Best of Portland: Local Olympians

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February 3, 2010 by Katelin | Comments (0)

The Winter Olympics are just 9 days away, and 313 miles up the road from us here in Portland. Fortunately, for those not making the trip this year, we have plenty of Olympic spirit right in our backyard. Portland boasts many successful Olympians originating and residing right here in town, and below are just a few local heroes deserving of our praise. Also, don’t forget to catch the opening ceremony on February 12th. On Deck Sports Bar & Grill in the Pearl is offering a Widmer Snowboard giveaway and food and beverage specials from February 12th to the 28th. The Oregon Sports Authority and KGW are also hosting a live public viewing event of the Vancouver ceremonies in Pioneer Square with interviews with Oregon Olympians, warm drinks, and a hockey goal-scoring challenge on the 12th! Who knows, you may just meet one of the Olympians below!

Marla Runyan: Marathon Runner
Marla Runyan, a Eugene resident, is an inspiration in many ways. She won third place in the 2000 US Olympic 1500 meters at 4 minutes and 6.44 seconds at 31-years-old. And she happens to have suffered from Stargardt’s disease, a degeneration of the retina, since she was nine. There is a hole in the centre of her vision, turning her competitors into mere blurs of figures.

“My peripheral vision is intact and this enables me to get around very well. I can walk or run without assistance, and I can even navigate through a crowded room. But in these instances, I wouldn’t be able to recognize the people around me. I never really think that much about my vision as much as the media does. And I don’t think my competitors do either. I just think about my personality and the person I am. I’m definitely an athlete.” - The Independent

In the 1992 Olympics, Runyan had won the 100, 200, 400 and long jump, achieving status of a Paralympian champion, and in 1996 winning the pentathlon. But she didn’t stop there and pushed her way into the Olympics. “I never said to myself, I want to be the first legally blind Olympian. I just said I wanted to be on an Olympic team.” It is clear that Runyan does not allow for her physical condition to define who she is. Her story will inspire each of us to rethink our own hesitations and inhibitions.

Phillip Dunn: Speed Walking
Phillip Dunn began his journey to the Olympics at the age of ten when he unexpectedly entered the 1,500m race walk at his school track meet. In the following years, Dunn remained involved in track and field, cross country, and speed walking competitions, eventually making his first Olympic team in the year 2000. Dunn continued his move upward the next year, winning the U.S 50km title, and achieved his first ever #1 US ranking after attaining a personal record of 3:56:30 at the 2002 World Cup. In 2004, Dunn made his second Olympic team by placing 3rd at the 50km Olympic Trials, and bettered the Olympic A standard with a time of 3:59:12. Dunn placed 35th at the Games that year. 2006 was Dunn’s best year in the 50km competition, as he posted the fasted time achieved by an American that season! Two years ago Dunn once again achieved acclaim when he won the Olympic trials by a margin of two and a half minutes. What an impressive record of achievement!

Gary Wallesen: Triathlon
A long-time Portlander, Gary has been competing in triathlons since 1985. Blue Lake was his first. He is a member of the Ironheads multi-sport racing team and is currently focused on the 70.3mi race. Wallesen typically competes in the Sprint, Olympic, 2x Olympic (approx 70.3 mi/113.1km), Long course (approx 140.6 mi/225.3km). But it’s not just about a race for him; it is a way of life. Wallesen has managed to entrench himself in this world, having cultivated a professional niche within his passion. He is a certified Race Director as well as partner for Athletes Lounge, a triathlon store located in Hillsboro. Wallesen also designed the triathlon route in Forest Grove, OR, which was submitted for the Ironman Oregon 2009. This competition would qualify triathletes for Ironman Hawai’i– the most rigorous and challenging triathlon in the world. Multiple routes were submitted throughout the state, though it seems that Forest Grove lost to Lincoln City as the route for Ironman Oregon. You can follow Wallesen’s blog here.

Olympians native to the Northwest competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics include Erik Fisher in alpine skiing, Daron Rahives in Freestyle Skiing, Morgan Arritola in cross country skiing, and Seattle’s Apolo Ohno in short tract skating. Be sure to cheer extra loud!

- by Katelin Villamil and Katerina Margolin

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