Participants | FINAL RESULTS

1. Ben Milder (169)

2. Brian Compagnone (153.5)

3. Tom Milder (121)

4. Theron Stout (114)

5. Josh Robinson (108.5)

6. Kevin Forster (107)

7. Tai Milder (107)

8. Paul Tibbits, Jr. (100)

9. Donovan Baddley (82)

10. Shannon Clune (77)

11. Steve Schroeder (64)

12. Bob Ruby (55)

13. Bill Forster, Jr. (44)

🥇First: Mt Bachelor

Steve
Josh
Brian
Donovan
Shannon

🥈Second: Mt Hood

Theron
Tom
Paul
Bob

🥉Third: Mt Jefferson

Ben
Tai
Kevin
Bill

In the team challenge, Mount Bachelor (Brian, Josh, Steve, Donovan and Shannon) captured the crown.

Ultimately, it came down to the final team event, Anchor Man, after back-and-forth with Mount Hood (Tom, Bob, Theron, and Paul) across Ping Pong, Pop-a-Shot, and Corn Hole.

Mount Jefferson (Kevin, Tai, Steve and Ben) took the third and final team spot.

Events / Winners

1. Free throws / Ben M

2. Discus / Kevin F

3. Kayak / Shannon C

4. Obstacle course / Ben M

5. Mountain Bike / Paul T

6. Bowling / Tai M

Standings (end of Friday)

1. Ben Milder (96)

2. Brian Copagnone (86)

3. Josh Robinson (72)

4. Theron Stout (62)

5. Paul Tibbits, Jr. (59)

6. Tom Milder (57)

7. Tai Milder (54)

8. Shannon Clune (49)

9. Kevin Forster (49)

10. Donovan Baddley (46)

11. Steve Schroeder (34)

12. Bob Ruby (27)

13. Bill Forster, Jr. (17)

RECAP

Day one is done. It started in a chilly drizzle, but the sun quickly broke through the clouds and warmed things up. Slick basketballs and an unfriendly double rim led to some lower-than-normal scores in the Free Throw stage, ultimately won by Ben Milder with 13 of 20, barely edging out Tai Milder with 12.

We then moved straight to closely contested Discus, and Kevin Forster took the title with a final heave that left him a mere half inch ahead of Brian Compagnone (with Theron Stout just a few inches behind him).

On to the Deschutes River in downtown Bend for the Kayak for the most shocking result of the day. Shannon Clune easily cleared the field by over 15 seconds to take the stage as even local Bend residents looked on dumbfounded by his strength and skill. Josh Robinson paddled his way to second.

Then came the newest stage of the Challenge, an improvised and taxing obstacle course balancing speed and agility that included a slide start, hurdling across logs, scaling two climbing walls, sprinting across picnic tables (yes, I’m intentionally making it sound more dramatic – video included). Ultimately, Ben prevailed by under a second besting Josh with at just over a minute and a second to Josh’s 1:02.

The Mountain Bike followed taking riders through a double loop of the Roundabout Trail with a grueling uphill push before a winding and fast downhill to the finish. Paul Tibbits, Jr. cruised to a comfortable victory ahead of second place finisher Theron Stout. Per the usual, we lost (but eventually found) one competitor on the trail, but all made it home safely in the end.

After freshening up and dinner, it was off to Bowling at Lava Lanes in Bend, where Tai absolutely crushed the field scoring a 212 (3 points short of the Challenge record) and including a “Hambone” in the effort (four consecutive strikes).

Day two kicks off this morning with a scenic trail run along the Deschutes River in the Lava Lands in the Deschutes National Forest. Then on to field events with the Punt & Pass, Field Goal, HR Derby, Football Accuracy and a series of team events (Corn Hole, Ping Pong, Anchor Man).

Events / Winners

1. Trail Run / Brian C

2. Punt & Pass / Ben M

3. Field Goal Kicks / Ben M

4. Home Run Derby / Ben M

5. Football Accuracy / Brian C

6. Ping Pong (team event) / Team Hood

7. Corn Hole (team event) / Team Hood

8. Anchor Man (team event) / Team Bachelor

* End of Day 2 standings are the Final Standings, details above.

RECAP

Nearly freezing temperatures greeted competitors in the morning on the way to the day’s first event, the trail run.

It was a balmy 43 for the start of the run, a stunning stretch along the Deschutes River near Benham Falls, which was captured by Brian Compagnone with a strong push up a brutal uphill stretch to the finish, edging his longtime rival, Paul Tibbits, Jr. Josh Robinson closed out the top three finishers after passing a series of demoralized runners in the second half of the out-and-back. The victory moved Brian to within just two points of then leader, Ben.

Accompanied by sun and rising temperatures, the group then moved on a series of field events, the Field Goal, Punt & Pass, and Home Run Derby, but victories in all three stages gave Ben the edge he needed to secure the overall title and return the trophy to the East Coast after a year in California.

Theron Stout finished strong on the final day with second place finishes in both the Field Goal and the HR Derby. His fourth-place overall finish was his best showing in 16 years of competitions! Kevin Forster captured the second spot in the Punt &Pass.

In the final stage of the Challenge, Brian won in a dramatic throw off against the indomitable 72-year-old Bob Ruby, culminating in an impressive bear hug between competitors – and wild celebrations.

I’m thrilled to report no serious injuries, only scrapes and bruises and very sore bodies.