The 2013 Pine Hollow Experience

The weekend extravaganza was a big success! It all started Saturday, June 1, with the X-Dog Pine Hollow Paddle. 

A record number of paddlers came out to compete, show off, and splash around under the warm, blue sky. Was there wind? No, there was no wind, although Jeff was reportedly slowed when a competitor handed him a bottle of wine mid-race, which he then felt compelled to finish off. Robin Yokour paddled admirably to win a first-place dog tag in the open category, and Harlan Brock took the open category in his rocket-shaped kayak, while Tony Nelson and Jen Dimaggio rocked first place in the Stand-Up Paddle. The Pine Hollow locals, once again, dominated the fun float in speed and spirit.

The post-party awards featured a keg of Redhook, country beans and New York hot dogs cooked up by Andrew, and free schwag from NextAdventure, Back in Motion, and Small Town Roasters. Even the local Sherrif got into the spirit and donned a pair of vintage sunglasses from Next Adventure. Click here for photos.

After the keg was finished off, we ventured into Angler's for more celebration and karaoke. Photos not available.

At 8:30 Sunday morning, the Pumice Man double triathlon kicked off the 2013 Pine Hollow Tri, with the Sprint Triathlon and Redneck Aquathon following close behind. Thanks goes out to Kevin and Dave for, among other things, transporting the bike racks and setting up the transition areas and the run turn-around, covering the entire course, and taking a lot of great photos. Marlon did a lot race morning setting-things-up, sweeping gravel from the course, and, along with Mark and Andrew, piloting a water-safety kayak. Thanks also to Andrew for bringing out a handful of boats and for Doug and Mark for hooking up the Redhook.

Doug, Megan, Tom, and Sam were phenomenal at registration and the finish line, and Gina and Brad were an awesome team setting up and dispensing aid at the transition area. Jeanne and Gary also helped out a lot, (and Gary made the hand-crafted awards, including the arrowheads on the Pumice Man trophies,) and more thanks goes out to the Pine Hollow Fire Department and the First Responders for all their support out on the course, and making sure everyone got safe. Thanks also to Kim at Anglers, and Frank at the Campground for being a big part of the event.

After spending all Saturday working the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ted (from Back in Motion) and Laura came out to play with us and get in on the tri action. Many particants hailed from southern, central, and northern-central Oregon to compete with the those of the greater Portland area, including the Sisters Athletic Club, and of course there was the annual representation from the MAC.

Last year Marie Young won style points for doing the Sprint in a sundress and sandals, and this year she took the first place woman Redneck Aquathon Championship belt, which was a leopard-print beer belt. The camo-colored Redneck Aquathon Championship beer belt went to Eric Helser, who Three-peated this year, having won the Pumice Man in 2012 and the Sprint Triathlon in 2011. Max Mann (14) beat his Aquathon contenders out of the water in his first-ever multisport race, and Dane Rauschenberg (52 marathons in 52 weeks) was on hand after medalling in the Aquathon to sign copies of his book, 138,336 Feet to Pure Bliss.

There were many familiar names in the field, including T-Roy Brown and Sheila Donahoe, who took home the Pumice Man trophies, and Curtis Brawner and Bridget Dawson, who earned the Sprint Triathlon championship trucker hats. Also, Jeff Peters returned this year with two future triathlets, Ken Chard and Ralph Williams, for a Pumice Man Relay Team.

Thanks to Small Town Roasters, Next Adventure, and the Historic Balch Hotel for the fantastic raffle prizes. Also, thanks to Whitney and Athletepath for their continued support!

Next up for the Timberline Trail Running Club is the Timberline Mt Run August 11, a fun event that's all about getting your altitude on with hot dogs, cold beer, and lots of sun in a blooming alpine wonderland. But, if you're worried about a little bit of elevation sapping your performance, not to worry. Bring a few friends and sign up as a team. There's no size limit for teams; you just need at least one woman, and at least two people total. Scoring is based on placement and participation, so the bigger your team, the better your chances of winning. You can walk up those hills and still be a mountain running champion!

Also, we'll be changing our three event websites to reflect one page at portlandrunner.com. Our other urls, timberlinetrail.com and pinehollowtri.com, will simply point to one page, where all your event info is just a click away.

See you June 16 for the X-Dog Mt Hood Scramble!