At this very moment, Primal Quest Director Don Mann, Course Director Chris Caul, and several others are on the 2008 race course finalizing permitting and course design. Stand by for an announcement on the location soon!
In the meantime, start wrapping your brain around these facts:
The summit of Mt. Everest is 29,026 feet, which after leaving base camp is just over 13,000 feet in elevation gain.
Primal Quest 2008 will have over 95,000 feet of climbing.
For a relatively new team on the AR scene, New Zealand’s Orion Health have amassed quite a string of top-ten finishes in major international competitions. But, perhaps more significantly, they also have shown themselves to have a strong tendency for improvement year after year. In the Adventure Racing World Championships, they placed 5th in 2006 (Sweden) and then an even better 3rd in 2007 (Scotland). In the XPD Australia, an ARWS qualifier, they were 2nd in 2006 and then moved up to take first this year. They are also unbeaten in 24 hour races in their home country for the last three years – registering an astonishing 13 straight wins!
In PQ 2006, they surprised all by putting in a strong showing for such a new and inexperienced team, taking 8th. Now, with two years’ more international racing experience under their belts, they are hoping to continue that tendency to improve in PQ 2008.
Though still months away, Primal Quest 2008 is in full swing and we are looking forward to the challenge as much as you and your teams.
As Directors of Competitor Relations, we are the bridge between the race and team captains. To that end, we are happy to announce the release of the first official Competitor Newsletter for Primal Quest 2008!
As with all important information regarding teams you can access the Newsletter from the Team Resources page.
Coming soon… All the PQ logo swag you could possibly desire: Hats from Headsweats, Water bottles from Camelbak, and Buffs from, well, from Buff! And there is more great gear to follow. And you thought your holiday shopping would be difficult this year!
The PQ Team Page is the place to be! Comments are open so leave a note at the bottom of the page if you are looking for someone to fill out your team. Or, if you are an individual who wants to race, you may find a team to compete with in the “World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition.”
Our website attracts enthusiastic, adventurous people from around the world so the Team Page could also be a great place to recruit a support crew!
2008 marks the 5th Edition of Primal Quest. Since its inception, the “World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition” has taken racers to some of the most beautiful and rugged locations in the continental United States.
The inaugural race in Telluride, CO (2002) was followed by Lake Tahoe, CA (2003) and the San Juan Islands of Washington State (2004). Always looking to provide competitors with a dramatic change of scenery from race to race, the 4th edition of PQ pitted teams against each other and the hostile summer desert environs of Moab, UT (2006).
With ten years of continual race production experience (including the Beast of the East, Expedition BVI, Mega Dose, Endorphin FIX, the USARA Nationals, and of course PQ Utah), Don Mann and his Primal Quest team are uniquely suited to orchestrate another stellar event in 2008.
Where will teams race next summer? Stay tuned to this site as the location of the 5th Edition of Primal Quest is soon to be announced.
The 2008 location for Primal Quest is still a secret and won’t be announced until the fall of ‘07, but you can get an insider’s view thanks to Devon O’Neil’s latest article in the Summit Daily News.
Hear from PQ Director Don Mann, PQ course designer and AR superstar Danelle Ballengee, and officials from the The Centennial State.
Primal Question
BY DEVON O’NEIL
summit daily news
August 23, 2007
SUMMIT COUNTY - Ever since he agreed to take over the most prestigious and richest adventure race in the world this past spring, Don Mann has wanted to stage the 2008 Primal Quest in one place.
| Read the Full Article |
Michael Tobin juggles the moment as he juggles his life – a few moments with newborn son Jack, a few words to wife Jenny, chatting with a nosy reporter on the phone… all as he packs up to leave for a five-day adventure race in China.
Michael entered the crazy world of AR relatively late, while in his mid-thirties. But rather than work his way up through the ranks, Michael (now 43) pretty much started out right at the top. And through the years, he has just stayed there. Since competing in his first adventure race in 2000, his impressive list of international AR wins includes EcoChallenge 2001, Raid World Cup 2004 and 2006, ARWS 2004 and 2007, as well as every edition of Primal Quest (Telluride 2002, Lake Tahoe 2003, San Juan Islands 2004, and Utah 2006). Some of his other titles include Xterra World Champion 2000 and 24-hour Orienteering World Champion 2004, as well as countless other victories in Xterra triathlon and duathlon.
Why wait for the race to start styling in your PQ clothing? The 
Michael Tobin’s Balancing Act
