SPORTS PULLOUT & CLASSIFIEDS INSIDE
• B SECTION • FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022
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POLE PEDAL PADDLE RETURNS
Bend’s Zoe Roy looks to set
record by winning 5th straight
Bulletin file photo
Jesse Thomas runs across Bill
Healy bridge while competing
in the men’s elite division of the
42nd annual Pole Pedal Paddle
in Bend in 2018.
Return
to the
PPP
Bend’s Jesse Thomas
gunning for third
title in men’s race
BY MARK MORICAL
The Bulletin
next as quickly as possible.
Roy’s strengths in the PPP are the 6.2-kilo-
meter nordic ski and the 5-mile run, because
she has a background in elite nordic ski rac-
ing and distance running.
Jesse Thomas is a few years
removed from his professional
triathlete days, but it seems he
still has the potential to win
Central Oregon’s signature
multisport race.
Thomas, 42 and of Bend,
will vie for this third victory
in the men’s individual race of
the Pole Pedal Paddle on Sat-
urday.
He said he recently un-
packed his triathlon bike after
having not used it since his
last triathlon in 2018.
“The only bike I’ve ridden
the last four years is a moun-
tain bike,” Thomas said. “I
got on my triathlon bike and
I felt like I was going to fall
straight over the front wheel.
It was crazy. I couldn’t believe
that was the position I used
to hold for 100-plus miles. It
shows how much things have
changed.”
Still, Thomas figures to be
the favorite in the PPP, which
he has not raced since 2018.
He was injured in 2019 and the
race was canceled the last two
years due to the pandemic.
A healthy Thomas, then 38,
won the 2018 by nearly four
minutes over seven-time PPP
winner and fellow Bend resi-
dent Marshall Greene.
See Roy / B10
See Thomas / B10
Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file
Zoe Roy makes her way along the 5-mile run course while competing in the elite women’s division of the Pole Pedal Paddle in 2019.
Z
BY MARK MORICAL • The Bulletin
oe Roy will try to make history Saturday by becoming the first woman to win five consecutive individual Pole Pedal
Paddle titles.
The Bend resident won the race each year from 2016 to 2019 before it was canceled the past two years due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Roy will try to break the record held by Bend’s Suzanne King, a former Olympic cross-country skier who won the multisport race
each year from 2004 to 2007.
“Oh man, I didn’t even know that,” Roy
said when asked about breaking the record.
“That’s exciting. That would be quite cool,
actually, and Suzanne’s a good one to be up
there with. I’m in good company, I feel good
about that.”
Roy, 34, spent most of the past winter as
a chef at a backcountry ski lodge in Canada.
She said she is excited for the race to be back,
but admitted that it was nice to have a break
from the PPP for a couple of years. The
training and logistics that go into a race of
alpine skiing, nordic skiing, cycling, running
and paddling are immense.
“To be honest, it was nice to not think
about it for a little bit, and just focus on
other stuff,” Roy said. “But it’s also great that
it’s back. It’s not just me that it pulls in and
“
“To be honest, it was nice to not think about it for a little bit, and just focus on other stuff.
But it’s also great that it’s back. It’s not just me that it pulls in and becomes
time-consuming, it’s also my support crew. I think I have the same people I had in 2019,
so that will be fun. It’s a great group.”
— Zoe Roy, The Bend resident won the PPP each year from 2016 to 2019 before it was canceled the past
two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic
becomes time-consuming, it’s also my sup-
port crew. I think I have the same people I
had in 2019, so that will be fun. It’s a great
group.”
The support crew helps Roy at the transi-
tions so she can move from one stage to the
Big fun is coming to
Alpenglow Park in Bend
BY TED TAYLOR
For The Bulletin
Some truly big things are happening in
southeast Bend that are sure to
widen the eyes of kids and adults
alike (but, probably for different rea-
sons) — specifically, three climbing
and bouldering structures rising
10-plus-feet into the sky and weigh-
ing 19,000 pounds
The huge new climbing structures
are just part of the fun that awaits visitors at
Bend Park & Recreation District’s soon-to-be-
completed Alpenglow Community Park.
Located on SE 15th Street just north of the
new Caldera High School, Alpenglow covers
nearly 40 acres. That’s about the size of Fare-
well Bend and Riverbend parks combined, and
three times the size of Drake Park.
Unique among Bend parks, Alpen-
glow includes three bouldering areas —
East, Central and West. The East area has
smaller pre-cast boulders with the largest
being 10-feet tall. The Central and West
areas have large, custom-built boulders
with a climbing height of 12 feet.
Local climbing wall experts En-
tre-Prises designed and constructed the boul-
ders — which can feature more than 1,500
holds that can be occasionally reset to keep the
space dynamic for climbers of all abilities.
See Alpenglow / B9
Submitted photo
Three climbing and bouldering structures rising 10-plus-feet into the sky and weighing 19,000 pounds will
be on hand at the new Alpenglow Park in Bend.