| Kiptoo, Chebet ready to defend race titles against top international field; the 51st edition offers a $50,000 Open prize purse; race winners also earn eligibility to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2026 PRRO Championship presented by Bix 7 |
BETHESDA, MD – (July 23, 2025) – The PRRO Circuit, America’s Classic Road Races™, will open its 2025-26 season at the 51st Quad-City Times Bix 7 on Saturday morning, July 26 in Davenport, IA. Like past editions, a world class field, including defending champions Wesley Kiptoo of Kenya and Rachael Chebet of Uganda, is expected. The Bix 7 male and female winners will earn automatic eligibility to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 29th PRRO Championship hosted by Bix 7 in July 2026. In addition, the 2-10 finishers at the five 2025-26 Circuit events earn points with the top 5 scorers overall before the PRRO Championship qualifying to compete for the Super Bonus. Bix 7, the Midwest “Run with the Best” summer classic, offers a $50,000 Open prize purse, going 10-deep with $12,500 for each race champion. The professional fields expected at Bix 7 include: MEN: Wesley Kiptoo (KEN), defending champion; Boniface Kibiwott (KEN), 5th 2024 Boilermaker 15K; Alex Maier (USA), 2025 USATF 4 Mile champion and Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile runner-up; Rory Linkletter (CAN), 2024 Olympic marathoner; Futsum Zienasellassie (USA), 2022 USATF Marathon champion; Frank Lara (USA), 2020 USATF 15K champion & ’21 race runner-up WOMEN: Rachael Chebet (UGA), defending champion; Vibian Chepkirui (KEN), 2025 Rio Half Marathon runner-up; Everlyn Kemboi (KEN), 2025 Pittsburgh Half Marathon winner & 2023 NCAA 10,000m champion; Paityn Noe (USA), 4th NCAA 10,000m Championship; Cynthia Limo (KEN), 2015 Bix 7 champion; Sara Hall (USA), 2014 Bix 7 runner-up; Keira D’Amato (USA), 2022 & 2024 USATF 20K champion and Bix 7 debut “The Quad-City Times Bix 7 again has assembled a world class field looking to challenge defending champions Wesley Kiptoo and Rachael Chebet. Along with the Bix 7 titles and a share of the $50,000 prize purse, the race winners secure automatic berths to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at next year’s Bix, while finishers 2-10 score points in the Super Bonus qualifying system,” said Don Kardong, Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO) Circuit President. The other Bix events – Senior Bix (July 22), Brady Street Sprints (July 24) and Arconic Jr. Bix 7 (July 25) – all lead up to the Quad-City Times Bix 7 mile race which includes “Beat the Elite” runners and the Prairie Farms Quick Bix just under 2 miles on July 26. Overall, at the 2025 event, more than 16,500 will run, walk or sprint on the streets of Davenport. The PRRO Circuit showcases world class competition at five of America’s Classic Road Races™, the Gate River Run 15K in Jacksonville, FL, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, DC, the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, WA, the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY and the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, IA. The 2025-26 PRRO Circuit offers more than $385,000 in guaranteed prize money overall with $99,100 for U.S. athletes. The PRRO Circuit, a nationwide series of premier non-marathon road racing events, is organized and promoted by the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO), an alliance of race directors. THE PRRO CIRCUIT 2025-26 SCHEDULE Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 26, 2025, Davenport, IA $50,000 in prize money Gate River Run 15K, March 7, 2026, Jacksonville, FL $57,000 in prize money ($16,000 U.S. prize money) plus $5000 Equalizer gender race and World, U.S. & course record bonus money Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, April 12, 2026, Washington, DC $80,600 in prize money ($48,600 U.S. prize money) plus performance bonuses Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 3, 2026, Spokane, WA $81,000 in prize money ($20,000 U.S. prize money) Boilermaker 15K, July 12, 2026, Utica, NY $65,100 in prize money ($14,500 U.S. prize money) THE 29th PRRO CHAMPIONSHIP Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 25, 2026, Davenport, IA $50,000 in prize money as well as: $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus to male or female champions who are either defending PRRO Champions, have won any of the PRRO Circuit 2025-26 races or finished top 5 in the points system (Super Bonus split if both eligible male and female win) $2500 to male or female championship winners who have not won any races on the 2025-26 Circuit $1500 to eligible PRRO event champions, males and females, finishing in places 2-10 With their 2025 PRRO Championship titles at Boilermaker on July 13, John Korir and Veronica Loleo were the first two athletes eligible to compete for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2026 PRRO Championship hosted by the Quad-City Times Bix 7 next July. In pursuit of the Super Bonus, the pair will join the winners of the 2025-26 Circuit events as well as the top 5 per gender in the PRRO Championship points system (2-10 finishers score points at each current Circuit race). To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 18 world and 22 U.S. road records, awarded more than $8.8 million in prize money and seen more than 2.8 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $2.2 million including $216,000 in PRRO Championship bonus money. PRRO Championship and Circuit Year The PRRO Circuit, launched in 1995, starts and finishes the Circuit Year at the same event that will also host the season-ending PRRO Championship race. The reigning titlists of the PRRO Championship, the event winners on the current Circuit and the top 5 in the PRRO Super Bonus points system are eligible to compete for the PRRO Super Bonus at the PRRO Championship. |