'My favorite week of the year': Third annual Senior Bix kicks off 2026 Bix events

For about 20 years, she has run the race with Jim Gadzik, of Buffalo, Iowa. Bix Week in the Quad-Cities has become a meeting point for the Gadziks, the Barrs and another family, originally all from Wisconsin, who have run together for decades.

"Going down Kirkwood, and everybody clapping, and the trees arched over, and all the little kids' high fives, it's just super," Gadzik said.

All of the activities in the week leading up to the Bix add to the sense of community as well.

"We don't do it for the race times," Barr said. "We do it for the community... It's like a reunion."

This year, for the first time, Gadzik and Barr added on the Bechtel Trusts Senior Bix. They also plan to run the Bix 7 on Saturday.

The third annual Senior Bix took place at the Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf, along the Mississippi River riverfront, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, and welcomed around 1,000 walkers and runners ages 50-plus. The flat 1- or 2-mile course offers older runners a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Saturday's race.

Sitting on a lunchbox with his dog leashed next to him just 20 feet from the footrace's starting point, 66-year-old Larry Orendorff of Bettendorf watched as the first participants crossed the finish line. Specifically, he watched the clock to see what times each person was recording. 

Orendorff said he has run for 40 years and raced the Bix 7 a total of 15 times in its 52-year history. Orendorff is training for the Quad-City Half Marathon in September and is running the Bix 7 this Saturday. He said he was there to study similarly aged racers' finishing times as he prepares to return to the Bix.

"I just wanted to really get back into running and am really curious to see what I can do," Orendorff said.  

Assistant Race Director Joshua Sherrod said the Senior Bix offers older runners a chance to run or walk, whichever they prefer, or even just sit back and enjoy the live music and cheer on fellow racers. Despite claims that people can "age out" of sports, Sherrod said, the Senior Bix proves running is for everyone. 

"This event is set up for that next stage of their running life. There is no endgame. I think you can always be involved, even if you can't physically get out and do it," Sherrod said. 

Mike Zakosek, 61, and Pam Zakosek, 60, said they look forward to the Bix 7 and its related events every year. The Rock Island couple said they have run the Senior Bix together since the event first started in 2024.

On Tuesday night, the two joined fellow senior runners at the start line and raced off together, accompanied by a nice breeze and temperatures in the low 80s.

“It’s my favorite week of the year,” Mike Zakosek said with a smile.