Boldest Action of the Challenge: "Share a sport you love" with Laura G.

Laura's Action:
this weekend, 2 friends: Pole, Pedal, Paddle in Bend, OR. A relay consisting of alpine ski, XC ski, bike, run, kayak & sprint to the finish. Bold Votes: 7

Laura's thoughts:
The annual Pole, Pedal, Paddle in Bend, Oregon can be described as spectacular, awesome, epic, incredible, one-of-a-kind, or simply, a blast. Mt Bachelor is a great mountain, and Bend is such a fun town filled with so many wonderful people. The race itself consists of a downhill ski portion that begins with an uphill run in ski boots to the skis, an 8 km cross-country ski race, a 30 km bike ride from Mt. Bachelor to Bend, a 8 km run through the parks surrounding Bend, a 3 km kayak in the Deschutes River (half-upstream), and finally, a 1/2 mile "sprint" to the finish. Quite the work-out! This year, my friend Andrea and I recruited 3 close friends to compete with us. We would've gotten 2nd, but due to logistical errors, took 4th... leaving only room for improvement for next year! The fact that there is always room for improvement is one of the great things about the PPP. Not only can you improve by placing higher each year, but you can compete against yourselves for a better time. This year, we ran into errors not only in our hand-offs (10 minutes lost), but my kayak rudder broke and I had to finish the race (hardest part is last) with a broken rudder. As I was paddling upstream, I had little to no control, and actually collided with a man paddling downstream. He ended up in the water... Lesson learned!

I first got involved with the PPP last year when my brother invited me to ski for his team. Our parents competed when they were younger, and my dad jokes that this year was the third time I'd done it, because my mom competed individually while pregnant with me. Baller! My brother and I have since spread the love of the PPP to literally dozens of our friends, all who have embraced it just as we did. It literally is one of the best weekend of the year!! There are also Pole, Pedal, Paddle events in Jackson, WY and Salida, CO. Each town has a different variation on the race to spice things up. For example, the alpine ski portion at Jackson is a tram run (top to bottom), and the kayak portion is whitewater! Check 'em out and sign up, you won't regret it!