From WKRG News5
By Jennifer Abney Anchor

 At a time when most people rely on diet pills and surgery to lose weight, one Louisiana man decided to lose weight the old fashioned way. And, he is now racing his way to better health.

Dave Poleto struggled with weight loss for over 30 years. His story is a familiar one to many.

“I am just like everyone else, I spent my whole life on that weight loss/weight gain roller coaster,” said Poleto, “I would lose 20 pounds and then gain back 25 pounds.”

Poleto’s motivation to lose weight began with a simple request from his son.

“I was with my son at the park, he was saying come run with me, play with me Dad,” said Poleto, “And, I physically couldn’t keep up with him.”

That day Poleto made a decision to lose weight and keep it off.

“I started by signing up for walks, for 5k’s,” he said.

In just one year, Poleto lost 100 lbs. He went from a size 44 pants to a size 34. For him, constant motivation was the key. In just a few years, he went from participating in 5k’s to competing in a 10 day long- 450 mile adventure race. It challenged him to run, bike and paddle his way to the finish line!

For years Poleto watched an event called Primal Quest on television. “Primal quest is the ultimate endurance challenge,” said Poleto.

[ Read Full Story ]

Greg’s gritty directorial debut about the realities of staging a race of this magnitude. Shot and edited on location in Moab, UT

Click here to check it out!

By Michael Spiller 

You may be asking yourself, “Why is there an article about adventure racing in my favorite local triathlon magazine?” Well, because Team Enduring Freedom has some exciting news to share.

First, let’s cover the basics. What is adventure racing? If you are unfamiliar with the sport, it is a multi-disciplined race that usually involves any combination of orienteering and navigation, cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling, climbing, and yes, sometimes swimming. However, swimming in adventure racing usually means with your clothes and shoes on and in temperatures that are less than 65 degrees. Adventure racing is enjoying a recent surge in popularity and is slowly
becoming nationally known. It generally attracts physically active people
from their early twenties through their mid-fifties.

[Click here to read the entire story - PDF]

From Don Mann:  

Hello PQ Competitors and Friends,

This is an important period of growth here at PQ. We’re finalizing what we believe to be the most beautiful and athletically challenging course in PQ history. We have exciting changes to the traditional AR ropes disciplines and are proud to welcome Jay Smith, Kitty Calhoun, Conrad Anker and the rest of their crew as they join the PQ staff to create another world-class ropes course.

We’re also proud to introduce this year’s course designer, George Rice, known to many of you as Director of the Mountain Adventure Race. George, who knows the Montana wilderness better than anyone in the sport, has been working closely with Course Director Chris Caul to design the most challenging, aesthetic and safe wilderness course the Big Sky state has to offer.

We’ve also been ramping up our plans for the Primal Quest Sprint Series, which starts with three events in 2008:

• May 10 Pocahontas State Park - Richmond, VA
• Sept 6 Moraine State Park - Pittsburgh, PA
• Oct 4 US National Whitewater Center, Charlotte NC

We’ve been negotiating with additional venues for the 2009 series and are currently planning 8 – 12 events for next year. The winner of the point series can earn a free team entry into the following year’s Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race!

Today we release THE THIRD OFFICIAL COMPETITOR NEWSLETTER FOR PRIMAL QUEST MONATANA. I encourage you to read this entire newsletter and ensure each of your teammates (including support) do as well, as it is full of very important information that is critical to your success at PQ Montana.

We hope your training is going well and we look forward to seeing each of you in June!

From EndurancePlanet.com: 

It’s called “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”. It’s Primal Quest. And while some of the best adventure racers on the planet are gearing up for the big event, the creators of Primal Quest have created some shorter races to attract novices. Today on Endurance Planet we hear from Primal Quest CEO Don Mann.

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NEW! From the directors of Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race - “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”!! A series of shorter, faster, high energy, adrenaline-fueled sprint races!

The 4-to-6 hour Primal Quest Sprint Series events are perfect for adventure racers, runners, mountain bikers, paddlers, triathletes and any other athlete looking at for a challenging and fun experience.

The all new Primal Quest Sprint Series offers adventure races for teams of two that feature standard adventure racing disciplines, including trekking/trail running, mountain biking, and paddling.

Teams will also face special events like a cargo net climb, ropes bridge, low crawl, and straight out of Don Mann’s Navy SEAL Training events - the infamous log PT!

Points will be recorded throughout the series. The top 20 males and females will be awarded points in each race. At the end of the series, the athletes and team with the highest points will receive prizes, INCLUDING AN ENTRY INTO THE PRIMAL QUEST EXPEDITION ADVENTURE RACE!

PQSS 2008 Upcoming Events:

• PQSS 2008 Race #1 - Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield VA - May 10, 2008
• PQSS 2008 Race #2 - Moraine State Park, Pittsburgh, PA - Sept. 6, 2008
• PQSS 2008 Race #3 - US National Whitewater Center, Charlotte, NC - Oct. 4, 2008

…and More Races to be Added Soon!

To keep up on the very latest info visit the Primal Quest Sprint Series web site and sign up for our mailing list!

INTERESTED IN HOSTING A PRIMAL QUEST SPRINT SERIES RACE AT YOUR LOCATION? CLICK HERE!

Photo by Will Ramos Photography