking for the perfect place to stand, running in place while they tried to stay as warm as possible.

Sporting a Rockridge hat was 9-year-old Hunter Geyer from Rock Ridge. Running for the second time with his father Joe, he had no concerns about finishing the race. He just had a smile and happy feet that were ready to get going.

As soon as the gun went off at promptly 9 a.m., runners sprinted up the hill. Then they jogged. Then they walked.

Bringing up the rear were Palmer College of Chiropractic students, all dressed as vertebrae. They danced, they cheered and then, the quite literal backbone of the race, started the trek up Brady.

'The matriarch' of the turnaround

Mikki Davis, 90, was a driving force behind starting the water stations at the Bix’s turnaround in 1981.

Sheltering from the rain under a tree, umbrella, and plastic rain poncho, Davis is called “the matriarch” by turnaround volunteers.

Tony and Linda Haut, who now orchestrate the water stations, said Davis is the reason they got involved 38 years ago.

The enthusiasm and help of the volunteers keeps Davis coming back to the race.

“It’s always something to see the first wave of runners coming down the hill, it’s a thrill,” she said.

Davis said this is the second year since 1981 that she’s seen such hard rain. She laughed remembering a Bix when the rain was so strong, the cups filled themselves, and another year a helicopter flew so slow it knocked the cups right off the table as runners were coming in.

“No matter what the weather is like, we adapt,” Davis said.

DJ Bert Jaaay beats the rain

Brett Johnson, also known as DJ Bert Jaaay, set up a DJ system and surround speakers at his Kirkwood Boulevard home. From the garage, he cheered on runners and called for song requests.

This is the second year Johnson, 38, and his family and his friends have orchestrated the setup, which also involves two yard tents in the front lawn. This year, the family set up the DJ set, grill, tables and chairs at 4:30 a.m. to beat the rain.

Johnson said his favorite part of watching the Bix is when the runners return after the turnaround. They remember Johnson and his DJ set, he said, and sometimes stop and celebrate with him.

“They all get a boost,” Johnson said. “It’s the interaction with the runners that makes this worthwhile.”

Rain or shine 

Typically, Amy VanSickle of Bettendorf and her family offer coffee, cinnamon rolls, and fruit to runners and watchers at the Bix. Saturday’s rain threw a hitch in VanSickle’s plan, but she still turned out to the race to cheer on the runners. 

This year was her 46th Bix. She’s ran the race twice, but prefers to be a cheerleader, she said. 

“I don't know how many races you could go to in the country where there are people lining the entire route,” VanSickle said. 

The Bix rallies the whole community, she said, and the rain did little to stop the festivities, even if the DJ wasn’t able to play. 

“We're not letting it dampen our spirits,” she said.

A Bix tradition

Cesar Toscano contributed to this report.