Monday, Jun. 30th 2008 4:02 PM
By now, everyone following Primal Quest from home is well aware of the capabilities of the SPOT Satellite Messenger. Throughout the course of the race, it’s allowed us all to track the teams progress, and check their standing on the leaderboard. But the device does a lot more than that. Whether you’re an adventure racer on a 10 day expedition race or an outdoor enthusiast heading out for a day in your local wilderness, the SPOT can provide security and safety with not only it’s ability to be tracked, but also to send messages, including a call for help.
Over the course of the past week, the SPOT Messenger has continued to impress everyone on the PQ staff, but none more than the Medical and Search and Rescue teams. Last week, when the Gallatin went from challenging white water to wild, white knuckle ride, the decision was made to pull everyone off the water, and the SAR team was able to quickly locate every team and keep track of their status, thanks to the SPOT. The fact that the Messenger is water proof, and floats, also proved invaluable in the conditions the teams were encountering. Within minutes, the teams were safe and sound on dry land, thanks to a coordinated effort between the Comms center and PQ staff and volunteers in the field. The SPOT Messenger was invaluable in those efforts.
Twice this week teams have inadvertently activated their SPOT Messengers, setting off a flurry of activity that begins with a signal being sent to SPOT’s monitoring center in Houston, TX, which immediately alerts the PQ Search and Rescue Team. From there, the SAR Team gets in contract with local authorities and coordinates with staff in the field to get on site just as quickly as they can. Fortunately, in these two cases, there was no emergency, but knowing the exact location of the teams in the field had allowed rescue teams to respond very quickly and with pin point accuracy.
Yesterday, one racer took a spill, going over the handle bars of his mountain bike at high speeds. He was reportedly unconscious for as much as 45 seconds, and the team activated it’s SPOT device to call for aid. Coordinating with the Comms staff, the medic in the field, who was also carrying a SPOT Messenger, was on location in a very short time. Primal Quest HQ was able to track the medic, and direct him to the team who had issued the 911. The medic was able to quickly render aid to the fallen racer, who was soon given a clean bill of health, and sent on his way, continuing his Primal Quest race.
These incidences have made it abundantly clear that the SPOT Messenger is the must have device for anyone traveling in the backcountry. Not only does it allow you to send messages to your friends and family, letting them know that you’re okay, but it also allows them to track your progress practically anywhere in the world. But the real value of the device is it’s ability to call for help from those remote places, giving outdoor adventurers a measure of safety never before seen.
For a limited time, SPOT, who is the Presenting Sponsor of Primal Quest 2008, is giving away six months free tracking service. Simply purchase a SPOT Messenger from this page and enter the promo code “PRIMAL8″ to receive this special deal. But you’ll have to hurry, the offer only runs until July 15th.
And don’t forget, you can still sign up to win a free SPOT signed by the winning team Nike. Go to this page to sign up.
Photo by Andres Vargas
Primal Quest Montana presenting sponsor 
The Primal Quest team received a very nice letter of support from the state of 
Throughout the race we want to take an opportunity to thank our partners, without whom there wouldn’t be a Primal Quest. Each of them plays a vital role in the success of the race and deserve credit for allowing us the opportunity to have this great adventure.
