Taking the Clark Fork Adventure Challenge

by John Hamilton

Andrew Ordelheide loves the sport of triathlons, not just for the competition, but also for the camaraderie of going up against like-minded athletes and the sheer mountain beauty of western Montana.

The fourth annual Clark Fork Adventure Challenge will be held out of the Sanders County Fairgrounds Sept. 15, and Ordelheide has been busy lately hyping and promoting this area's very own triathlon. To see more about the race or to enter either regular or "lite" competition, either as singles or as a team, please see the organization's web site of the same name.

The main sponsor of the event is the Clark Fork Valley Hospital Foundation, and the proceeds are earmarked to benefit that organization. Barry Fowler of CFVH is officially in charge of the race.

Ordelheide says the race will require a certain amount of administration before, during and after the event, and is looking for volunteers to help out. Volunteers can either sign up online or visit Ordelheide's MTWest Dentist office on Railroad Avenue in Plains for details.

"Interest has been good, I would estimate we have about 50% more registrations this year than we did last year at this time," Ordelheide said. "The web site really explains it well, I urge anyone that is interested to go take a look, and we really could use some more people to help out if they can."

Involved in the business of promoting the Challenge, Ordelheide likes the competition part of the race, and seeing a lot of people out on the course.

"This is just such a beautiful area, I think we sometimes take that for granted," he said. "And I love to see people pushing themselves and doing well through all three portions of the race."

The main race will feature an eight-mile run on River Road East, followed by an eight-mile kayak ride on the Clark Fork River, and will finish up with a challenging 15-mile bike ride featuring a high level of difficulty in riding conditions. The "lite" races will be slightly less challenging with reduced distances to navigate.

Weyerhauser owns a portion of the land that the bike course is located on, and Ordelheide thanked its employees for their support in laying that course out.

Ordelheide said the race generally takes competitors about three and a-half hours to complete the full, regular course.

A veteran of many triathlons over the years, Ordelheide said no two of these events are alike.

"The combination of disciplines is the same for all triathlons, but the order they are run in is not," he said and proudly added. "There are a couple other courses similar to it but nothing quite like what we have put together here, we are looking forward to the big day."

Ordelheide said some very challenging, technical conditions will be encountered in the off-road portion of the biking event in particular. "That is looking like the toughest portion of the race," he said.

Andrew said his active lifestyle reflects on the way his parents Kyle and Bobbi Ordelheide raised him.

"I always had to keep up as a kid. They would go for a four to five mile bike ride every morning; they have been a huge inspiration to me," he said. He added that both of his parents competed in the first Clark Fork Adventure Challenge four years ago.