BlackHillsVacations.com is offering up some great pre-race deals for athletes, their familes, and fans of Primal Quest, allowing them to explore the magnificent Badlands and Black Hills at bargain prices.

Click here to read all about these package deals, which include car rental with unlimited mileage, three nights stay in a selection of hotels, and entrance to the Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, starting as low as $95/person per day.

The offers are good starting now and running through May 31st of this year. So, if you’re looking to get a sneak peek at where Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT will be taking place this August, there’s no better time than now to checkout the territory.

As if trekking, mountain biking, and navigating through 600 miles of South Dakota backcountry isn’t challenging enough for teams competing in Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT, they’ll also have to contend with interesting wildlife, such as big horn sheep, bison, and the elusive black-footed ferret.

Of course, none of those are quite as intimidating as the mountain lion, which also calls the Badlands and Black Hills home.  These powerful and graceful predators can weigh in excess of 150 pounds and can be up to nine feet in length.  The cats possess agility that even an adventure racer would envy, being able to jump as much as 18 feet in height or 20 feet in length, and they can drop more than 50 feet without suffering injury.

The lion in the photos accompanying this post was struck by a car on Highway 41, a busy stretch of road that runs from north to south through South Dakota. As you can tell , this is a rather large cat, and those paws should give you a little indication of the kind of damage he can do.

Teams from Primal Quest Montana probably thought that we had left the scary wildlife behind with the all the bears in the Big Sky State, but these cats will give you something to think about out on the course as well. Just remember, you don’t have to out run the lion, you just have to out run your teammates!

Awhile back we mentioned that the search was on for a team of adventure athletes from South Dakota to make up the “home team” when Primal Quest comes calling next summer. It seems like the search is over, as the following press release was sent out today.

Primal Quest Adventure Racing: Who Does These Kinds of Races?

PIERRE, S.D. - Next summer, South Dakota will host Primal Quest Badlands: the World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition, a 10-day expedition adventure race totaling 600 miles. That leaves many asking, who does these kinds of races?

“Adventure racing is just as much an interpersonal journey as it is a physical one. Every person who strives to race these races must be committed, motivated, positive, persistent, prepared and check their egos at the starting line,” said Robyn Benincasa, captain of Team Merrell Zanfel.

Teams who have entered into the Primal Quest Badlands race will face terrain and challenges like never before. Many of these teams have trained and competed with one another for years and are focused, determined individuals who want to do well together. There is an emphasis placed on teamwork, rather than individual achievement.

Read the rest of this entry »

Primal Quest, the Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau, and BlackHillsVacations.com have teamed up to deliver plenty of adventure next summer as the iconic expedition length adventure race comes to the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota.

In the summer of 2009, Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT descends on South Dakota. Over the course of ten days, beginning on August 15th, coed teams of four will run, mountain bike, paddle, climb, and navigate their way across 600 miles of backcountry in the Badlands and Black Hills. The ten-day, non-stop race has been dubbed “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”.

BlackHillsVacation.com has put together travel packages that include airline tickets, car rentals, accommodations, and more for both pre- and post race adventures. Friends and family of competitors, as well as PQ fans and volunteers can experience the Badlands and Black Hills for themselves with a variety of outdoor activities, including mountain biking, trekking, rocking climbing, and kayaking.

To find out more about these exciting travel packages, call toll free to 800-400-6194 or visit BlackHillsVacations.com. For more information about Rapid City and the surrounding area, go to VisitRapidCity.com. You can learn more about Primal Quest at EcoPrimalQuest.com.

P3 Update Magazine, a publication devoted to the preproduction, production, and post production (P3 get it?!?) of video and films has an excellent write up on Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT  in their December issue.  The article looks ahead to the race next summer and what racers can expect in the backcountry of South Dakota. Here’s an excerpt:

South Dakota’s Badlands are considered among the most rugged terrain on earth. It has earned its name in many languages. The Lakota called it, “Mako Sica” or “Land Bad.” French voyageurs that had to cross this land of deep canyons, dry alkali washes, volcanic ash, mountains and arroyos called the place “Mauvaises Terres.” From a high altitude, the Badlands resemble a natural maze. In summer, temperatures soar and it is not uncommon to experience 130-degree weather. The 244,000 acre Badlands National Park is accessed from the towns of Wall and Interior. A scenic byway joins Interstate 90 at exits 110 and 131.

Primal Quest Badlands TV show will start August 15-24, 2009, during the height of summer heat in the Badlands. For early travelers forced to cross the terrain, survival alone was paramount. Even for today’s visitors, few venture off well marked and boardwalk-laid trails, where signs proclaim: “Danger Rattlesnakes.”

To read the rest of the article, click here. 

(Photo by Jason Perriera)

The Rapid City Journal posted a great article a few days back preparing it’s readers for Primal Quest Badlands next August. They interviewed adventure racing veteran “Earring” Doug Judson of Team Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic Adventure Racing on his experiences from past PQ races, and the sport in general. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

The middle of the South Dakota Badlands in August is not a very hospitable place without many creature comforts.

But some athletes are paying to be there this next summer. They will participate in the Primal Quest, which will make its way to South Dakota next summer.

The Quest is a world-renowned 600-mile race in which a team of four coed competitors must find their way through rough terrain and do so in many different ways — kayaking, backpacking, running, swimming, spelunking, mountain climbing and mountain biking to name a few. Athletes in the challenge race 24 hours a day for what is expected to be a seven-day race. The top teams usually get done in five days, but only half of the athletes finish the full course within the 10-day limit.

To read the rest of the article click here.