Zach Violett is one of Bend’s fastest endurance athlete. You may recognize his name from a variety of racing results. Zach took some time to answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete:

Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you lived in Bend?
Zach Violett – moved here in August of 2006, so I guess this is the start of my 4th year.

COA – What brought you to Bend?
ZV – I moved here to continue skiing after college. I got my Bachelors at University of Anchorage Alaska and didn’t want to stay up there after I finished. I was looking for a cool town that had a post-collegiate ski team. I began talking with JD Downing of XC-Oregon and found myself moving to Bend.

COA – You do a lot of racing, what sport is your main focus?
ZV – For the past 13 year I would have said Nordic skiing. Last winter I retired from competitive ski racing and now just race for fun. I don’t have a specific focus so I just jump into any race that looks fun or challenging. So far I have done adventure races, running races (everything for 10k’s to Ultras), and bike races (road & mtn).

COA – What other sports do you enjoy?
ZV – I do a little bit of everything including: golfing, rock climbing, sailing, hiking, rafting, Frisbee, and starting to try my hand at hunting (if that is considered a sport..?).
Basically I love being outside and will try just about anything that gets me out of the house.

COA – What do you like to do when you are not racing or training?
ZV – When not racing or working out my time is broken into two big chunks:
First is spending my 40-hour work week at Tech Soft 3D. Where I do international software sales.
Second is spending time with my girlfriend and our new puppy. That time ranges from laying around the house to out hiking and exploring the mountains to going on road trips and random adventures.
I also love reading. It can be so fun to get lost in a book and let the imagination fly with the story. Stieg Larsson, Clive Cussler and Wilbur Smith are my current favorites.

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
ZV – Right now my favorite workout is anything new. I get bored quickly of any single trail or workout. This summer’s favorites were:
-Mountain biking on the Umpqua
-Mountain bike loop around Mt. Bachelor.
-Long runs in the Three Sisters Wilderness.

COA – What are some of your sports goals?
ZV – Most important goal for me is to keep having fun.
I want to do a 24-hour Adventure race and someday a multi-day race.
A 50-mile Ultra Marathon has some appeal, but not setting any specific plans to it.

A standout runner and alpine ski racer at Mountain View high school, Andrew Boone is an elite athlete. If there is any question about that, just look at his second-place overall finish at this year’s Pole Pedal Paddle behind four-time champion Marshall Greene. Boone, who refers to himself as a “weekend warrior” when it comes to racing, answered a few questions for COA. Most people can only dream of being this kind of weekend warrior!

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
Andrew Boone – This is a tough one because we have so many amazing venues to get the heart rate up in central Oregon. I would have to say that my absolute favorite is riding up and over McKenzie Pass. When you come back up from the west side, the road seems to twist and climb forever. The views of the mountains are spectacular and it just makes you feel blessed to live in such an amazing place. It helps that I like to go up hill on a bike! A little tip is to ride the route in late June, after the snow melts, but before the road is open to traffic.

COA – Did you surprise yourself with how well you finished @ the PPP?
AB – I was a little shocked. I knew that if things came together and I had a good day, I could finish on the podium. My bike training had been going very well, so that is where I tried to make up the most time. I was 8th coming out of the XC ski and I used the bike to move up into 2nd place. 2009 was a fun year, with a lot of hype built up around the US ski team guys that were racing for the first time. All the attention on those guys allowed me to slip completely under the radar and that was fun. I was pretty scared during the paddle though, as I was in a pretty new (to me) boat. I had paddled it only 6 or 7 times prior to race day and I ended up flipping it in all but one training session. I was very glad make it to the boat take out without taking a swim.

COA – What is your racing focus these days?
AB – Right now I am a little ADD with my training and racing focus. Cycling is still my priority and where I spend the majority of my time. I am coming out of a break from training on the bike, but I will race Cyclocross nationals for fun. This winter I am going to stay fit and explore XC ski racing a bit with the XC Oregon team, and spend a lot of time preparing for the 2010 road season. I have joined a new elite cycling team based in Bend for the 2010 season, Sagebrush Cycles/CycleSoles. I am very excited about the roster and team leadership for this upcoming season and I am looking forward to a full season of racing on the road. Goal events for 2010 will be the US Elite National Championships as well as the Cascade Cycling Classic. I am thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of such amazing teams here in Central Oregon. Both XC Oregon and Sagebrush Cycles/CycleSoles are world class programs located right here in Central Oregon and both help Bend maintain its reputation as an elite athlete Mecca! I am very lucky to have such tremendous support.

COA – What’s more fun, racing bikes or skis?
AB – Nordic skiing and cycling are very different activities. I have so much respect for Nordic skiers, because the technique required to be good can take a lifetime to learn. I am so new to the sport and I have so much to learn before I can really call myself a Nordic skier. Cycling on the other hand is pretty linear. You just pedal in circles and you move forward. So an uncoordinated guy like me can get on a bike and go fast. Right now I would say I enjoy training for XC skiing more, because every training session I make huge progress. Working with J.D. Downing (XC Oregon Coach) this season is going to do wonders for my technique and I am excited to see the gains I make this year.

COA – What’s been your best bike racing result so far?
AB – Probably my 9th place finish in the Prologue at the Tour of Virginia in 2007. This is my highest finish in a National Race Calendar (NRC) event to date and one that really stands out in my mind.