Marshall Greene and Sarah Max, both of Bend, won the famous Pole Pedal Paddle in the men's and women's elite fields, respectively. The event, which has been held since 1976, consists of five different sports – an alpine ski down Mt. Bachelor, an 8km Nordic, a 22 mile road bike, a 10km run, 1.5 mile canoe/kayak and a final 1/3 of a mile sprint on foot to the finish line.
Alpina/Madshus' Green won his third consecutive PPP, completing the challenging course on a hot day in a time of 1:45:04. Zach Violett (Fischer/Craft) recovered from a fall on the Nordic leg to finish second, 2:34 behind Greene. Violett closed to 1:25 back after the run, but Green was able to pull away again during the paddle. Professional adventure racer Dan Weiland of Vail, Colorado finished third, with another Bend resident and Alpina/Madshus skier Brayton Osgood taking fourth.
In the women's race, Sarah Max (Madshus) captured her first crown in her fifth time racing the event. She had spent the past several years chasing after five-time women's champion and Olympian Suzanne King. But with King on the sidelines, Max led most of the race, cruising to a six-minute victory over Amy Peterson-Bond. She dealt her competition the final blow during the run – where she extended her 2 minute lead to an unbeatable margin.
Taylor Leach took third, less than a minute out of second.
It was a good day for Nordic skiers, with Greene, Violett and Osgood placing 1,2 and 4 in the men's race and the top three women, XC-Oregon dominated the field.
Olympians Beckie Scott (Canada) and Justin Wadsworth (USA) formed a husband-wife team to capture the 35-44 coed division.
Excellent race coverage, including quotes, details, photos, and results from the Bend Bulletin can be found here
