Jess McComb

Eugene

Editor at Daily Emerald

Editorial Intern at Bend Magazine

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Articles

Race recap: Alex Aeschliman’s bicoastal marathon week

1 week ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

In the morning before the Boston Marathon, Alex Aeschliman said she felt nervous and tired. The nerves would subside, but exhaustion followed her through the course to the very end. In the weeks leading up to the race, Aeschliman battled a case of posterior tibial tendonitis and within the first three miles of the race she was hurting. Surprisingly, it wasn’t her ankle that bothered her, but her left quad:an ache in her IT band that persisted through the finish.
Rookie runner returns to Hayward Field

2 weeks ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

Over the span of the four months I spent training for my first marathon, the 2024 Eugene Marathon, I published 19 articles detailing my experience. Under the alias of “rookie runner,” marathon training became my entire identity, and I fell in love with a sport that showed very little affection in return. I crossed my first marathon finish line with four rehabbed injuries and very clear intentions set — I would not be running 26.2 miles again for a very long time.
In HOPES of designing a greener future

2 weeks ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

On Thursday, April 10, Elise O’Brien, the graduate director of the HOPES Conference, stood before a dimly lit lecture hall for the event’s introductory panel. For the 30th anniversary of the event, attendees’ ages ranged broadly, including many conference alumni. Founded in 1994, HOPES began with a small group of architecture and design students inspired by a collective of law students adamantly committed to sustainable causes.
A million more miles: Alexandra Aeschliman’s marathon journey has no end in sight

4 weeks ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

On Monday, Apr. 21, UO Junior Alexandra Aeschliman will stand on the starting line of the Boston Marathon. She plans to run the Eugene Marathon less than a week later. While many runners can only dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, Aeschliman attained her BQ (Boston Qualifier) at her very first marathon, the Portland Marathon in 2023. She went into the race without any expectations and ended up beating the qualifying time by 15 minutes for a final time of three hours and 15 minutes.
Life on the hill: JoAnna O’Neill reflects on 12 years as a ski patroller

1 month ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When JoAnna O’Neill moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico in second grade, the Pajarito Ski Area ski patrol room became her second home. Her dad had been hired as a patroller, and she said she “pretty much grew up hanging around the patrol room.” When she turned 14, O’Neill took the Outdoor Emergency Care Course and at 15 she became the youngest patrol on the mountain.
Pick your poison or power: Students report superhuman experiences at Drink Wheel

1 month ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When University of Oregon seniors Lucy Menendez and Danielle Bonada attended Drink Wheel at Rennie’s Landing on March 13, they were prepared for an uneventful night. But after one AMF, the evening took a turn for the unexpected. “I swear to god I’m not making this up,” Menendez said. “Five minutes after I finished my drink I started feeling this tingling sensation in my ears, and then all of a sudden I knew.
UO Alpine Women's team heads to nationals on home turf

2 months ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When the UO Alpine women’s team qualified for nationals in 2024, it couldn’t swing the plane ticket to Lake Placid, New York for the race. So when USCSA announced that nationals would take place at Mt. Bachelor in 2025, the team made it a priority to qualify. “I think we all thought that because the race is right here at Bachelor, it would be such a shame if we didn’t get to go,” Sage Sappenfield, UO Alpine freshman, said.
UO Alpine prepares for a week at regionals in Steamboat

2 months ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When the UO Alpine team lined up for their first race this year, it was most of the athletes’ first time on a course that season. In years prior, the team trained at HooDoo weekly, but the cost and time commitment became too much, so now the team saves their ski legs for race day. Throughout their ten week season, UO Alpine spends four to six weekends traveling to races. Travel and funding is coordinated by the athletes, as the team is entirely student-run.
Big rocks, no ropes: Climber Kalel Chester faces great heights

Jan 27, 2025 | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When Kalel Chester is on a boulder, climbing 50-plus feet off the ground, he prefers to be untethered. The crash pads below would not be enough to protect him should he fall at this height, but he’s not scared. When he’s climbing with ropes, Chester said he doesn’t feel the same mental clarity as when he’s free climbing. “You get into this flow state and it’s really meditative,” Chester said. “It gets you to really focus on where you are, what you’re doing, your breathing (and) your environment.
Competing with the clock: triathlete Liam Bielat finds any time he can to train

Jan 8, 2025 | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

The CDC recommends Americans exercise at least 150 minutes per week, but for UO triathlete Liam Bielat, a typical week of training is 18 hours. “I don’t have rest days,” Bielat said. “My coach doesn’t really believe in them.”Prior to joining UO’s triathlon team in 2023, Bielat had never done a triathlon. He has now completed two half Ironmans and is the practice director for the team as well as President of UO’s cycling team.