CEDAR RAPIDS - The race for president is heating up much sooner than in previous elections. And the burner will be turned on high starting Monday morning.

Several presidential candidates are coming to Cedar Rapids to participate in the Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum. Thousands of people are expected to attend. And Cedar Rapids will be cooking.

We have already seen huge crowds line up to listen to presidential candidates. But everything so far will be in the shadow of this week's Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum.

On Monday and Tuesday the U.S. Cellular Center will host six presidential candidates and four state politicians from both sides of the aisle and arguably this election's biggest celebrity: Lance Armstrong.

On his website, www.livestrong.org Armstrong said, “Talk about the number one killer in this country. Just like you would talk about war, or terror or taxes."

Needless to say business will be steaming for Kelly Rhone and the Cedar Rapids Coffee Company. Laughingly she said, “The people will crowd in and fill up the entire store. You can barely move.”

The coffee shop can handle the crowd. So can the Cellular Center. President of the Downtown District Doug Neumann said, “We got a lot of major events here. You think about Freedom Festival, BBQ Round-up, major concerts that come to town."

But this event runs through the day and ends at lunch, which could pose problems. Cedar Rapids Police Sergeant John Phipps said, “People should plan accordingly and anticipate the fact there could be traffic delays."

Of course downtown will be crowded, but these will also be normal work days for many people, although parking will be anything but typical. There will be no parking on First Avenue. The city is already trying to get that message across by putting hoods over parking meters.

But if you are going to the forum the city has parking just outside downtown. Phipps said, “Eighth Avenue and Second Street Southeast. That's a clearly marked lot for park and ride."

The bottom line from Cedar Rapids business's point of view is big candidates bring in big cash.

Cedar Rapids police say they will not close any streets downtown, but some could be reduced to one lane. The Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum is Monday and Tuesday from 10am to noon.

Tickets are still available. They are free. To order some visit http://www.ambassadorsevents.com/livestrong/. You must have a ticket to attend either day of the forum.