Rumble Recap

WOW! The 6th annual Peterson Ridge Rumble 60k/30k rocked! There were about 270 finishers and 24 dogs. The races were all stacked with guys and gals of all abilities; from the weekend warriors, to the "doing it for fun", to the fast folks up front.

In the 30k, the men's lead pack consisted of the defending champ from Bend, Andy Martin, Richard Bolt from Portland, and Jeff Caba and Dameon Kluck of Bend. For the 3rd time, Bend's Andy Martin won the 30k (he was also the inaugural Rumble champ). He was taking it easy for most of the race, before pulling away towards the end to win in 2:03:27. In the women's division, Emily Kalenius came over from Corvallis with her husband Will and their dog Aslan. They were all running together until Aslan started to slow with a couple miles to go. Will took over doggie duty and Emily cruised on to victory in 2:28:15. For the 2nd year in a row, Bend's Amy Petersen ran a solid 2nd. In the doggie division, Chili came down for Campbell River, BC, for the 2nd year in a row, and for the 2nd year in a row, he won, this year clocking a 2:19:12.

In the 60k, the men's race was hot from the start. A lead pack of 5 included defending champ Rod Bien, Bend's Billy Barnett and Paul Saladino, and Eugene's Scott Wolfe and Dan Olmstead. About mile 11, Billy and Dan gapped the field. Eventually, Dan gapped everyone and went on to a convincing victory in 3:51:25. In the women's race, Bend's 3-time champ Kami Semick and one-week-post-American River 50 mile champ Jenn Shelton set a speedy pace not too far behind the boys. At the 8 mile a.s., Jenn's flu caught up to her and she stepped out of the race. She did, however, stick around to cheer on many other runners. Kami hit her stride and flew on to her 4th Rumble victory. She's poised to rock at Miwok!

It was a great day for all and raised lots of money for the Sisters High School Cross Country Team. Thank you all who came out to run, volunteer, cheerlead, or just hang out.

Bend Bulletin article
Glenn Tachiyama's pictures
Full Results

It's Rumble Time, Baby!

The 6th annual Peterson Ridge Rumble is this Sunday, April 13th. With 312 entrants, this is by far the largest field ever (170 in the 30k and 142 in the 60k). In the 30k, defending champ, champ of the inaugural Rumble in 2003, c.r. holder, Olympic Marathon Trials runner, and nice guy Andy Martin is easily the favorite on the men's side. I expect Steve Larsen, Matt Lieto, and Joel Wirtz to be duking it out in the chase pack. I'm sorry that I'm not too familiar with the women's 30k field, but Tonya Olson should be in the mix. In the 30k doggie division, defending champ Chili, from Campbell River, BC, is expected to be challenged by Piper from Seattle. That, folks, might just be the race of the day. Seriously. On a side note, there are currently 31 dogs registered, which just happens to be the number of runners in the inaugural Rumble - that's awesome!

In the 60k, defending champ Rod Bien has been a bit behind in his preparation, as he's been busy having a third kid and opening a new running store. But he's fit and he'll run his heart out; plus, he'll be pinning on that #1 bib, which is always good for 10 minutes. I expect Eugene's Dan Olmstead and Scott Wolfe, and Bend's Billy Barnett and Paul Saladino to be trying to take down Rod. On the women's side, the Rumble's only three-time champ ('04, '05, '07) Kami Semick is looking fit and fast after a winter of injuries. She might be challenged by the whipper-snapper Jenn Shelton. However, Jenn did just win AR50 last Saturday so she may be a bit tired; but, as mentioned above, she is a whipper-snapper, so I'm sure she'll bounce back and give it all she's got. Also expected to be in the mix is another Bendite, Prudence L'Heureux. Along with Jenn, she recently moved to Bend and has definitely proven her toughness at Smith Rock.

With temps. in the 70s, 300 runners, and 31 wagging tails, it's going to be a great weekend for Rumbling!

Feeling the love!

Wow.  That was a cool way to start the opening of our shop.  We really did essentially no advertising other than one ad in a weekly paper but we had a great turnout.  From Dan and Kathy Harshburger sitting in front of the door (photos coming soon!) for an hour before we opened to all the new friends we have already made. It was awesome.  It caught me a little off guard how busy we got but we adjusted to the action quickly and loved every minute of it.  People seemed to like the space and really seemed to like our gait analysis.  Our system is pretty darn sweet.  Split screens, super slo-mo, we can really get to the bottom of a persons stride when they come in to get fit.  But, more than anything, what I took away from the weekend is how much I love working in a running/walking store.  Each person coming in to get fit is a little personal puzzle to figure out... and I loved it.   

And, just getting to hang out and talk, well, about running is what I do all the time anyway, so its really fun to be doing it in the new shop.  Lastly, I just feel very lucky with the staff I have assembled.  Not only do I have amazing athletes working at the shop but just great people who really thrive while providing customer service.   We hope to see some of you soon.  Come on in and say "hello".  And good luck to everyone running the Horse Butte race tomorrow!  I wish I could be out there but someone has to watch the shop!

Aloha,

Rod B.