A new discipline for Primal Quest Badlands can now be revealed in the video below. This discipline is so new, it doesn’t even have a name yet, and we’re still working on how to get everyone certified. ;)

Happy New Year Everyone!

For more than 40 years, the Buffalo Roundup has been an autumn tradition in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  The annual event takes place in Custer State Park, home of the largest publicly owned bison herd in the country.

On a Monday in late September or early October, cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country gather in the 71,000-acre park to herd the 1500 strong buffalo herd into their winter corrals.

Check out the video below to get a taste of this amazing event, and go to TravelSD.com to discover more about the Buffalo Roundup and everything else South Dakota has to offer.

Dear Team Captains,

We’re excited to be sending the first Competitor Newsletter to teams competing in Primal Quest Badlands Presented by SPOT! Included in this first of three Newsletters is information about payments, the course, certifications, mandatory gear, and other questions that you may have been curious about. Also included are messages from our generous Partners without whom putting on a race of this magnitude would not be possible.

Click here to download Newsletter #1. The Newsletter is in Adobe PDF format. Click here to download the latest Adobe Reader.

The Newsletter can also be found in the Team Resources section of the Primal Quest website along with other helpful resources as you prepare for the 6th Edition of the Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Dawn Taylor Mann
Director of Competitor Relations
Dawn.Mann@ecoprimalquest.com

Robyn Benincasa is the captain of Team Merrell Zanfel and one of the most experienced adventure racers in the world. She has written numerous articles on the sport and what it takes to be successful both as an individual and as a team. Robyn has generously granted us permission to share some of those tips, and over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a few of her articles here. 

This first entry is on Teamwork, something that Robyn focuses on in her motivational speaking and on her website WorldClassTeams.com. Read on for her insights on the subject.

Teamwork

Adventure Racing is one of the only sports in which you actually have to have your teammates with you, doing exactly what you’re doing, glued to your side at all times.  That’s why Adventure Racing is just as much an interpersonal journey as a physical one.   In the best of times, you will experience moments that will bond you to your teammates in a very special way for life; In the worst of times, you will walk away having experienced the worst aspects of human nature and be left to pick up the pieces of your shattered hopes.   In my experience, a lack of teamwork skills is responsible for at least 40-50% of the DNF’s in Adventure Racing, and it is far too important a factor to overlook in any discussion about the sport.  So here’s my two cents. 

Read the rest of this entry »

In an effort to spread the word about Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT, and all the wonderful teams, sponsors, and volunteers, Primal Quest has begun to partner with a variety of media outlets who will be providing coverage of the race before, during, and after the event. Our first two partners are:

Bare Essentials Magazine: Bare Essentials bills itself as “Quality Resources for the Active Woman” and it certainly lives up to that moniker. Each issue is packed full of articles on adventure sports, training, nutrition, and much much more.

The Australian based publication has just released it’s January/February issue, which contains an excellent with Don Mann who discusses adventure racing and the value of SEAL training in extreme sports, amongst other things. The magazine also launched a six-month training diary that will be a regular feature, and will follow athletes preparing for Primal Quest Badlands in August. 

Outdoorzy.com: Outdoorzy.com is, in my mind, the best online social network dedicated to outdoor pursuits of all kinds. The website has a growing community of outdoor enthusiasts that enjoy everything from mountain biking and hiking to mountain climbing, hunting, fishing and just about anything else you can do outside. 

At Outdoorzy you’ll find active forums for discussions, gear reviews, trip reports, and a whole lot more. The Outdoorzy Blog is a great place to keep up on everything that is happening in the world of outdoor adventure as well. 

We want to welcome our first two Media Partners and we look forward to sharing the entire Primal Quest experience with them in 2009!

For inquiries into the PQ Media Partner Program e-mail me at kraig.becker@ecoprimalquest.com.

Primal Quest, the Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau, and BlackHillsVacations.com have teamed up to deliver plenty of adventure next summer as the iconic expedition length adventure race comes to the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota.

In the summer of 2009, Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT descends on South Dakota. Over the course of ten days, beginning on August 15th, coed teams of four will run, mountain bike, paddle, climb, and navigate their way across 600 miles of backcountry in the Badlands and Black Hills. The ten-day, non-stop race has been dubbed “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”.

BlackHillsVacation.com has put together travel packages that include airline tickets, car rentals, accommodations, and more for both pre- and post race adventures. Friends and family of competitors, as well as PQ fans and volunteers can experience the Badlands and Black Hills for themselves with a variety of outdoor activities, including mountain biking, trekking, rocking climbing, and kayaking.

To find out more about these exciting travel packages, call toll free to 800-400-6194 or visit BlackHillsVacations.com. For more information about Rapid City and the surrounding area, go to VisitRapidCity.com. You can learn more about Primal Quest at EcoPrimalQuest.com.