In celebration of preparing for the Portland Marathon, we are excited about the launch of our PERSEVERANCE physician training blog site. Get to know some of our physicians as they journal their Portland Marathon training and see how the sports medicine professionals avoid injury, stay healthy and have fun training for a marathon.
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Dr. Jason Kurian will be one of the latest sports orthopedic surgeons to join the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic in September 2007. He is presently completing his post residency fellowship training in Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine, at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute in Van Huys, California.

Dr. Kurian has a passion for treating athletes and competes at the elite level of triathlon himself, having finished the Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2001 and the Ironman Wisconsin both in 2004 and 2005, where he was a World Championship Qualifier. In 2006, he finished the Ironman Triathalon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Having just finished the 2007 Half Vine Man in Sonoma, California, Dr. Kurian has decided to train for the Portland Marathon.

Follow along with the Kurian Chronicles and see how a sports orthopedic surgeon and elite triathelete trains for the 2007 Portland Marathon, and balances a busy professional life with the challenges of marathon running. Make sure to check out “An Interview with Dr. Kurian” to learn his point of view of the big questions like: Does running cause arthritis?

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The Kurian Chronicles: An experienced outlook on marathon training.

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Dr. Alec Denes is one of the latest sports orthopedic surgeons to join the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic in September of 2007. He is presently completing a post residency fellowship training in Trauma and Sports Medicine at Sierra Park Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Dr. Denes has been an athlete his whole life. He has enjoyed everything from playing hockey since the age of nine, to racing mountain bikes and riding his bike cross-country for a fund raiser. He has completed three marathons with a personal record of 3:09, enjoys short footraces and competed in his first Olympic distance triathlon this past year. After wining a 20-mile fun run at the Bishop High Sierra Ultra marathon this past year, he has set a goal to complete the 2007 Portland Marathon in under 3-hours.

Follow along with his training blog, The Dr. Denes Diaries as he trains for the Portland Marathon and journals the next few months of the difficulties of a moving to a new city, starting a new job, and training for a marathon. Check in weekly as he shares tips from working with Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi, and other athletes from the USA Running Team during his training in Mammoth. Don't forget to read “An Interview with Dr. Alec Denes” to see his point of view from being an athlete and a sports orthopedic surgeon when he answers questions like: Why does knee cartilage wear out?

We are thrilled to announce our new podiatry services with the addition of Joyce Jenkins, DPM. Dr. Jenkins has joined the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic as our first podiatrist after completing a comprehensive Podiatric Medical and Surgical residency at the Legacy Portland Hospitals/Kaiser residency program.

Dr. Jenkins is an avid runner having been a Scholarship Athlete in NCAA Division I Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field while at Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, MD. She is trained in all aspects of foot and ankle care, including the treatment of skin and nail disorders, bunions, deformities and trauma. Having finished four marathons with a personal best of 3:39 in the 2006 Portland Marathon, she is currently training for this years 36th Annual Portland Marathon.

No running resource would be complete if it didn't include the Podiatrist's perspective on running. Read along with the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic's very own Podiatrist, Dr. Joyce Jenkins, as she journals her Portland Marathon training in her Jenkins Journal, her fifth marathon attempt. You can also read “An Interview with Dr. Joyce Jenkins” as she answers common footwear questions.

Dr. Rolf Sohlberg has been an orthopedic surgeon with the Orthopedic & Fracture Clinic for over 15 years. His practice emphasizes hand surgery with a special interest in peripheral nerve repair/grafting, fractures and complex reconstruction. He enjoys taking the time to get to know his patients and establishing an open communication, with access for his patients as a top priority.

Dr. Sohlberg discovered the pleasures of running as a way to get exercise while in college. He continues to pursue recreational running, biking, swimming and is an avid “age grouper" in many local races. He has finished and competed in more than 20 triathlons and was ranked #2 for his age group in the northwest in 2006 for combined triathlon (sprint, Olympic, half-ironman). Dr. Solhberg decided the last week of July to run the 36 th Annual Portland Marathon.

Have a look at how experience influences marathon preparation in Rolf's 8-weeks to Race Day training blog. Read along as Dr. Solhberg logs his running and workout routines as he fast tracks in preparation for this years Portland Marathon. This running blog is promised to be a different and simple outlook on training for a marathon, that is based on a life of athletics, personal experience and the professional knowledge to avoid injury.