Top American runners, including Olympians Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Hall, will race the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, Iowa on July 24, 2010 for a national 7-mile championship title. Two-time winner and defending champion Keflezighi will once again face his toughest American foe in U.S. half-marathon and 20k record holder Ryan Hall. Boston Marathon legend Bill Rodgers will also join the Bix 7 field at age 62.
The 2010 Bix 7 was chosen by USA Track & Field to host the American National 7 Mile Championships for both men and women, and some elite running names have certainly taken the title-clinching bait. Meb Keflezighi returns to Bix to defend his title from 2009 (32:25) and secure another win in Iowa after winning in 2002 (32:36). However, the defending ING New York City Marathon winner has been battling a knee injury since placing fifth at the 2010 Boston Marathon in April (2:09:26).
The 2008 Olympic Trials Marathon winner and third place finisher at the 2010 Boston Marathon Ryan Hall will challenge Meb for both the Bix and US 7-mile national championship title on July 24. Hall ran the fastest Boston Marathon for an American this year in 2:08:41 and has a marathon personal best of 2:06:17 from London in 2008. Hall is aiming to lower the current American marathon record of 2:05:38 set by Khalid Khannouchi in 2002 at the 2010 Chicago Marathon.
In addition to the Meb versus Hall showdown at the 36th annual Quad-City Times Bix 7, a slew of elite American men will run for the championship title. Mohamed Trafeh, the current U.S. 15k champion and top American finisher at last week's Boilermaker 15k, will take on the Bix 7 with U.S. 10k champion Ed Moran and U.S. half marathon champion Antonio Vega. Legendary Boston Marathon runner Bill Rodgers will also run the Bix 7 for the 31st time at the age of 62 after recently surviving a bout with cancer.
On the women's side, defending champion Molly Huddle will return after running a blazing personal best 5,000 meters on the track at the Paris Diamond League Meeting on July 16 in 14:51. NCAA champion in the 5k and 10k Lisa Koll and Team USA World Cross Country captain Magdalena Lewy-Boulet will also run for the 7-mile title.
The Quad-City Times Bix 7 will run at 8:00 am through the streets of Davenport, Iowa on July 24, 2010. This USATF-certified seven-mile course includes two severe hills, with one right at the start. Top men's and women's finishers will earn cash prizes and the first place male and female will win a new car. Click here for more Bix 7 information and race day results.
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Meb all the way--- he is going to kick some a--
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