Bend's Grace Perkins trains on the Deschutes River on Tuesday for the Pole Pedal Paddle.

Saturday could feature the most unpredictable races in the history of the Pole Pedal Paddle’s elite individual divisions.

Multiple-time winners Jesse Thomas and Marshall Greene, both of Bend, are each nursing injuries and will not race. Five-time women’s champion Zoe Roy, of Bend, also will not compete.

Thomas, 44 and a former pro triathlete who won his fourth PPP last year, has a neck injury. Greene, 42 and a seven-time PPP winner who finished third last year, has a back injury.

Bend’s Andy Krueger

That leaves Bend’s Andy Krueger, the triathlete who finished second last year, as seemingly the favorite to claim his first PPP title in the 46th edition of Central Oregon’s most popular multisport race.

The PPP includes alpine skiing and nordic skiing at Mt. Bachelor, road biking from Bachelor to Bend, trail running, paddling on the Deschutes River, and a .4-mile sprint to the new finish area at Bend’s Riverbend Park.

“I would love to win the Pole Pedal Paddle this year, but I will miss competing against Jesse Thomas and Marshall Greene,” Krueger said. “It’s too bad they are not able to race this year, and I hope to race against both of them again next year. With that being said, winning on Saturday will by no means be easy. I don’t expect to be the fastest downhill skier or nordic skier, but plan to chase people down on the bike and run, and hopefully have a lead starting the kayak.”

Krueger, 24, raced the PPP for the first time last year and said he learned a lot.

“I thought I was out of contention for the podium starting the bike last year, but learned that even with the bike being downhill, there is opportunity to make up time,” Krueger said. “With five events, the PPP goes by fast and the transitions from one sport to the next are important.”

Krueger, who moved to Bend from Portland five years ago, grew up watching his parents race the PPP. He earned his professional license in triathlon in 2020 and is planning to race his first full-distance Ironman this year. Ironmans include a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a marathon.

“The PPP and triathlons are both multisport endurance events with lots of equipment, transitions from one sport to another, and the need for grit,” said Krueger, who works as an analyst for a global healthcare consulting company. “My strengths in the PPP are the bike and the run. My biggest area for improvement is the nordic ski and kayak.”

Bend’s Mike Condon

Bend’s Mike Condon, 37, will be racing as an individual for the 14th time on Saturday. He’s finished third place twice and second place once, in 2022 when Greene got a flat tire.

“It’s been several years since I had any ambition of winning PPP,” Condon said. “When I was younger I dreamed of winning and hoped that eventually guys like Marshall Greene would age out of the elite category and give us younger guys a shot at the podium, but he’s been consistently good year after year while plenty of new guys both older and younger than myself have come into the mix. At this point, I’m not particularly young anymore and am mostly content with the prospect of sneaking into the top three and taking a mug home, although it would still be a dream come true if I could ever pull out a win.”

The top three finishers in each category win a coveted Pole Pedal Paddle mug.

Condon, a project manager for Bend-La Pine schools who managed the design and construction of Caldera High School and is overseeing the modernization of Bend High, credits his passion for endurance sports to longtime Mountain View High nordic ski team coach Eric Martin. In fact, several of the elite men’s racers on Saturday were coached by Martin, who often races as part of a pair in the PPP.

“Eric has coached the Mountain View nordic team since 2001 and had a real positive impact on hundreds of Mountain View athletes over the years — instilling a love for recreation in many high school students,” Condon said.

Bend’s Alex Martin

Eric’s son Alex Martin, who grew up in Bend but now lives in Portland, is racing the PPP for the first time as an individual on Saturday. Many, including Greene, think Alex Martin, 26, has a chance to make the podium.

“I’ve wanted to compete in the category as far back as high school, but I was either finishing up track, recovering from a running injury, or racing it with my dad,” Alex Martin said. “This is the first year I’ve felt healthy and up for the challenge.”

Alex credits father Eric, who will be racing the cross-country ski leg as part of a team this Saturday, for helping him prepare for the PPP.

“Not only has he taught me how to ski and bike race, but I’m racing on almost all his equipment,” Alex Martin said. “He and his family have been racing the PPP almost since its inception in the late 1970s, and his dad raced it solo up into his late 70s. With so many years of racing experience, he has provided invaluable insight into training, pacing, and getting through the transitions.”

Bend’s Grace Perkins and Mary Wellington

With Roy not racing and last year’s winner Alayna Sonnesyn, of Stratton, Vermont, also not competing, it seems Bend’s Grace Perkins and Mary Welllington could vie for the elite women’s individual title.

Perkins, 24, is a lifelong Bend resident and Bend High graduate who ran cross-country and track for the University of Portland. She finished fourth in 2023 and third in 2022.

“I think if I can have a strong nordic ski, I could be in contention for the win,” Perkins said. “I think you always have to have the mindset of racing for the win because anything can happen in a race like PPP with so many elements.”

Perkins said she learned a lot during her first two PPP races in 2022 and 2023.

“They were both great experiences but there was a lot to learn in terms of figuring out the logistics, gear, crew, and how to put all the legs together,” Perkins said. “This year I feel most confident in just being able to race and not having to worry as much about these aspects.”

Perkins, who works at the FootZone running store in Bend, said she has been kayaking as much as she can in preparation, since that is her biggest weakness.

“I try to get in a few days where I do multiple of the activities in a row so I can get that feeling of going into the next leg already tired,” Perkins said. “The run is definitely my strength. I have started biking and nordic skiing a lot more since college, though, so those two areas are improving as well.”

Wellington won the PPP women’s title in 2002, and she has also finished second and third on multiple occasions.

46th edition of the Pole Pedal Paddle

46th edition of the Pole Pedal Paddle

Nearly 2,000 racers compete as individuals, pairs, or teams on a 34-mile course from Mount Bachelor to Bend that includes alpine skiing, a 6.2-kilometer nordic ski, a 22-mile road bike ride, a 5-mile run, a 1.5-mile paddle and a .4-mile sprint.

The first finishers are expected at the new finish area at Bend’s Riverbend Park at about 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Information: www.pppbend.com