While most Pole Pedal Paddle participants — and almost everyone else in Central Oregon — are still enjoying some shut-eye, each year Greg and Kathleen Evans wake up at 4 a.m. on PPP day and head out to set up each aid station along the entire race course, from Mount Bachelor to Bend.

The Evanses, who are aided by their children, Blake (14) and Karli (8), have been aid station captains since they moved back to Bend 11 years ago.

“It’s the family tradition at this point,” Kathleen Evans said as they unloaded garbage bag after garbage bag full of discarded paper cups and banana peels from the back of a U-Haul truck late Saturday afternoon.

“It’s our give-back to society,” Greg Evans chimed in.

The Evanses are among 450 volunteers who staff the PPP course on the day of the race, and Kathleen said she and her family enjoy their role in the classic Bend event — aside from the 4 a.m. wake-up call. They typically watch the first few elite runners cross the finish line before driving back up Mount Bachelor to break down each aid station as the final competitors pass through.

Over the years, they have seen plenty of outrageous costumes, a few snowstorms and several traffic misdirections. But there are also plenty of thank-yous.

“The people in the race see us, and they’re like, ‘Thank you for setting up the stations for us!’” Kathleen Evans said. “I’m like, how do they know us? I guess it’s because they recognize our faces. It’s a really good reward.”

— Victoria Jacobsen