Dan Breidinger, who helped make the Quad-City Times Bix 7 an elite race, dies at 72

Near the top of the list was Dan Breidinger, who served as the Bix 7’s elite athlete coordinator during its formative years.

“He was one of those guys who let me have all the credit while he did all the work,’’ Froehlich said.

Breidinger, who had lived in Davenport since 1980, died Monday night at the age of 72.

“He was my best friend,’’ Froehlich said. “He was my righthand man with the Bix. He was just a fantastic person.’’

Breidinger was born in Spencer, Iowa, and lived in Fort Dodge for many years. As a youth, he loved wrestling but he also did some distance running to stay in shape. When he suffered a head injury as a senior in high school, his wrestling career ended and he shifted his focus to running.

He moved to the Quad-Cities in 1980 and got to know Jim Wilson, who helped in hosting the elite runners who came to the Bix 7. He first met Froehlich in 1982 and eventually became the race’s elite athlete coordinator.

It was a fairly easy job when the race was bringing in only about a half dozen top runners, but when the Bix 7 began offering prize money in 1989, it started attracting 40 to 50 elite runners from around the world each year.

It became a much larger task, but Breidinger handled it smoothly and meticulously. He often said it felt more like a hobby than a job.

“In my free time I’m always reading about the sport of road racing anyway,’’ he said in 1993. “Some people follow the baseball box scores. I’m probably an anomaly in that I follow the sport of road racing the same way.’’

Froehlich, who served as the race director of the Bix 7 for 40 years, often marveled at Breidinger’s vast knowledge of the worldwide running scene.

“We hit it off because he knew the sport much, much better than I did,’’ Froehlich said. “We traveled to races all across the United States so the name of the Bix would get out.’’

Along the way, Breidinger became good friends with American running star Meb Keflezighi. The two men first met at a race in Jacksonville, Florida, and Keflezighi began coming to the Bix on a regular basis in 2002.

Almost every time he came to the Quad-Cities, Keflezighi stayed with Dan and his wife Mary, rather than going to a hotel. When the Breidingers adopted a daughter, they named her Molly Elizabeth so her initials would be MEB.

Breidinger, who worked as a marketing consultant for John Deere, stepped back from a major role in the Bix 7 in 2006, although he remained involved with the race in some ways.

Froehlich said his friend battled an array of medical issues for close to 30 years. Most recently, he suffered from coronary disease, which led to a debilitating affliction known as Lewy body dementia.

He was put into hospice about a week ago.

Breidinger is survived by his wife Mary and daughter Molly. 

Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Oct. 30 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Visitation is at 10 a.m.