MOVING AHEAD WITHOUT FEAR

The weather for the 2016 Pole Pedal Paddle relay in Bend, Ore. ranked in “the top 5 worst days” in the 40-year-history of the event and still attracted nearly 3,000 racers. Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) fielded 4 teams of racers in the Adaptive division for the 6th straight year. The Can Do Crew, No Boundaries, True Grit, and Onward! all showed up ready to race, rain or shine. It's only fitting for this inspiring group of challenged athletes that the first team out of the date was Onward! - moving forward - and the last OAS finisher across the line was Greg Dauntless - without fear - racing for True Grit.

The alpine and Nordic skiers found the 3 inches of new snow fast and fun but the bikers had a wet and cold 22 mile ride down into town. Fortunately, it had stopped raining by the time the runners hit the trail along the Deschutes River. The river was calm, but crowded for the paddlers. The weather hardly bothered the sprinters finishing off the race at the Les Schwab Amphitheater. Minutes after the group picture the rain returned but the downpour couldn’t dampen the smiles of the more than 40 racers and support crew. The slide show below says it all.

Final results: 1) No Boundaries, 2) Onward!, 3) Can Do Crew, 4) True Grit.

The racers are grateful for the support of NuMotion, Fratzke Commercial Real Estate, Therapeutic Associates, Knife River, Bend Dental Group, Century Insurance Group, Dana Signs, and New York City Subs for helping make the Pole Pedal Paddle another legendary year.

A big thanks to the OAS staff and volunteers who make this all possible!
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Photo credits: Pat Addabbo, Yvonne Babb, Carl Backstrom, Renae Gibbons, Jessica Hamm, C J Johnson, Missy Peterson, Jill Pfankuch, and Kellie Standish.