Heat, humidity takes its toll on Bix runners
Sitting in the shade, Ken and Sandy Berens found Saturday’s blistering heat to be only a nuisance.
As spectators of the Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race, it was something they could get used to.
“If you’re running, though, you’re going to have to take it easy,” Ken Berens said.
Some of the runners heeded that advice, as temperatures climbed to 79 degrees with 85 percent humidity by the 8 a.m. race time. They slowed down and walked when they felt cold and dizzy, while others opted to run the 2-mile Quick Bix course, instead.
Others, however, were not so lucky. Dehydration and heat exhaustion led to one of the busiest races in recent history for medical workers.
By midday, 25 people had been transported to area hospitals and two people went to the hospital on their own, said Craig Cooper, media relations coordinator for Genesis Medical Center. Four of those people were admitted to Genesis and were in good condition.
A medical tent staffed by Genesis near the finish line treated 126 people for heat-related illnesses. An additional 40 received treatment at a tent staffed by Palmer Chiropractic Clinic personnel, Cooper said.
Eight of the 25 taken to hospitals were taken to Trinity at Terrace Park in Bettendorf. One of those eight people were admitted but was doing fine Saturday evening, according to a nursing supervisor.
Former East Moline Mayor Joe Moreno was among the runners treated in the medical tent and, as he was being iced down and given intravenous fluids, someone asked him how he did in the race.
“I got second — highest body temp,” he said.
Although the heat took its toll, it was just the second-hottest on record. In 1997, the temperature was 83 degrees at race time.
Race director Ed Froehlich said the weather conditions might have factored into a lower turnout of runners. A total of 16,017 people participated in Saturday’s race, bringing the number for the weekend to 19,397. Those numbers were the lowest since 2001 and down more than 800 from last year.
“This is typical Bix weather,” Froehlich said. “The last two years we’ve had it pretty good. I think people get spoiled.”
The heat, however, didn’t seem to affect the first-place women’s and men’s times. Lawrence Kiprotich, a 19-year-old from Kenya, won the men’s race with a time of 32:13. Susan Chepkemei, also from Kenya, finished first in the women’s race with a time of 37:35. Froehlich said both times were better than he had anticipated. Kiprotich’s time was 20 seconds faster than the average first-place time and 21 seconds slower than the record.
This year’s Bix 7 brought runners from 16 countries, including Kenya, Great Britain, Mexico, Zambia, Russia and Romania. Their supporters lined up at the finish line to cheer them on. Among them were Simona and Douglas Bertram, who moved to Rock Island from Romania a year ago. The couple waved blue, yellow and red flags and held up pictures of two of the three Romanian runners. As they ran by, Simona Bertram rallied them in their native language.
“Wow, so much people come to run,” she said. “For these small cities it’s something very big.”
The support of the community is something that sets Bix apart from other races, said Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.
Vilsack and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., both ran in Saturday’s race. It was Frist’s first time and Vilsack’s sixth. Frist said he was surprised by the number of participants and fans, along with the mix of top-notch international runners and those who were more casual.
The 54-year-old potential presidential candidate didn’t plan to run the full seven miles because of a knee injury but decided to finish once he started.
“The crowds were great along the way,” Frist said. “The music here was equal to that of Nashville.”
As is race tradition, bands lined the streets along the route, playing everything from country to rock. Another staple of Bix showed up throughout the crowds of runners and walkers in the form of a 6-foot-5-inch Spiderman, five red-caped Elvises, a spine and the Ghostbusters, among others.
“This is a family tradition for us,” said Toni Hallas, of Bettendorf. “We always sit in the same spot and bring bagels and water. We have it down to a science. It’s fun to come and the enthusiasm of the crowd is great.”
Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.