Bix 7 volunteers keep event running smoothly

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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Saturday, July 26, 2008 7:46 PM CDT | () comments

Ron Beckenbaugh scanned race numbers as he stood in front of the starting line gate early Saturday, just as he’s done 16 years in a row.

Numbers 1-500 are allowed in, and numbers 501 and higher are politely directed to a different entrance.

“Those with the good numbers can line up right in back of the elites,” said Beckenbaugh, one of thousands of Bix 7 volunteers who work to make race day as smooth as possible.

Beckenbaugh, Scott County’s deputy assessor, has a team of volunteer help and takes full responsibility for the starting line area. This means he’s the guy who picks up the trash, then takes down signs and banners.

Jerry Zavitz, a retired teacher from Davenport, led a team of timers who crowded into a Lujack’s Northpark Auto Plaza pickup truck. Zavitz is in his 30th year as a race volunteer.

The special truck raced ahead of the pack, and the mile-timers were dropped off with bullhorns at each mile marker along the route. Teams of two to three people counted off the time elapsed for the runners and walkers.

Marlene Nelson and Mary Duax, both of Davenport, helped at the start and finish lines as part of the Volunteers in Police Service, or VIPS, an arm of the Davenport Police Department. Nelson helped keep walkers off River Drive, which was open to traffic. Both agreed it was a good experience.

Manning the chip retrieval booths at the finish line were Tom Leabhart, a three-year volunteer from Davenport, and Larry Sandefur, Moline, who has volunteered four years. The men agreed the chip system, introduced in 2007, is superior to the older method in which finish line workers tore numbers off each person’s bib.

“This is much more streamlined,” Leabhart said, “but the old way was more intimate.” Sandefur is a retired teacher, and Leabhart works for the city of Davenport.

Some of the most popular volunteers at the postrace party provided free beer to adults. Bill Phillips, Davenport, and Joe Mohr, Bettendorf, served one cup after another.

“We just keep the spigots open,” Mohr said.

Dan Solis of Eldridge, Iowa, charged around the finish line with a bullhorn: “Water on the left! We got water on the left! Please proceed to the postrace party!”

“I’m the notorious bullhorn guy,” said Solis, part of the large volunteer security detail. He helped direct runners to the chip-retrieval spots, others to the water stop, free food and drinks.

Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at www.qctimes.com