Marshall Greene held off Andrew Boone to win his 5thPole Pedal Paddle title.

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Here are a few questions for you:
1 Who is going to win the men’s PPP?
2 Who is going to win the women’s PPP?
3 Is LeBron James done as a Cleveland Cavalier?
4 Is Rajon Rondo the best point guard in the NBA?
5 Who is going to win the NBA championship?

Blog on PPP

This year’s Pole Pedal Paddle is the biggest ever, with the most participants in history. Pretty cool! Be sure to go partake in the fun this Saturday!

Former champions to offer tips on Pole Pedal Paddle race – The Bulletin

The Pole Pedal Paddle is Bend’s signature sporting event. Marshall Greene has won the last four, as far as Central Oregon Athlete is concerned, that makes him a BIG deal! But Greene is more than just a dominating PPP champion. He recently took third @ the Boulder Mountain Tour and is an elite level endurance athlete. Greene was kind enough to answer a few questions for COA:

Central Oregon Athlete – Where did you grow up?
Marshall Greene – Grew up in Spokane. Ran xc for Lewis and Clark HS and skied with the club
team there, Spokane Nordic.

COA – How long have you lived in Bend?
MG – I moved to Bend shortly after graduating from Middlebury College in VT in
2004.

COA – What brought you to Bend?
MG – I came to Bend to pursue cross-country ski racing full time. For
“professional” nordic ski racers, there are only a few places in the country
with post-collegiate club teams that provide the support (financially and
technically) necessary to be succesful as a ski racer. Many of these places
are in the middle of nowhere and don’t really have anything to offer besides
the ski team. I knew that I wouldn’t be ski training all 24 hours of the
day and I wanted a place where I could live happily the rest of the day.
Bend was the obvious choice.

COA – What’s next on your racing schedule?
MG – I’m leaving for Madison, WI for a Super Tour event this weekend. After that
I’ll be heading to Europe for three weekends of racing. First weekend will
be in a Swiss national level race, 2nd weekend is a Europa Cup (the World
Cup qualifying races for Central Europe), and then the last weekend I’ll
race the Engadin Ski Marathon with 12,000 others.

COA – What’s something that most people don’t know about you?
MG – I’m incredibly forgetful. I lose and leave things everywhere –on my
honeymoon I left my passport in a taxi at the Thai/Cambodia border.

COA – As the winner of multiple PPPs you are clearly a multifaceted racer/athlete,
what other sports do you enjoy?
MG – I love participating in pretty much every sport. I still run all the time
and do some road bike racing. Mt. biking is tons of fun but a little
dangerous for me — I crash hard and often. I played baseball and
basketball growing up so I even enjoy team sports from time to time.

COA – What makes the PPP special?
MG – I would love to say that the PPP distinguishes the best all-around endurance
athlete in the area but that’s really not true. Cross-country skiing
requires so much technique that if you haven’t been doing it for a long
time, it’s very difficult to make the podium. That said, the PPP is unique
in that it challenges people to become proficient at so mnay different
sports.

What REALLY makes the PPP special is how many people all over Central Oregon
get into it. Whether they are volunteering, being a team member in an event
they’ve never tried before, or racing alone, the whole community gets into
the race. That’s pretty cool for sure.

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
MG – It’s hard to beat some of the trail running that is so accessible around
here. One of my favorite loops starts at the Tumalo Falls parking lot, goes
up the Bridge Creek trail up to Trail 99, and then down North Fork. It goes
through the watershed and stays green much longer into the summer than many
of the trails that start to turn to dust by June. Also Bridge Creek is a
pretty infrequently used trail and bikes aren’t allowed on it so you really
feel like you’re out there all alone. Obviously I’ve got nothing against
mt. bikers — I am one, after all — but sometimes, it’s pretty cool to have
real solitude even without having to be too far from a trailhead. I’m not
sure if I’ve ever met another group of people on it in all the times of run
it.

The Pole Pedal Paddle is Bend’s most famous race. But it’s also popular in Salida Colorado and in Jackson Hole Wyoming.

• HERE is the link to Bend’s event.
• HERE is the link to the Jackson Hole, Wyoming event, which is in 35th year.
• HERE is the link to the Salida, Colorado event.

4-time reigning Pole Pedal Paddle champion Marshall Greene has a site to help you excel in the PPP. Checkout PPP Coach. Greene of Bend, has been dominating the massively popular multi sport event and is willing to share of that inside knowledge on his site. Even better, he can set you up with a personal training program to get you or your team ready for the Pole Pedal Paddle.

Bend’s premier multi-sport race is coming up once again. The US. Band Pole Pedal Paddle is scheduled for Saturday May, 15th in Bend. Registration is available online. For more info click HERE.

Check out the COA links page for lots of links having to do with the PPP.

• The Pole Peddle Paddle – The PPP is the signature event of Central Oregon. The multi-sport race showcases not only the Bend lifestyle, but also Bend’s abundant amount of elite athletes.
• The Cascade Cycling Classic – Lance Armstrong, ever heard of him? Well he raced the CCC in Bend and so have many other of the world’s best cyclists. This event, spread out over a week is one of the highlights of the year, especially the downtown criterium.
• The Oxford Classic XC race – Formerly known as the Lava Bear Classic, then the Puma Classic, this prep cross country race in Bend’s Drake Park is a must see.
• A Hot Shots game – Pro basketball in Central Oregon, come on, you’ve got to take advantage of that!
• A Bend Elks game – One of the highlights of the summer. If you aren’t attending Elks’ games, you are missing out!
• A high school basketball game @ Madras high school – Yes, you read that correctly. I have to say, it’s one of the best places to watch a game. If your in Bend, when your team plays @ Madras, you should go. Here’s why: they have great community support, a loud crowd with a cool gym and they run and gun which means a lot of points and fast-paced play. It’s like a mini road trip.
• A track meet @ Summit high school – Not only is the track one of the best in the Pacific Northwest and not only is Summit the reigning state champions, but this is your last chance to see Kellie Schueler run @ home. Do it! The Oregon Elite Meet should be a great one.
• Cyclecross Nationals – So you’ve basically got a year to get ready for this one, see as it just finished. But with over 5,000 fans in attendance, you don’t want to miss it.
• BMX – Biking, sorry “Cycling” is huge in Bend and so is racing… if you haven’t already noticed. When it comes to bike racing, it all starts with BMX. Checkout the “EVENTS” page for some big BMX events in C.O. this year.
• The Bend vs Mountain View football game – Always competitive, always packed, one of C.O.s best traditions.