High-fives, hills and Ho Hos: What kept Bix 7 runners going

As runners cooled off near the Quad-City Times Bix 7 finish line, several took time to share what brought them out on Saturday morning — and kept them going for seven miles.

'As much fun as possible'

For Lucy Westemeyer, 22, and Ellie Johnson, 23, the Bix 7 was less about their finishing times than enjoying the course with friends.

Westemeyer finished the race in an hour and 4 minutes, but she was more excited to collect high-fives from other racers and the crowd. By the time she finished, she'd gotten over a hundred. 

"You can't compare it to anything else; you just have to run it for fun," said Westemeyer, of Iowa City. "It's just the goal is always fun and to beat your prior time. And our goal today was to have as much fun as possible."

Johnson, of Clive, Iowa, was happy to get a popsicle in the second mile, in addition to enjoying the other Bix 7 racecourse activities: sprinklers, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe impersonators, rock bands and the ukulele club.

The key to staying in the race is remembering "get up the hill, and down the hill is free energy," Westemeyer said.

"It's really fun to look at the other runners and see what T-shirts they're wearing and where they're coming from, what they represent. That keeps me busy," Johnson said. "We met someone at the start line who had run their first Bix."

The two said they were likely going to go to Portillo's and Whitey's after completing the race. But another priority would take precedence first: Westemeyer said she needed to pick up Ho Hos at the post-race party.

Making friends along the way

Andrew Peterson completed the Bix 7 in 42 minutes, treating it as a warm-up for a triathlon he is running next week in Muscatine.

"Not bad for me. Wasn't an all-out effort, but good, solid workout effort. So, I was pretty happy with that," said Peterson, of Galesburg. 

Peterson, who competes as a runner at Monmouth College, said the key to running the Bix 7 is pacing.

"Especially here at Brady Street, you're flying down at the end. You're almost done, and it doesn't make much sense to other people, but to me, just to break it into smaller chunks, it's way easier just to keep going," he said.

But the atmosphere is Peterson's favorite part about the Bix.

"Everyone is very friendly here. I talked to many people that I had no idea who they were in the middle of the race. They're like, 'keep on going,' talking about how the day's going. It's awesome," Peterson said.

Navigating the course

Riley Coulter, 23, completed the race in 39 minutes, which he said was "respectable" because he wasn't running for a quick time. He was trying to have fun and lead his post-collegiate developmental team, which he said is based out of the Driftless region of the Midwest.

He was primarily running with the women's team and helping them navigate the course. After completing the race, he cheered on other competitors, offering affirmations such as, "you're strong,' "you're fast" and "you're relaxed."

Coulter lives in Evansville, Wisconsin, but grew up in Aledo and saw the Bix 7 as a staple of the running community in the region. During college, he would come back to run the Bix and had so much fun. He built his running team to compete in the race.

Coulter and his team are training next for 10K races across the country, including in Chicago, the Twin Cities and California. 

'One mile at a time'

A recent high school graduate from Peoria, Cheyenh Smith was running the race for the fourth year in a row. 

Smith, 18, said her cross-country coach requires her and other students to take part in the race, but she enjoys it because the Bix 7 is a "fun experience." 

"I love running with so many people, and the support of the people that are cheering and supporting the runners. And running is such a fun community and environment," said Smith, who finished in 54 minutes.

Smith said it was helpful to remember that she has handled longer distances and to keep another thought in mind as well: "One mile at a time."