New Zealand adventure sports website Sportzvibes.com has posted an excellent video of their home team, Orion Health competing in Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT. The video is narrated by team captain Wayne Oxenham, who breaks down the strengths of his team, and gives some great insights into their race and the strategies that went into their successful finish.

The video is quite lengthy, and covers Orion Health through all aspects of the race, starting with mandatory gear check and running all the way through the finish of the race and beyond. It is a great synopsis of the events that went down in South Dakota, and includes some great shots of the beautiful scenery of the Black Hills and Badlands.

To watch the video click here.

Team Endurox R4 continue to be the darlings of the media in Ireland, with yet more television coverage. This time, team member Eoin Keith gives an introduction to the sport of adventure racing and Primal Quest in particular. Eoin’s PQ Badlands jersey is even featured prominently in the video that runs nearly ten and a half minutes in length.

Eoin, another guest, and the host also discuss the rising popularity of the sport in Ireland, where a number of races now take place. They get into training, gear, and nutrition, and much more, including the importance of navigation, a segment that shows off the wonderful MyTopo maps quite clearly.

To view the full video click here.

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.

Well after the anticipation of two big races and four weeks straight of traveling it is finally time for a weekend of rest and relaxation and sleeping in my own bed here in Gunnison, CO.  Time always goes much faster when you are not at home and the last month has seemed like 2 weeks.   I must say I had forgotten how great the mountain air is after the heat and humidity of St. Croix, St. George UT, and Orlando FL.

Week(s) in Review:

I guess I have been chasing the Ironman dream now as I have been bitten by the triathlon bug and Kona is all I can think about lately. It all started April 28^th when I flew into St. Croix, Virgin Islands to race the ½ Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile road bike, 13.1 mile run) for a chance to win a slot into the Ironman World Championships in October.  However, the island gods thought better of my goals and after hitting something on the bike and totally ruining my tire I was forced to drop out and call it a day.  So after a week on the island I flew to St. George UT for almost ten days and stayed with my dad to get in some more heat training, open water swimming, and preparing for the Orlando Ironman 70.3 on May 17^th.

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What do you get when you put four of the finest endurance athletes from St. Maartin, a tiny island in the Caribbean, on the same team; four racers from very diverse backgrounds, one American, one Argentinean, one British, and one Dutch? You get the St. Maartin Adventure Racing Team, or SMART for short – a tough, determined group of racers that have their sights set on Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT.

The team consists of Terry DeWitt (aka Dash), Juan Pablo Piscione (aka Giampo), Michael Bacon (aka Bacon), and Jan Willem Frederik (aka Frits).  Before joining forces, this foursome was already quite familiar with one another, as they have competed in marathons, Ironman triathlons, mountain biking races and other athletic events for years. But since they formed together as a team, they have dominated the inter-island, adventure racing scene on St. Maartin.

Looking for bigger challenges, and wanting to test themselves against the best teams in the world, SMART has begun preparing for the rigors of the Badlands.  Confident in their abilities with the core disciplines of adventure racing, they have been focusing on maintaining and improving their conditioning. Off-island clinics in orienteering and climbing have helped the team to hone those skills as well, while a schedule of shorter races will allow them to put everything into practice before heading to South Dakota in August.

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You never know where Primal Quest, or any one of the amazing athletes who compete in the race, will turn up in the news. Take this story for instance over at the Osteoarthritis blog at About.com.  The article is an interview with Robyn Benincasa, from Team Merrell Zanfel, who underwent Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery in 2007, which has allowed her to continue her very active and competitive life.

In the interview, Robyn discusses her extensive accomplishments in the sport of adventure racing and explains AR to an audience that is unfamiliar with events such as Primal Quest. She also talks about her active pursuits and career as a fire fighter in San Diego, before discussing the injury that led to the surgery, and how she has bounced back since.

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