Published 7:00 am Friday, May 15, 2026 The timing might never be better for Bend’s Max King, as this Saturday’s SELCO Pole Pedal Paddle is a runners’ race. The prolific, world-class runner of a variety of distances has entered the PPP as an individual for the first time since 2006. With two extra running stages replacing the typical downhill and cross-country skiing legs due to a lack of snow, King, 46, appears to be the favorite to win the men’s elite division of the PPP as the event celebrates 50 years. King insists he was planning to race as an individual even before the ski stages were replaced with a 2.8-mile “mountain run” and a 1.3-mile “fun run” at Mt. Bachelor. Those are in addition to the 5-mile run in Bend along the Deschutes River Trail.…