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Listen: Ascending Together - Twin Sisters Fiona and Isabel Max on Running Through COVID 🎧

The Max sisters talk about expanding their talents beyond athletics, dealing with running injuries and their freshman year at Princeton

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For this week’s “Bend Don’t Break” podcast we spoke with Isabel and Fiona Max. These fraternal twins are record-breaking runners from Bend who started their Freshman year at Princeton University this fall… remotely. They often finish within seconds or split seconds of each other in races, though Isabel is known for wins in shorter sprints, while Fiona has excelled in longer cross-country races. They are the daughters of Sarah Max, who won the Pole Pedal Paddle four times here in Bend. Their father, Kevin Max, is the editor and founder of 1859 Magazine.

Listen: Ascending Together - Twin Sisters Fiona and Isabel Max on Running Through COVID 🎧 (2)

Fiona Max

From left, Fiona and Izzy Max.

Both girls are accomplished writers and have penned essays about challenging the one-dimensional “runner girl” identity (Fiona) as well as accepting the reality of dreams dashed by injuries (Isabel).

Throughout this conversation, we learn about the girls’ origin story: Their parents moved to Bend from New York City shortly after 9/11 and the twins were born premature, forced to spend their first seven weeks in the hospital away from their parents, but with each other. They talk about what it is like to be a twin and the joys of challenges of living with their best friend. Finally, they filled us in on their first months at an Ivy League online, and their plans to head east at the end of January to start the next semester on campus.

LISTEN NOW:

Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon · Ascending Together - Twin Sisters Fiona and Isabel Max on Running Through COVID

WATCH NOW:

Listen to more from Fiona and Isabel Max on this week's episode of “Bend Don't Break,” hosted by the Source Weekly’s publisher Aaron Switzer and co-hosted by Laurel Brauns. Every week, we feature a guest from the community with a new perspective on living through the COVID-19 pandemic including mental health professionals, economists, educators, artists, business people, local leaders and historians.

We closed out this episode with a song Fiona mentioned during the show: "You Go Down Smooth" by Lake Street Dive.

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Laurel Brauns

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Aaron Switzer

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Aaron Switzer is the founder and publisher of the Source. He remains fascinated with the art of communication even after being marinated in it for the past 30 years. He has many favorites but they pale in comparison to mountain biking on the middle fork of the Willamette with any family member who will go. Believes...