Lots o' Happenings

Congratulations to our own resident tri-geek Ironman Chad in winning the inaugural MAC Dash Sprint Triathlon last weekend in Madras. Chad swam 500 yards in the new Madras Aquatic Center, then rode his fully decked out tri-geek bike 12 hilly miles, and finished with a speedy 3 mile run to win in 1:03:56. Get this: this was IM's (what we affectionately refer to Chad as) first race of the year! Yes, he has been sandbagging for quite some time. So if you get a chance, stop by the shop and give IM an attaboy.

Head Honcho and Friend of FF Prudence are heading down to southern California this weekend to run the Angeles Crest 100 (as in miles!). They have both been training lots and lots and lots over the summer, and are ready to kick it. How do I know they're ready to kick it? Because the past week, during their tapers, they have both been a bit on the, oh, shall we say, edgy side. This is good. It means they're rested and have lots of energy just waiting to explode at 5:00 a.m. in Wrightwood. Go Rod! Go Prudence!

Also this weekend, happening right here in central Oregon, is the inaugural Pine Mountain Hill Climb! I'm very excited about this race. I love hill climbs and think there just aren't enough of them around Bend. So I was out running at Pine Mountain in May and within a couple of miles, I knew I wanted to hold a race there. Thus, the hill climb was born.

The course is an 11.5 miler with 2,500' of climbing. There are 8 miles of uphill and, to add a little recovery and / or leg speed into the race, 3.5 miles of downhill. It is 100% on dirt, mostly double track jeep roads, with a little gravel road and even a small bit of single track. There are awesome views of the Cascades at a few spots, including the finish on top. It is a very runnable course, but walkers are welcome to join the fun.

There is also free camping right near the observatory on Saturday night. So bring your Coleman stove and enjoy the company of your fellow runners before the big race on Sunday morning. Rumor has it that Tonya may bring the fixings for her famous Deluxe S'mores...mmmm... And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the Observatory staff are going to show a really cool, B-grade, sci-fi movie on Saturday night. Can you say sweet?? Come join the fun. You won't be disappointed.