Primal Quest

PQ Badlands Webisodes at Adventure World Magazine

Kraig — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:44:34 +0000

Adventure World Magazine has posted the first two web episodes from Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT. The first video begins in the wee hours of the first day of the race, with the teams preparing to take on the South Dakota backcountry as they set out on the first leg of the race, a 26-mile off-road marathon.

The second video catches up with teams later in the day as they plot their course through the 600-mile course ahead, and as we near the end we getour first look at the incredible cave system that the racers had to navigate through as well.

Watch for more videos soon!

Badlands Champs Remember Race on Video

Kraig — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:35:48 +0000

New Zealand adventure sports website Sportzvibes.com has posted an excellent video of their home team, Orion Health competing in Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT. The video is narrated by team captain Wayne Oxenham, who breaks down the strengths of his team, and gives some great insights into their race and the strategies that went into their successful finish.

The video is quite lengthy, and covers Orion Health through all aspects of the race, starting with mandatory gear check and running all the way through the finish of the race and beyond. It is a great synopsis of the events that went down in South Dakota, and includes some great shots of the beautiful scenery of the Black Hills and Badlands.

To watch the video click here.

Primal Quest Badlands – Photo Slideshow

Will — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:43:26 +0000

Post Badlands Re-Cap From Rick Emerson

Kraig — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:01:39 +0000

Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT was an epic race in every sense of the word. With a course that was more than 600 miles in length, and stretched through some of the most amazing backcountry anywhere on the planet, the teams were pushed to the limits and beyond.

Following the race, it’s always interesting to look back on everything that transpired, and take in the entire scope of the event. And who better to write such a wrap-up than Assistant Race Director and Course Designer Rick Emerson, the devious mind behind the Primal Quest Badlands course that both delighted and punished the teams as the same time.

When reflecting on Primal Quest, Rick had this to say:

Testing the world’s best athletes with unparalleled diversity, beauty, and navigation, Primal Quest Badlands was likely the victor, while all the competitors are true winners. World class terrain coupled with varying epic conditions created a test piece not soon to be matched. Sitting with Yari Kirkland of Team Salomon Crested Butte, she shared “It was one of the best adventure racing courses ever – and I have done a lot of races.”

To read Rick’s entire report, which does a great job of covering every aspect of Primal Quest Badlands, click here.

Yet More Post Badlands Media Coverage

Kraig — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:52:58 +0000

Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT may have ended a month ago now, but the media is still writing about the race. Team Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic is once again the subject of media attention, this time from the Oakdale Leader, which has posted this story on racer Mark Richardson, who talks not just about his experiences in the Badlands, but his performance in previous Primal Quests as well.

The Mount Forest Confederate in Ontario, Canada, has also recently published a story on Primal Quest, this time focusing on husband and wife team mates Greg and Denise McHale, who raced as part of Team Merrell/Zanfel Adventure in South Dakota. The story notes that the team finished in third place and took on some of the best endurance athletes on the planet on one of the longest and toughest courses the sport has ever seen.

Thanks to all the great media outlest who continue to report on Primal Quest a month after the race has ended.

Photo by Wouter Kingma

Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic Gets Post-Race Love!

Kraig — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:08:18 +0000

Nearly a month after completing the full course at Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT, Team Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic continues to get plenty of attention from the media. This time, it is team member Mark Richardson’s turn in the spotlight thanks to this story from the Tracey Press.

Mark, who is a fire captain with the Tracey, California Fire Department, shares his experiences from South Dakota and dealing with the unexpected out on the course, including having his bike break down not far into the race and dealing with copious amounts of mud following heavy rains. He also discusses how he got started in endurance sports, as well as some of the valuable experiences he has gained while adventure racing.

You can read the full story here.

Photo by Mark Richardson

More Television Coverage From The Emerald Isle

Kraig — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:58:30 +0000

Team Endurox R4 continue to be the darlings of the media in Ireland, with yet more television coverage. This time, team member Eoin Keith gives an introduction to the sport of adventure racing and Primal Quest in particular. Eoin’s PQ Badlands jersey is even featured prominently in the video that runs nearly ten and a half minutes in length.

Eoin, another guest, and the host also discuss the rising popularity of the sport in Ireland, where a number of races now take place. They get into training, gear, and nutrition, and much more, including the importance of navigation, a segment that shows off the wonderful MyTopo maps quite clearly.

To view the full video click here.

Primal Quest Badlands Post Race Coverage Continues

Kraig — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:49:35 +0000

In the two weeks since Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT, the race continues to generate plenty of interest in the media. Here is a sampling of some of the great coverage:

- Team Endurox R4 has been getting their fair share of attention, especially in Ireland, which two of the team members call home. Not only were they featured on the RTE news there, more than 385,000 viewers tuned in to to find out what Primal Quest was all about. The team was also featured in the Irish Times and the Evening Herald.

- The Rapid City Journal did a follow-up story on Primal Quest Badlands, noting that Team South Dakota finished the event in 14th place overall, moving up a couple of spots in the final rankings following the application of time credits and penalties.The entire state is still cheering this team on!

- The Sierra Sun has a nice article on Team Aquan/iRule’s experience in the Badlands, which included team member Susan Bower being whacked in the face with a paddle by team mate, and husband, Scott, while on the now infamous “Prairie Paddle”.

- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covered Team MAAR’s successful completion of Primal Quest with a short story of the team’s perseverance not only in the Badlands, but previous Primal Quest races as well.

- Team Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic Adventure Racing was featured on KMTR news out of Oregon last week as well. The video highlighted the team’s completion of the full course and tenth place overall finish.

- Redding.com has a good post race story on the efforts of Team SOAR who continued the race unranked after losing one of their team members early in the race.

Photo by Wouter Kingma

The Future of Primal Quest

Kraig — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:00:54 +0000

Primal Quest is known as “the World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition” and for years it has been the crown jewel of adventure racing. Its difficulty is legendary, and endurance athletes from around the globe have tested their stamina and skills against some of the most difficult courses ever devised for the sport.

Rumors have been circulating for weeks regarding the future of Primal Quest. In the days leading up to, during, and now following, the very successful race in the Badlands, there have been questions as to where Primal Quest would go from here. At this time, there is no clear cut answer to that question, but what is clear, is that the athletes, fans, volunteers and staff of PQ want to see more, and everyone remains as committed to the race as ever before.

No one is more committed to Primal Quest than Race Director Don Mann, who has a vision of where the race can go in the future. Mann is already in talks with other states in the U.S. and several countries around the world, to produce future races under the Primal Quest banner, and while there are no current plans for a race in 2010, he isn’t ruling it out either. If circumstances were to come together properly, he believes that his team could produce another race, provided they have state sponsorship and enough teams committed to compete.

Primal Quest Badlands was a challenging event to produce, thanks in no small part to the economic climate that is having an impact not only on adventure racing, but the global community as a whole. Many races were cancelled this year, and others have a dubious future at best. But thanks to great partners, like the State of South Dakota, the community of Rapid City, and SPOT, Primal Quest Badlands not only happened, but was also a rousing success. That success can be built on for the future, and that is the plan for now.

Primal Quest will return, and plans are already in motion for 2011. Be prepared for the return of the “Super bowl of Adventure Racing”. It will be back, bigger, and better than ever.

Team Intrepid finishes, joins Post-Race Party

Frances — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:08:40 +0000

Team Intrepid had some bike problems in the wee hours of the night, but managed to cross the finish line shortly after 3:00 yesterday. Their timing was great — the post-race party was underway, and they were greeted with beer and wine! Way to hang in there Team Intrepid! One member was forced to run most of the final bike leg with his bike, but the team’s perseverence paid off. A member of SMAC/SOLAR accompanied them for the latter part of the race and provided much needed moral support.

Primal Quest

PQ Badlands Webisodes at Adventure World Magazine

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