From the Quad-City Times Bix 7, stories of perseverance in more than just running

Cloud cover, 70 degrees, and a breeze greeted some-16,000 runners, walkers, wheelers and cheerers who toed the line at Brady and 4th Streets for the 50th running of the Quad-City Times Bix 7.

A mass of humanity charged up that daunting Brady Street hill – the most  since before the pandemic. The official number of runners registered was 16,586.

Each one for a different reason. Each one with a little extra flare.

Running for Dee

Everything was pink; everything was sparkly for Dalila “Dee” Neff. She had an always-present smile and a fierce love for life.

That’s how her husband, Bo Neff, described her Saturday sitting in a lawn chair next to a banner strung along fence posts with a photo of Dee Neff in a pink tutu smiling broadly during a past Bix 7 race. The sign read “Run Boldly, Sparkle Brightly In Memory Of Our Dee.”

Dee Neff died unexpectedly August 2023 of complications from asthma just a few days after the 49th Bix 7. She was 49.

The 2023 Bix 7 would have been her 10th time running the road race, Bo Neff said. He and family and friends made it a yearly tradition to sit in the yard of a friend’s mom’s home along Kirkwood and cheer.

“She would have a shot of tequila and be on her way,” Bo Neff said with a smile.

Her daughter and many of her friends and family members that normally cheered from Kirkwood did the race this year decked out in pink in her memory. It’s comforting to Bo Neff, knowing how many people knew and loved her.

“Everyone is stopping by,” Bo Neff said. “People I don’t even know are stopping by saying they ran with her, or they knew her in some way.”

Accepting a challenge

For Leeann Burger, 51, of Muscatine, completing her first Bix 7 on Saturday put a check mark on a long-time dream of hers.

A year ago, she underwent gastric bypass surgery. Being able to finish the Bix 7 was her final goal.

And by her side Saturday morning to help her achieve it were her son, son-in-law, and her two sisters. About 10 more people waited under the first railroad bridge just after the starting line to cheer her on.

Burger’s son, Drake Shelledy and his husband Lenny Shelledy, drove in from Chicago to be with Burger every step of the race.

“I love the fact that we’re able to support her. She’s worked really hard to get to this point in her life,” Drake Shelledy said. “Whatever we can do to support her and her health journey and her happiness, we’re here for it.”

Mandy Maring and her 3-year-old daughter Juniper had to make a change in plans on Saturday. Maring's husband got sick, which shook up their plans to have him spectate and watch the kids. Instead, Juniper got what could be a slow-motion rollercoaster ride.

Katie Moore, 13, of Davenport, wheeled in her first Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race with her dad, Scott. He said she's nicknamed "the crusher" for her tenacity in the face of adversity. 

Katie was born with Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. Earlier this month, she rounded the bases at Modern Woodmen Park as the Genesis Homeruns for Life honoree.

Look for the helpers

Ten-year-old Naomi Joiner thought runners might need a boost of potassium to finish that 7 mile run.

So, she and her mom, Shonda Liddell, set up a table with gold foil and handed out bananas and water.

About 30 minutes into the race, they’d already handed out two cases of water, each with about 40 bottles.

About six months ago, they moved back to the Quad-Cities. Liddell grew up in the Quad-Cities, so she knows all about the hometown race. But this was Naomi’s first Bix day.

“Bix is one of those things that’s part of Iowa and Quad-Cities culture,” Liddell said.

At the starting line, Mahita Varre was on the phone scanning the crowd for her friends just about 15 minutes before the race was set to begin. 

Behind her, mother-daughter duo Jill Matherly and Laura Gibson each held a balloon 5 and 0 in commemoration of the 50th running of the Bix 7. 

"Are you looking for someone?" Matherly asked Varre. 

She offered to hold up their balloons, a prominent visual marker in a sea of people. 

Within minutes, Jayashree Karnam, visiting from Atlanta, and Sravanthi Vedula, of Bettendorf, found Varre. 

Many thank-yous were exchanged and they huddled together for a picture to commemorate. 

Homecoming to the hill

The Quad-City Times Bix 7 is often an excuse to get the family together. This reporter’s uncle flew in from Houston for the big 50 and to spend time with his brother and niece.

My family may be small. But for others it’s a BIG affair.

Like the Hulsings, a family of 12 siblings plus in-laws, aunts, uncles, children, and grandchildren.

“I’m married to number 10,” said Amanda Hulsing with a smile. They live in Walnut, Illinois.

All in the family were easy to spot. They sported safety yellow tanks with a flag shaped like state of Iowa, stalks of corn, and a running parrot-like character that is an homage to the oldest of the 12 siblings, David Hulsing, who died in 2022.

Suzy Zahn, who now lives in Florida, said growing up with 11 siblings may have been tough when she was young, but now, she said, she’s so glad for the family and support network they all have.

Shandrea Middlebrook, 34, from Dallas, is the runner in her family.

She organized a get-together for the Bix 7 race.

Middlebrook started running during the pandemic. A friend wanted to start a running club, and she wanted to help support, but didn’t want to do the actual running herself.

But that wasn’t going to work.

She was challenged to do a 5k. That wasn’t so bad, so she did a 10k. And more races. Now, she’s run four marathons and is encouraging the rest of her family to be more active, too.

“I’m like, you guys should do the Bix, so here they are,” Middlebrook said. “It’s motivating all of our family to be mobile – walking, running, jogging, push a stroller. Just stay mobile.”

She said running has changed her life.

“Running, it changed everything. It changed my social setting, it changed me caring about what I eat, not doing too much on the weekends,” Middlebrook said. “Because running is a sacrifice. You have to give up a lot to actually perform. So now, it’s coming into my family.”

Just for fun

As I and about a hundred of my closest friends crossed the starting line, the announcer joked "If you're crossing the starting line right now, you have no chance of winning this race." 

That was very true. 

And some sign-holding spectators had a similar idea. 

Sarah Lamb, 39, of Tiffin, grabbed a Busch Light from a spectator. 

"Their sign was correct, it said 'you're not going to win, so have a beer,' " Lamb said with a laugh. 

Dressed in a full Ricky Bobby (NASCAR driver) costume, Nathan McCarty, 34, of Davenport, said his costume was a sort of accidental gag for a wedding. 

"I was supposed to do a tux, but it was too late for that. So, I got this instead and they said I could just be Ricky Bobby for their wedding instead of being in the wedding," McCarty said. He was supposed to be a groomsman, but said he got great reception as Ricky Bobby. 

He thought, why not repeat for the Bix 7? 

"I just thought, 'what the hell if it's gonna be super hot, might as well make it worse," he said.