Pole, Peddle, Paddle

The town was rockin' yesterday for the annual Pole, Peddle, Paddle, where over 3500 racers made their way from the top of Mt. Bachelor to the Les Schwab Amphitheater in the center of town. It is Bend's most talked about event, so we decided...when in Rome.
Jack started our team on the downhill race course (on his tele-skis...which are great for transitioning into after running 200 feet up-hill to the start of the race) and finished at the base of the mountain where he tagged Grant, who was poised and ready for his 5 mile skate ski.  Although not a big fan of Nordic skiing, Grant made it happen by racing comfortably in his pj bottoms. He finished his race and I started the 22 mile bike ride from Mt. Bachelor into the town of Bend. It was pretty exhilarating racing down 2500 feet of elevation - such a change in both weather and speed!  Jay took it from there, running 5 miles to the Deschutes River and then he and Jack jumped in a double kayak and paddled 1 1/2 miles, both with and against the current.  Finally, Hank took us home with a 1/2 mile sprint to the finish.
It was such a well done festival/event...very inspiring as competitor's ages ranged from 86 to 10 in the Individual category. Of course there were the hard-core athletes, including a few Olympians; but thanks to the "Best Dressed" category,  it was also extremely laid-back as most others were traveling in full-out costumes.  Our favorite was the Dumb and Dumber team, clad in baby blue and peach tuxes and a working light blue moped! The guy in the speedo was pretty funny, as well.  Best of all, the event finished with a huge party. The Amphitheater was packed with about 5,000 people who were drinking local brew out of their own mugs, eating great food and listening to live music.  It may be worth a trip back next year to do it again!  Julie