News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Jeff Wester paddles his kayak in the final leg of Pole Pedal Paddle.
Marcia Tripiano of Sisters finished the Pole Pedal Paddle race in 4:06:14 as the sole representative in the female individual 70-98-year-old category.
That was just one of several impressive achievements in the annual Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation's Pole Pedal Paddle race, which starts at Mt. Bachelor with an alpine skiing leg. Athletes then cross-country ski, ride a bike, run and paddle a kayak to the finish line at Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend.
Some, like Tripiano, race as individuals; some form teams of friends or family members. Some race pretty seriously, some treat it as a lark. Everybody, it seems, has fun.
"We had a good day. It was very fun," said Greg Zadow of Sisters, whose male 40-44-year-old team, Brothers From Sisters, came in second just seconds off the winning pace in their category.
John Rahm took the downhill leg while Zadow handled the Nordic skiing. Rich Hummel rode the bike and Josh Nordell legged it through the run. New team member Jarid King - replacing a laid-up Rob Corrigan - took on the arm-burning kayak section.
"It's very much a fun, camaraderie thing," Zadow said. "Some good friends goofing off and having fun and pretending that we're still young and fit and competitive. We still have a little spark left in us."
Jeff Wester has raced as an individual seven times. He turned in a 2:29 in the 45-49 category, matching his time from last year.
Wester really appreciates the motivation the mid-May race creates for those who want to get outdoors in the iffy Central Oregon weather.
"What I like about it is that it gets you training," he said. "It gets you out there in a kayak when you wouldn't be... running when it's snowy. It's a great motivator to get you out there doing a lot of stuff."
Racing as an individual requires managing a lot of gear, Wester acknowledges.
"It's a logistical nightmare," he said. "But I've done it enough times that that whole thing is no biggie."
The Sisters athlete thinks the event is special.
"You start at the top of the mountain and two hours later you're on the Deschutes River in a boat," he said. "That's a neat thing. There's not a lot of places where you can do that. We're pretty lucky."
Other Sisters individuals and teams were: Male Pairs 55-59 -Kay Rays-Z Rules, 3:01:51 (4th); Female Pairs 45-54 - Boo and Jan, 2:32:33 (3rd); Tandem Pairs 25-34 -K-Town and Dougie Fresh, 2:48:34 (10th); Male Individual 40-44 -Barrett Ford, 2:27:54 (4th) and Doug Hull, 2:32:43 (6th); Male Individual 50-54 -Brad Nicholson, 2:25:59 (5th); Co-Ed Team 30-34 -That's What She Said, 2:39:51 (10th); Family Team -Chicken Dinner, 2:24:41 (6th) and Phoenix Flyers, 3:10:15 (51st).
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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