Tracking down the route to Bix 7, one mile at a time

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - The Quad-City Times Bix 7 race is four months away and race organizers are already beginning preparation for the historic downtown Davenport seven-mile race, but in a bit of a unique way this year.

TV6 Chief Photographer Randy Biery met up with race officials Monday to learn more about how exactly the race’s distance is determined.

“I am remeasuring the Bix 7 mile road race,” said Road Race Course Measurer, Doug Thurston. “Every certified road race in the U.S. expires every 10 years.”

Thurston measured the race’s distance by riding a bicycle on the same exact route that runners will take this summer, which is still the same as the original race route.

Last year was the Bix 7′s final year before the race route would need to be remeasured, in order to be considered an official race, Bix organizers said.

Race officials also added that another reason the course is remeasured is so that race participants can accurately compare their own personal performance, and similarly, so that professionals can compare their race performance to other professionals.

At each mile mark, race officials stop to take a picture, write calculations, including GPS, and then keep going, all the way until the end of the route, to ensure consistency.

“It’s coming up as accurate as it’s every been, and there’s no significant changes to the course,” Thurston concluded.

To ensure accuracy, Thurston rode the course twice through.

This year’s race will be on Saturday, July 29. To learn more about the Bix 7 visit www.bix7.com.

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