Primal Quest: Badlands got started literally with a bang as two local cowboys on horseback issued the starting gun. Racers took off for the Merrell Marathon, running 26.2 miles along the prairie of South Dakota to the first Transition Area. Orion and Salomon/Crested Butte emerged as the leaders, with Merrell and Bones quickly following.
The lead pack of teams made short work of the Merrell Marathon and the MyTopo Trek Orienteering section, while “back-of-the-pack” teams showed a bit of savvy strategy. Team Spanos rolled into TA2 while some of the lead teams were still there. They opted to only find two of the navigational points. Their logic: “We’re beginners. We don’t want to be shortcoursed, so we thought we’d make up time.” That means they opted for a significant (over 12 hrs) penalty to be tacked on at race finish. Knowing they’re not going to win, they are not concerned about a time penalty, but want to make it to the finish line before the 10-day limit. It is the first PQ for the team, and they are learning quickly from the experience: “We need to learn how to cheat better!” one team member exclaimed. They were concerned about heading into the Black Hills for the U-Haul Mountain Bike section. They heard the trail network is very complicated, with unmarked trails moving in and out of the main ones. This will present a considerable challenge for the less-accomplished navigators.
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!)…
Before the teams can begin their epic 600 mile long, ten-day adventure, they have to go through a series of gear and skills checks. We captured that process on video and thought fans at home might like to know a bit more about it.
The following story was written by Jan de BrÈe, a volunteer with the PQ Media Team, who has been a big help to us already by sorting through photos and helping edit video. This is Jan’s first Primal Quest and his first exposure to adventure racing in general. He shares his motivations for coming to South Dakota, and his experience so far. Enjoy!
Hey, I want to volunteer!
I had never heard of adventure racing before my friend, Dale, volunteered for Primal Quest 2008. When he returned from his adventure, he recommended that I volunteer. I agreed while not knowing to what exactly I was agreeing. Dale’s enthusiasm was enough for me to investigate Primal Quest. I visited the website and that is how my adventure began. While reading the messages on the volunteer forum, I bumped into initials CP/TA, which I believed to be technical abbreviations similiar to Mhz or ohms. Later I discovered that they meant check point and transition area – not too difficult to comphrend.
Eventually doubt crept in to my self-evaluation. I concluded that I was too old at 61, too over-weight at 155 pounds and too slow on my bike. I questioned the usefullness of my skills: writing, webpage design and photography. Dale dismissed my misgivings and reassured me that I could volunteer.
I did want a connection with adventure racing. I found it when I completed the volunteer application. On the application I could write that would bring a mountain bike, a gps and backpacking equipment. Yes, I am an avid backpacker and walker.
Dale, who volunteers for communications, encouraged me to write the amateur radio license test. I wrote the test and received my license – one more skill added to my list.
I was packed and ready to travel to Rapid City, South Dakota. When I arrived, a volunteer orientation helped to give me a clearer view of the Primal Quest event. Then the day before the race, while we met in the Elks theatre, a race director talked about the lake-o and the bike-o. A fog rolled into the theatre and my eyes glazed over and I realized I still had more to learn.
With the start of the race this morning, Primal Quest is getting plenty of attention. Here are some of the top stories from a variety of media sources:
- Nationally syndicated columnist Stephen Regenold, aka the Gear Junkie, shares his own personal experiences with Primal Quest and isn’t shy about announcing which team he’ll be cheering for as well. Read his story here.
- The Argus Leader in Souix City published a story of their own that introduces their readers to Primal Quest as well. The article, found here, quotes several athletes competing in the event, as well as race director Don Mann.
- The Associated Press has written a brief story about the start of today’s race, with a bit of information on the course, including the fact that it began with a 26.2 mile marathon to get the teams warmed up. Check out the article here.
- Teamwork is the key to success in Primal Quest according to this story from the Daily Republic in Mitchell, South Dakota. Most of the racers would likely agree with headline.
- Finally, Adventure World Magazine posted a pre-race story last night that takes a peek at the course, and lays out what the racers can expect over the next ten days. Read that story by clicking here.
That’s all for now. We’ll be back with more Primal Quest news soon!
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Random PQ-Related Quotes
"I wanted to take a moment to thank you, PQ staff, and all the volunteers, for all your hard work over the past year to make Primal Quest an incredible experience for me and my team. We got exactly what we hoped for, an incredibly hard, truly beautiful, and deep personal test of our wills and talents. Yet you managed to give us all this and keep us reasonably safe at the same time."
The following story was written by Jan de BrÈe, a volunteer with the PQ Media Team, who has been a big help to us already by sorting through photos and helping edit video. This is Jan’s first Primal Quest and his first exposure to adventure racing in general. He shares his motivations for coming to South Dakota, and his experience so far. Enjoy!
With the start of the race this morning, Primal Quest is getting plenty of attention. Here are some of the top stories from a variety of media sources:
