Race Snapshot: Caving, An Emerging Leader, and Bike Drama
Posted on 08/15/09 8:49 AM| by Osprey
Overnight, most teams arrived or got through the caving section — one of the unique course features of Primal Quest: Badlands. South Dakota is known for its extensive caving systems, which some may remember from their experience with Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (any mention of spelunking usually meant Carmen was in Rapid City, SD). The cave system used for the spelunking section used to belong to a group of Benedictine Monks — as racers enter the cave, they will be greeted with an altar nestled into a grotto on the side of a very sheer cliff face. From there, they plunged into the subterranean channels and encounter beautiful chambers of shining crystals and an ultra-clear, undisturbed pond. They are required to find four checkpoints (one is hidden 30 feet down a “chimney” hole).
As the last few teams finish up the caving, a new leader has emerged. Team OrionHealth.com has emerged as the “New Nike” and are currently stretching their lead on the course. Word is that Team Salomon/Crested Butte, which had been on Orion’s heels, opted to sleep while Orion pushed on and caught a few winks at the bike orienteering course. As the race drags on and sleep deprivation becomes more and more of a factor, sleep management will be key — major mistakes can be caused by fuzzy thinking. While sleep deprivation is a feature of Adventure Racing, how and when teams decide to sleep can impact their decision making process.
Overnight, Team 29 was in peril of dropping out — a bent bike frame meant they would not be able to leave the caving section without a new one. At this point, the rumor mill says they managed to procure a new one, though it is unclear whether they bought a spare one from a member of the PQ Staff or hitched a ride into town to buy a new one. Either way, they probably just saved their race…
Stay tuned for continued adventure (and a day one summary!)…
