Rickert takes 3P top spot

After a last-minute change from Saturday to Sunday, the 2009 Salida Pole, Pedal, Paddle was held in balmy weather under blue skies and deemed a success by organizers and competitors alike.

Defending champion Jesse Rickert of Gunnison took top honors in a time of 2:27, followed closely by Spencer Lacy (2:35), Evan Ross (2:37), Andy Riemenschneider (2:47) and Paul Byars (2:51). Top women included Lorri Lau (3:25), Amy Schwein (3:27), Shelly Carlos (3:42), Kerstin Stock (3:44) and Amy Moore (4:23). Roughly 75 people participated in the race, either as a solo competitor or part of a team, according to official race results.

One of only a handful of such races in the country, the 3P requires that competitors ski from the top of Monarch Pass to the Fooses Creek trailhead, then bike on dirt roads and railroad grades to Big Bend and finally kayak on the Arkansas River into Salida.

Race planners had to do some quick thinking as a characteristic but inopportune spring snowstorm swept through the state late last week, closing schools on the Front Range and making travel hazardous. Organizer Mike Harvey spent much of Friday on the phone with various permitting and governmental agencies and insurance companies to get the race switched from Saturday to Sunday. “We felt very lucky to have pulled off the race at all. Any one of about six people could have said no and prevented the event from happening,” he said. Ultimately, the snowstorm added new snow to the bottom of the ski course, improving conditions for the ski leg but making the bike leg muddy in places.

The Salida 3P traces its lineage back to a similar race organized in the 1980’s, the “Pole, Pedal, Paddle, Plod”, which also included a running component. The “Pole, Pedal, Paddle” in its current form was instigated from 1999 to 2001 by Hank Bevington and then revived in 2008 by Bevington, Harvey, Kerstin Stock, Robin NeJame and others.

“This is the perfect event to highlight our town from a mountain sports perspective,” Harvey said, noting that spring conditions allow competitors to be skiing at 11,000 feet and paddling a few hours later on the Arkansas.

The race benefits the Arkansas River Trust, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the Upper Arkansas River, enhancing recreational access to the Arkansas River and promoting youth participation in whitewater paddle sports. A similar multi-sport event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming raises tens of thousands of dollars annually for a children’s ski program. Given the enthusiasm shown by competitors, race organizers believe that the Salida 3P has the potential to grow into a larger event showcasing the region and providing an early-season venue for competitive athletes, locals and multi-sport enthusiasts.