Once you’ve got your team together it is never too early to start training. Check out this literally hair raising report from Team #40 CWC Stadium Dogs. Sounds like they had quite the adventure!

CWC Stadium Dogs - Training Day Report
Grotto Mountain scramble, November 10, 2007
Story by Mike Melnick, with Joey Roa and Marlene Wiig

100,000+ 95,000 feet of elevation at PQ2008 means we need to train for the gain, right…so let’s get started!

Grotto Mountain’s 4,000 punishing vertical feet sits just north of Canmore in Canada’s beautiful Rocky Mountains and we had 4.5 hours in which to complete this training session and still make it to that evening’s martini party. A tough mission to be sure – the scrambles book lists it as a 5-8 hour round trip in good weather. The mountain looked remarkably devoid of snow when we parked at the Alpine clubhouse and got ready for what the book described it as a straightforward hike, no exposure, little navigation, just physically challenging. It was going to be a simple, uneventful workout and true to case, we almost flew up the mountain. We kept up a pace of over 2000 feet per hour up to the ridge and the final 200 or 300 feet of elevation.

Near the top, I snapped a picture of Joey with the western sky behind him. I would look at the picture later and see the storm that moved in, but at that moment I was blissfully unaware that our simple hike would soon become a survival exercise. About 15 minutes from the summit, the snow eased in. Initially, just a little snow and some reduced visibility, so no big deal, right? Suddenly - Zap! Ouch! I had never felt that before, but once my hair stood up I realized I was being struck by lightning! In a snowstorm! I ran a few feet down the sketchy trail, twisting my ankle twice as I tried to get Joey to crouch down. I didn’t want to get zapped again and we were in a terrible spot.

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Primal Quest presents another posting from The Adventure Blog!

I mentioned a week or so back that two kayakers were attempting to cross the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand less than a year after Andrew McAuley lost his life attempting the same thing.

Today we have an update from Australia’s The Age newspaper with word that the two men have struggled in their endeavor. Australians Justin Jones, 24, and James Castrission, 25, set off on their journey on November 9th in attempt to become the first to successfully kayak those open waters, however they have encountered rough seas, with 5 to 6 meter swells, that had them seeking shelter inside their kayak’s specially designed cabin. The confinement to that small space, the poor weather, and the lack of progress has made things difficult on the them, although they are still determined to reach Auckland and the finish line. The past few days have seen improved weather and better paddling conditions.

You can read more about their historic kayak crossing on their official website which includes a GPS tracking of their progress as well as photos, news, and more information on the expedition itself.

“I can’t say enough how lucky I feel to have raced with the same three guys for four years,” says Jari Kirkland. “I know that this is the exception to what a lot of people have experienced, and I would never take it for granted.”

Jari (whose name is pronounced “Yari”) races on Colorado-based Team Salomon Crested Butte with Jon Brown, Bryan Wickenhauser and Eric Sullivan. “They really are family to me. I look forward to a few more great years with them.”

Prior to getting started in AR, Jari had been racing Xterra. She met Jon at a race, “another 24 hour solo race where, in the middle of the night, you ride up to about 11,500 feet, put your bike on your back and hike over a 14,000 foot peak. It was a bit crazy.” Jon told her that his team was looking for a girl to compete with them in a race called Primal Quest.

“So I lipped off and said I would do it – when really I knew nothing about it. Then, less than three weeks later, I was in Tahoe at Primal Quest!” Jari had practically no training, and most of the gear that she raced in was borrowed. “But that is how it started, and it’s a perfect fit for me.”

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Did you catch this recent article in The Denver Post? Jason Blevins profiles several Colorado athletes aged 40+, including four time Primal Quest champion Mike Kloser, and shows that for many a “full-tilt racing career” doesn’t begin until a racer’s mid-30s.

And after a couple of decades of training, the older athletes learn a few tricks - like how to taper and how to make it fun - that keep them in shape while staving off dreaded burnout.

They have trained for so long, their fitness level is staggering and it stays high. They aren’t rolling off the couch to prep for a race. They are building on decades of work.

Follow the link to read the full story!

If trends mean anything at all, Bob Miller and his team should do well at Primal Quest this year.

Canadian team Supplierpipeline finished a respectable tenth at PQ 2003.  The following year, they bettered that with ninth place at PQ 2004.  Then, in 2006 they moved right up to fourth place.  If Bob, along with teammates Denise McHale, Greg McHale and Scott Ford, can maintain this momentum, we should expect to see them cheering at us from the podium at PQ 2008.

“Our goal is to win!” affirms Bob.

Although the team will be racing under a new banner this year (they are currently looking for a new sponsor), the core group of Bob, Denise, Greg and Scott will remain the same.  Bob is the first to admit that there are some Canadian teams who have been on the international AR scene longer than they have, and also some Canadian racers who are doing extremely well competing on American teams.  But, as far as recent performance goes, this team is undoubtedly right at the top of the Canadian AR scene.

Bob explains that, after a strong year in 2006, this past year has not been a good one for the team.  “We attended Bimbache Extreme last March in Spain, where I managed to fracture my femur in a mountain bike crash.  I’m still recovering, and not yet able to run.  We’re hoping PQ 2008 will be our next big race together.”

Bob has been focussed on the Adventure Racing circuit since 1998, when he decided to slow down on all of the other things he was competing in – mountain biking, triathlon and running events – to devote himself to AR.

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Primal Quest presents another posting from The Adventure Blog!

British legend Sir Ranulph Fiennes will be returning to Everest in the Spring to attempt to become the oldest Brit to top out on the mountain. According to this story over at MountEverest.net, Sir Ran will be once again looking to raise money for the Marie Curie Cancer Care Foundation.

Dubbed the “World’s Greatest Living Explorer”, Fiennes has lead quite an interesting life of adventure. He’s gone up the White Nile via hovercraft, visited both Poles, discovered a lost city in Oman, completed 7 marathons, in 7 days, on 7 continents, and at the age of 62 he climbed the Eiger. Not bad, but that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down just yet. He also participated in the Victoria Falls Expedition celebrating the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the falls by David Livingstone. (Dr. Livingstone I presume!)

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ad·ven·ture
n.

1. An undertaking or enterprise of a hazardous nature.
2. An unusual or exciting experience.
3. Participation in hazardous or exciting experiences: the love of adventure.

Primal Quest would like to introduce you to Kraig Becker and The Adventure Blog. Kraig’s blog is a great source for news, commentary, and insights on adventures and adventurers from around the globe. Becuase the topics he covers are more or less first cousins to adventure racing we are happy to announce that selections from Kraig’s blog will be available on the Primal Quest website.

To kick off our latest feature, we bring you a recent interview with Primal Quest Director Don Mann. Read the full interview below and see what new things Don has to say about Primal Quest 2008 as well as learn about his recent mountaineering exploits and future plans.

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