Thanks to the totally unrelated bicycling event in Iowa City today….we had a free day to travel to Davenport to pick up Cheryl’s Running Packet for the BIX7. Cheryl was very excited, and I got to sleep in a full HOUR! So I started off in a pretty good mood as well. 
The BIX7 is a slightly different race from what we have encountered thus far. The crowd is supposedly bigger. ( around 12-20,000 people) The Race is shorter, ( only 7 miles) and the cash prizes are larger! ( $12,500!) I’m guessing the way they can offer these incentives is by cutting on other areas. Shorter distance means less police and manpower to direct the participants and crowds. And , I guess, runners had to assemble their own packet pick-up.
It was all great fun though. 
Most of the vendors at the Expo were selling stuff that we just do not care about. Cheryl buys most of her stuff on line through runners world or REM. However…there was ONE reason we wanted to get there at a certain time….namely 11:00 A.M.
The Large Size and Prize Money attracts celebrity Elite Runners. Rather famous ones from inside the relatively small world of running.
Cheryl came to see Meb Keflezighi The 2004 Olympic Silver medalist for the Olympic Marathon Event. He is ( MORE IMPORTANTLY) the winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon….the first American to win in… like…FOREVER! ( Since 1983 I think…) He has won numerous additional races and awards and is possibly the most famous runner at this current era. ( I don’t really know, but I know him…and I do not know ANY famous people in sports….so that MUST mean he is famous) 
Cheryl caught sight of him by the Sketchers Booth, and decided to pose with the cardboard cut out…just in case…
Then the REAL one showed up! We lucked out and happened to be there while they were setting up. We managed to be third in line…behind a guy from West Virginia who had poor Meb Sign everything he was carrying. ( he had a shirt with the names of several dozen famous runners….he must have been very dedicated to his celebrity check off list) 
By the time Cheryl got there, she only had him sign her book and posed for a couple of pictures. The Line has already grew and we did not want to take too much of his time. With a little luck, we will see him tomorrow in the ELITE Section. ( By the way, he has WON this race several times before….they even have him on their previous posters!)
After shaking hands and wishing each other the best, Cheryl and I headed out to survey the coarse. ( I know that sentence is confusing, but Cheryl and I did not part ways with each other…only with Meb….You think I could have worded that better, but my English is a mess at this time of day) 
It will be tough if it is hot ( which is predicted tomorrow) the first mile is up a steep hill. 
You then head down a slower grade hill and then turn around at the half way point and do it all again in reverse. That may sound bad, but Cheryl has confidence as it mirrors her daily run here at home. Not to mention it is only 7 miles and she runs 7 every morning. 
The only factor will be the heat and the crowd.
So…that is all for now. We managed to get what we were after. ( picture with Meb) Oh!…and Cheryl's Packet. And scope out the race. 
Hopefully things will slip into the “routine” and we will have many wonderful pictures of the race in progress. Looks like I will only have the start and the finish pics on this one as well. Also…they are not allowing “non-runners” into the party afterwards…so looks like I will be looking over from the sidelines. It’s all good….we really only want Ice cream after the race anyway…and that is not offered at the party. Wish us Luck!
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