BEND, OR -- Pole Pedal Paddle organizers are making more changes to this year's course, thanks to Mother Nature. Monday, the Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation (MBSEF) announced it would not hold the Nordic portion of the relay due to a lack of snow, instead adding a one-mile run around the Mt. Bachelor parking lot.

Wednesday, race organizer MBSEF says the run will be longer. "We heard it wasn't enough time to get from the Alpine to the bike transition in time," Molly Cogswell-Kelley tells KBND. "Hopefully this is the last change we have to make on this race."

Cogswell-Kelly says there are still details to work out, to decide exactly which trails to use. "We turned the Nordic section into a two and a half mile go around the parking lot of Mt. Bachelor," Cogswell-Kelly says. "We will utilize the upper Nordic track system and end up where the bike transition is."  

MBSEF has decided not to charge a late fee for this year's relay. PPP registration is due by midnight on May 11, for the May 16 race. 

Dan Simoneau is the Nordic Director for MBSEF. He says much of the feedback he's received on the changes has been positive. "The feedback I'm hearing is the race has favored Nordic skiers, so Nordic skiers are frustrated," Simoneau says. "But I've also heard from a couple tri-athletes who have said, 'Cool!'"

Simoneau's main concern is that this won't be the last year of changes. "You know, this is the worst. It's all our great fear that this is the new normal. I was in Truckee [California] at some of the races and this is their third year of mild winters. When you get there it's like 'Whoa!' You wonder if this is the new normal."