Custom map maker and Primal Quest Partner MyTopo have announced that they have acquired the land navigation division of MapTech. The free map service has now been added to the MyTopo website, and can be accessed here.

MyTopo released the following press announcement regarding the acquisition:

MYTOPO ACQUIRES LAND NAVIGATION DIVISION OF MAPTECH
Extensive Free Map Browsing Services Added to MyTopo Website

BILLINGS, MT, October 24, 2008–MyTopo, known for its convenient online service for ordering navigation-ready, custom-printed topographic, aerial and hybrid maps for the US and Canada, has purchased the land navigation division of Amesbury, MA-based Maptech, Inc.  The purchase includes Maptech’s popular Terrain Navigator software products, which are used daily by professional wildlife managers, geologists, foresters, search and rescue experts and firefighters, as well as sportsmen and women, throughout the United States.

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Registration for Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT opens one month from today, and interest in the race is at an all time high. At 12:00 PM EST the registration page will go live, and teams will have the opportunity to reserve their place in South Dakota.

The 2009 race will combine the best aspects of Primal Quest Utah and Montana with entirely new elements never seen before in an adventure race. The result is a unique and beautiful 600 mile course that will amaze and challenge teams as they run, bike, paddle, and navigate their way through the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota.

In order to make this the most accessible Primal Quest ever, the cost has been reduced, the need for support crews has been eliminated, and required registration fees can be payed in three installments. In addition, no skill certifications are required prior to arriving in South Dakota.

With all of the teams from Montana committed to returning, the best racers in the world will be at Primal Quest Badlands next August. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to take part in adventure racing history.

The entire Primal Quest team would like to congratulate our friends Jeff Friedman and Jake Zivin of KTVM, the NBC affiliate in Bozeman, Montana. Jeff and Jake recently won a 2008 AP Montana Durso Award in the category of “Best Video” for their coverage of Primal Quest Montana. 

Anyone who caught Jeff and Jake’s nightly coverage of the race knows that the award is well deserved. We would like to thank them both for their hard work and enthusiasm for the race. They played an important role in our success in Montana, and this award is richly deserved. 

Here’s a sample of their work.

Recently we’ve had a lot of inquirers regarding when the television episodes for Primal Quest Montana would air and whether or not a DVD would be available. At this time we can tell you that  Primal Quest  Montana will begin airing in the end of the 4th quarter 2008 in the US, North America and Worldwide markets.  Once each of the four original episodes premiere, they will continue to air through the end of 2011.

A date for the availability of the DVD is not yet known, but we will post an update here with more information in the near future.

Black Hills Fox affiliate KEVN also covered the Primal Quest Badlands press conference last week, where South Dakota Governor Mike Round announced that the race would be coming to their state. The television station aired a segment on the event, noting that teams would be racing non-stop for 10 days over a 600 mile course. You can view the video on the KEVN website by clicking here.

Following last weeks press release announcing that Primal Quest 2009 would be held in South Dakota, a number of the local media outlets have already picked up on the story and published articles on the event. The Rapid City Journal for instance had this to say:

 In less than a year, a crowd of race teams will flock to the Black Hills and Badlands area for a grueling 600-mile race. It’s called Primal Quest, an eco-friendly, non-stop adventure race through caves, over cliffs and down rivers.

Four-person teams from all over the world will fight the course, the elements and their own minds while they vie for more than $175,000 in cash and prizes.

The story reads like an introduction adventure racing for readers of the Journal, who will no doubt become quite familiar with the sport by the time the event kicks off next August.  To read the rest of the article click here.