Written by Frances Fisher and Kraig Becker

Team TravelCountry.com is made up of four very experienced adventure racers in Ulf Petri, Don Nettlow, Patricia Williams Smith, and Blain Reeves. Together they have more than 26 years of experience in the sport, and this is their first Primal Quest. 

Yesterday was a rough day for the team however, with amazing highs, and crushing lows. When we last saw them on the course, they were just coming off the Crazy Mountains and in high spirits.  “We smoked that section!” they said.  Blaine Reeves was elated, citing the views from the Crazies as the most beautiful he’s ever seen - and he’s been racing since 1995. 

With this momentum, they headed into the Sportraxx by Simpson MTB section, traveling to the Bridger Mountains for the TATE Trekking section.  At the TA before the Bridgers, they encountered their first signs of trouble when Ulf experienced respiratory issues that really impacted his ability to race.  They stayed in the TA for 12 hours where he was treated by Dr. Bill Webster.  After being given a respiratory nebulizer, which had little effect, and eventually a steroid, he was soon on the mend. 12 hours later, they were back on the trail, setting out just before dawn, hoping to time their hike so they would reach the first peak as the sun was coming up.  This would allow them to see their footing during the most treacherous section, and also avoid walking on the ice across the ridge until the sun had softened it up a bit.  Unfortunately, the plan did not work out.

The team became separated while trying to find their way to the ridge.  Patricia, Ulf, and Blain moved along further down the mountain, while Don, their navigator, took a higher route.  They maintained voice communication until the lower three members encountered a fast-flowing creek.  The creek was raging due to snow melt and they could no longer hear their navigator.  They decided they should climb up to where they thought he was, but he had the same idea and climbed down to where they were.  They unintentionally passed each other in the woods, signaling the beginning of the end.

The tracking system tells the rest of the tale. The team zigged and zagged along the ridge, looking for their lost comrade.  In adventure racing, team members should be no further apart than 100 yards, and at this point, they were probably that far apart.  Don returned to the trailhead where they were last together, but without the maps he was carrying, the rest of the team was unsure of how to get there.  Reluctantly, and after several hours, he returned to the last TA.  “I lost my team,” he told the volunteers there.  The rest of the team, formerly jockeying for 5^th or 6^th place, moved forward to the next CP. 

Unfortunately, that was the end of the race for the team, as having been separated meant automatic removal from the course. Obviously they were a bit dejected at the way they were forced out of the event, but they also took away some really positive experiences as well. The team indicated that they were moving much faster than they had expected on foot, at altitude. This was especially encouraging considering the three male members of the team live at sea level in Florida. 

While it was hard to mask the disappointment on their faces, the team had nothing but great things to say about Primal Quest Montana. Each of them cited the Crazy Mountains as being an amazing place to trek, and they all loved the bike ride out of Ringling as well. Don even expressed his love for the riverboarding section, a segment of the race that many didn’t find all that fun. 

For Ulf and Don, this was their first Primal Quest, and when asked if they would return, Don was a bit hesitant, indicating his disappointment at the way they were bounced from the race. Blain hinted that he was considering retiring, as was Patricia who wants to focus more on her running. Ulf was the lone voice indicating that he’d love to return, as long as his teammates are coming along with him. 

It would be a shame if TravelCountry.com were to exit the sport now. They had a strong showing in this year’s race, and except for a strange set of circumstances, they would have been contending for a podium finish. Lets hope the team reconsiders and returns next year to give Primal Quest another run. 

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 at 11:29 pm and is filed under Primal Quest, Teams. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.