12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 8, 2015
Polk County Sports
Ironman: Meyer overcomes obstacles
“I began praying like
crazy that the next station
had water,” Meyer said.
Luckily, the next station
did have water. And, it
wasn’t long before Meyer
took off for the final part of
her journey — the run.
Continued from Page 10A
“I got into triathlons be-
cause I like running a lot but
I decided I needed to find
something that isn’t so rough
on the body and I can con-
tinue to do throughout life,”
Meyer, a 2001 Dallas High
graduate said. “I wasn’t ready
to give up running complete-
ly, so swimming, biking and
running sounded good.”
Meyer was proud of her
accomplishment and
hooked on the training
lifestyle.
It wasn’t long before peo-
ple began asking her if she
would attempt a full Iron-
man.
“For the longest time, I
said no,” Meyer said. “After
about five months, I decided
if I wanted to do (a full Iron-
man), now was my chance. I
understood the training
schedule. I had a good base.
So, I signed up one day after
work.”
Then, the hard par t
began.
She’s So There
Training
Meyer, who now lives in
Austin, Texas, spent the pre-
vious six months training for
the Ironman.
Her daily schedule in-
cluded waking up at 4:30
a.m. and working out before
and after work.
Weekends saw five- to
eight-hour long bike rides
and up to 21-mile runs.
As important as her phys-
ical training was learning
how to eat before, after and
during her workouts.
“You have to eat to have
the energy to train and
learn how to eat while
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELISSA MEYER/for the Itemizer-Observer
Melissa Meyer celebrates reaching the end of the Ironman in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on June 28.
you’re out there,” Meyer
said. “You can’t do a race
that lasts 17 hours without
food training.”
Yet, for all the difficulty
the physical training pre-
sented, that wasn’t the
biggest challenge she
faced.
“I think saying no to
friends (was the hardest
part),” Meyer said. “Saying
no to a dinner because it
would go too late and I
needed to get home so I
could train well the next day.
Saying no was hard.”
Half a year later, and race
day arrived. This time, there
was one more obstacle in
her way — the heat, which
reached 106 degrees and
140 degrees on the pave-
ment, Meyer said.
Facing the Struggle
M e y e r ’s s w i m w e n t
smoothly as she transitioned
onto her bike.
“First 70 miles, I’m doing
great,” Meyer said.
She entered the most dif-
ficult stretch of the bike
ride located between miles
70 and 90. With little fan
support and the hilliest
stretch of the entire ride,
Meyer’s confidence started
to fade.
“The hills are never-end-
ing at this point,” Meyer
said. “People are literally
dropping like flies on the
bike. Some are convulsing.
Others can’t make a three
CYCLING
Cycle Oregon to visit
Polk County during ride
Bikers from around the country to arrive in Polk County
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
Cycle Oregon
POLK COUNTY — Thou-
sands of cyclists are about
to hit the road in and
around Polk County.
Cycle Oregon will hold its
weekend ride, dubbed
Camp Cycle Oregonnado-
good, this Friday, Saturday
and Sunday.
The group will set up
camp at Western Oregon
University, where cyclists
will have access support to
keep their bikes running
smoothly.
“Polk County has excel-
lent bicycle rides, including
the Willamette Valley Scenic
Bikeway, plus many small
towns and open spaces that
represents Oregon’s rich
history,” Executive Director
Alison Graves said.
The weekend ride will
offer a total of six possible
• Cycle Oregon will
set up camp at Western
Oregon University for its
annual weekend ride
Friday through Sunday.
• Cycle Oregon aims to
show people different
areas of the state as well
as support cycling advo-
cacy throughout the
state.
• Cycle Oregon gives
grants to support cycling
projects throughout the
state.
• For more informa-
tion: www.cycleoreg-
on.com.
courses over two days that
range from 21 to 74 miles
long, ensuring riders of all
abilities will have a good ex-
perience.
Cycle Oregon has two
days of rides planned that
will give cyclists a glimpse
of the area.
Saturday will take riders
through the Willamette
Valley to Buena V ista
County Park, Marion, Scio
and the Ankeny Wildlife
Refuge.
Sunday will see cyclists
take a trip through Polk
County to Dallas and Falls
City as they ride toward the
foothills of the Oregon
Coast range.
This weekend’s ride sold
out of spots, a common oc-
currence for the weekend
rides, Graves said.
Organizers hope that the
ride shows off the area’s nat-
ural beauty to people from
around the United States
and beyond while learning
about a region’s culture.
“We see how communi-
ties are maintaining their
small town connections and
exploring different econom-
ic strategies,” Graves said.
But Cycle Oregon does
more than bring tourists to
the state.
The group also offers fi-
nancial support to commu-
nities through its communi-
ty and signature grant pro-
grams.
The grant programs are
aimed at preserving and
supporting community de-
velopment projects.
Graves said $62,500 has
been invested over the years
in Polk and Marion counties.
As cyclists prepare to hit
the road, Graves said she
hopes both the riders and
the towns they visit have a
worthwhile experience.
“We have found through
the years that one of the
things that both riders and
community members enjoy
the most is meeting people
from different places,”
Graves said.
word sentence and are
being pulled off the course.
Ambulances are going non-
stop. I'm not going to lie, I
was a little scared at this
point.”
Meyer arrived at a med-
ical tent at mile 85 only to
find the tent had run out of
water. After receiving some
Gatorade and spending a
few moments in the shade
under the tent, Meyer had
no choice but to push on to
the next station.
When Meyer began her
26.2-mile run, one thought
kept her pushing — she was
going to be an Ironman.
But, 24 to 25 miles in, and
Meyer was struggling.
It was then she heard a
young girl shout, “Girl,
you’re so there!”
In that moment, some-
thing switched on for
Meyer.
“Everything came flood-
ing over me and I started,”
Meyer said. “… That was my
tipping point. I couldn’t be-
lieve that after six months of
this, I was so there. I stopped
crying and got super excit-
ed.”
Meyer used her newfound
excitement to race toward
the finish, her family felt a
rush of relief.
“Her (timing) chip failed
to register at mile 21.2 of
the run,” Melissa’s mother
Lu Ann Meyer said. “Our
entire family was convinced
something was very wrong.
You can imagine our excite-
ment when we spotted her
coming down the home
stretch.”
As Meyer celebrated, it
became clear finishing the
Ironman was more than just
a race. It was an experience
she’ll never forget.
“The Ironman experience
was incredible,” Meyer said.
SPORTS BRIEFS
CYS to host youth football signups
INDEPENDENCE — Central Youth Sports (CYS) will hold football
registration Aug. 10-14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Panther Stadium.
Signups will take place at the concession stand.
There will also be an opportunity for registration on Aug. 15
from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. CYS youth football is open to students in
grades K-6. Cost is $125 per child.
Rogue Revolution Ride coming
INDEPENDENCE — Space is still available for the 2015 Rogue
Revolution Ride on July 19. The 50-mile bike ride begins at Rogue
Hop Farms in Independence and travels through a covered
bridge, by multiple wineries and Monmouth and Independence.
There will be mechanical support and two rest areas that will offer
snacks and refreshments. An after party featuring music from Ty
Curtis will be thrown for all participants.
The ride begins at 9 a.m.
The event is an Oregon Bicycle Racing Association-sanctioned
event, requiring membership to participate. One-day OBRA mem-
berships are $2 during online registration.
Cost is $40 online, which closes on July 17. Late registration will
be available on July 19 for $50. A portion of the proceeds will ben-
efit the Arthritis Foundation.
For more information: www.riderogue.com.
Signups for basketball camp open
DALLAS — Registration is open for the Dragon Basketball
Camp July 13-15.
Dallas girls coach Dave Brautigam and boys coach Trent Schwartz
and the coaching staffs will instruct participants on a broad range
of topics.
The camp will include focusing on ball handling, shooting, post
and guard breakdown moves, defensive positioning and more.
The camp runs from 2 to 6 p.m. each day at the Dallas High
School gym and is open for students entering grades four through
12. The gym will be open at 12:30 p.m.
Cost is $50 per person.
Registration forms can be found online at www.ci.-
dallas.or.us/index.aspx?NID=425.
For more information: David Brautigam, david.brautigam@dalla-
sor.gov or Trent Schwartz, trent.schwartz@dsd2.org.
Serve: Players will offer tennis camp
Continued from Page 10A
“We’re excited to get to
compete,” Christensen said.
“If we do well, we’ll get to
take this one more step,
which would be absolutely
exciting. To be honest, I
think we continue to get bet-
ter.”
While they experience
success on the court, Chris-
tensen and Cole aren’t just
content in having fun.
They’re looking to pass
their passion on to a new
generation of players.
—
While Christensen and
Cole look to quench their
competitive thirst, they
share another common goal
— helping others learn
about tennis.
For Christensen, that call-
ing has been every bit as
strong as her desire to keep
playing.
Christensen ran a youth
tennis program for Kids, Inc.
for 25 years and served as an
assistant coach for Dallas
High’s boys tennis team dur-
ing the spring.
“I think tennis is a great
sport for kids,” Christensen
said.
Christensen and Cole will
offer a kids tennis camp Aug.
10-15 to help youth players
regardless of skill level.
The camp costs $30 plus
two new cans of tennis
balls, and is open to stu-
dents in grades 1-12 (Con-
tact Christensen at 503-
507-9303 for more informa-
tion).
Christensen and Cole are
keen on getting players of
any age started.
Christensen, Cole, Bibler
and a host of others meet
each Wednesday at 6 p.m. at
Roger Jordan Community
Park to play.
Christensen said the
public is always invited to
join them, whether you’re
a seasoned veteran or
picking up a racket for the
first time.
“We rotate people in,”
Christensen said. “Anyone
can come play with us. It
makes it easy for people who
may not know many people
who play tennis.”
Just be ready to receive a
few friendly tips.
“I have a real big problem
wanting to coach everyone I
play with,” Christensen said
with a laugh.
Christensen and Cole
have seen firsthand the
power of tennis to not only
stay in shape but create new
friendships on and off the
court. It’s why sharing that
joy with as many people as
they can has become their
most important goal going
forward.
“It’s such a great sport,”
Christensen said. “That’s
why I love to get people in-
volved because it’s a forever
sport. It’s something you can
play your entire life and
have fun doing it.”
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Alice Bibler (right) and Petra Cole are two of the numerous players who meet each
Wednesday at 6 p.m. to play tennis at Roger Jordan Community Park.