Residents of Rapid City, SD who are wondering what Primal Quest and adventure racing is all about may want to check out the following event which will give them some idea of what to expect in mid-August.

Primal Quest: Badlands presented by SPOT is a 10-day expedition adventure race consisting of 38 co-ed teams of four racing through 600 miles of the Black Hills National Forest, Badlands National Park and the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. Primal Quest is known as the world’s most challenging human endurance competition and South Dakota has been honored as the 2009 site for the elite race. In anticipation of the race coming to South Dakota, the 2008 Primal Quest: Montana premier will be held at the Elks Theatre in Rapid City, SD, Wednesday, July 29th at 7 p.m. The event cost is $5 at the door, it is open to the public and all are welcome.

WHAT: DVD Premier of Primal Quest: Montana
WHERE: Elks Theatre, 512 6 Street, Rapid City, SD
WHEN: 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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The News Tribune, the daily newspaper of Tacoma, Washington, has published an excellent profile of adventure racer Robyn Benincasa, captain of Team Merrell/Zanfel Adventure.

The article takes a peek at Robyn’s vast experience in the sport, including her numerous entries into Primal Quest and other expedition length races. It also discusses the hip injury that nearly ended her racing career, and her Project Athena Foundation, which is dedicated to helping women who have been afflicted with major medical issues to achieve their adventurous, athletic goals.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

In her 15-year career as a professional adventure racer, Robyn Benincasa has competed in close to 40 expedition-length events – gnarly, multiday, multisport killers such as Primal Quest and Eco-Challenge. She has biked through jungles in Borneo, climbed Himalayan giants in Nepal, trekked across lava fields in Fiji, rafted rapids in Chile – and racked up multiple world championship titles along the way. In her spare time, Robyn, 42, is a full-time firefighter in San Diego, on the nation’s first all-female crew. She previously competed in college-level diving and gymnastics and raced six Ironman triathlons.

To read the article in its entirety click here.

For several days of the Primal Quest Badlands time-trial trip, the team was provided exceptional South Dakotan hospitality at Terry Peak Chalets.  The scout team, consisting of  Don Mann (director), Chris Caul (course director), Rick Emerson (course designer), Randy Eriksen (trekking director), and Carl and Marlyce Davis (logistics support), enjoyed luxurious respite from their demanding course duties in this comfortable vacation home.

Course design is the most important stage of producing an event that lives up to the Primal Quest brand name, and a big part of this phase is the pre-running and timing of each leg of the 600-mile course.  Every mile is tested by the PQ team to ensure competitors are realistically challenged and that the area’s finest points are showcased.

The location of the Terry Peak Chalets was perfect for early morning departures to various sections on the Primal Quest course.  After long days scouting, the team was able to spread out and pour over course maps to plan the next day. Each of the chalets sleeps 14 and has all the amenities expected of a five star hotel, including fully-equipped kitchens, hot tubs, fireplaces, Wi-Fi, and so much more.  It’s the perfect place for friends and family of PQ teams to stay to follow the race on the Internet and make day trips to the race course.

It has been too long since I have updated you.  I would like to say I have been busy (which I have), but mainly it is my self- pity, avoidance behaviour that has kept me from writing this post; one that I have dreaded for weeks.

I will not be racing Primal Quest 2009.

Since I was here last, I have travelled to Belgrade, Serbia for work and timed a personal best on the 10K (54:12) while also training hard with my weighted pack on steep hills.  Upon my arrival back to Amsterdam, I jumped a flight to Geneva, Switzerland in order to compete in the Solomon Endurance Mountain Cross in Chamonix, France; a race that challenged my physical endurance under sleep deprived conditions.

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Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT is just a few weeks off, and while teams are preparing to take on the most rugged and remote terrain that South Dakota can throw at them, the state is preparing for the athletes to arrive as well.

The Rapid City Journal is doing their part to introduce the state to advenutre racing and Primal Quest by publishing an excellent interview with Badlands course designer Rick Emerson. In the story, Rick talks about PQ and the athletes that compete in it, and gives a few hints on what they can expect when they set out on the 600 mile course in August.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

The 152 participants in August’s Badlands Primal Quest adventure race had better be prepared for just about anything western South Dakota terrain and race organizers can throw at them.

The 38 four-person, co-ed teams will have to muster all of their endurance and outdoor adventuring skills to negotiate a nearly 600-mile long route incorporating off-the-beaten-path areas of the Black Hills, Badlands and Buffalo Gap National Grasslands in a race chasing the lion’s share of cash and prizes from a total $175,000 purse.

To read the rest of the story click here and thanks to our friends at the Rapid City Journal for helping get the word out on Primal Quest.

Bears, Wolves, Mountains and More at J2 Adventures’ Best of the West Adventure Race,   An Incredible Venue and a Perfect PQ Tune-Up

If you’re looking for an awesome tune-up next year for PQ 2010, be sure to check out the Best of the West Adventure Race in Canada  (www.j2adventures.ca).  Run by Jay and Johanna Arns, whose passion for the growth of adventure racing is palpable, this year’s inaugural race was held last week in the dramatic Canadian Rockies of southern Alberta and British Columbia.

I competed with Greg McHale, Denise McHale, and Bob Miller on Team Peak Adventure, a primarily Canadian team that raced hard last year at PQ Montana, and we discovered early on that this was not a race for the meek.  After boldly calculating that we could run hard on the first trekking section for 12 hours to make a dark zone the next day, we were treated to almost 30 hours of exceptional backcountry travel peppered with awesome sunsets, thick bush, and technical terrain.  This initial push set the tone as the course continued to impress.

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