SPOT Satellite Messenger™ Enhances Premiere Adventure Race Experience with GPS Mapping and Real-Time, Leader Board Tracking 

MILPITAS, CA (April 23, 2008) –  SPOT Inc., the pioneer behind the award-winning SPOT Satellite Messenger, today announced its sponsorship of the Primal Quest Montana Expedition Adventure Race.  Called the “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition,” Primal Quest 2008 Presented by SPOT is scheduled to take place in Big Sky Country, Montana June 23 through July 2, 2008.

Primal Quest fans can follow their favorite teams at www.ecoprimalquest.com, through real-time GPS tracking and custom leader board technology provided by SPOT allowing for up-to-date viewing on SPOT enhanced Google Maps™.  This technology is based on new SPOT services that allow users to broadcast their location and messages to others over the web.  The SPOT satellite messenger will be worn by each of the 70 plus teams of adventure racers during the 10 day, multi-sport competition.

“We have been looking forward to the innovative technology that SPOT is bringing to Primal Quest for many years,” said Don Mann, Primal Quest Director “SPOT is a lightweight personal satellite messenger that won’t slow the racers down and will provide continuous position updates of the teams along the Primal Quest course making it the most interactive Primal Quest in history.”

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PESCADERO, Calif. (TK DATE, 2008) - GoPro, a manufacturer of wearable digital cameras for sports, will be providing Digital HERO 3 wrist cameras and Helmet HERO gear mountable cameras for the Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race June 21 - July 2, 2008.

GoPro will provide its wearable cameras and accessories to the 80-plus teams who will compete in a variety of non-motorized action sports during this summer’s race. This will allow the Primal Quest teams to capture exciting immersive video and photos while they labor through the punishing adventure race.

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From Don Mann:  

Hello PQ Competitors and Friends,

This is an important period of growth here at PQ. We’re finalizing what we believe to be the most beautiful and athletically challenging course in PQ history. We have exciting changes to the traditional AR ropes disciplines and are proud to welcome Jay Smith, Kitty Calhoun, Conrad Anker and the rest of their crew as they join the PQ staff to create another world-class ropes course.

We’re also proud to introduce this year’s course designer, George Rice, known to many of you as Director of the Mountain Adventure Race. George, who knows the Montana wilderness better than anyone in the sport, has been working closely with Course Director Chris Caul to design the most challenging, aesthetic and safe wilderness course the Big Sky state has to offer.

We’ve also been ramping up our plans for the Primal Quest Sprint Series, which starts with three events in 2008:

• May 10 Pocahontas State Park - Richmond, VA
• Sept 6 Moraine State Park - Pittsburgh, PA
• Oct 4 US National Whitewater Center, Charlotte NC

We’ve been negotiating with additional venues for the 2009 series and are currently planning 8 – 12 events for next year. The winner of the point series can earn a free team entry into the following year’s Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race!

Today we release THE THIRD OFFICIAL COMPETITOR NEWSLETTER FOR PRIMAL QUEST MONATANA. I encourage you to read this entire newsletter and ensure each of your teammates (including support) do as well, as it is full of very important information that is critical to your success at PQ Montana.

We hope your training is going well and we look forward to seeing each of you in June!

Today Primal Quest released its second official Competitor Newsletter, and with it, the location of the 2008 race.

The full newsletter is now available on the Team Resources section of the website and contains lots of exciting details and updates.

The following is a letter from Don Mann announcing Primal Quest Montana…

Dear Adventurers,

It is my honor and great pleasure to welcome you to Primal Quest Montana, the “World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition.” In less than 7 months you will gather at the starting line with many of the world’s finest adventure racers and set out to compete in an epic adventure. On behalf of the entire Primal Quest Management and Operations Team I want to express just how excited we are for your team to join us in the mountains of The Big Sky State.

Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and Arizona were also in contention to host Primal Quest in 2008. While any of these states could have produced spectacular races, our Montana course, in my opinion, is second to none. I can promise that you will love this course and will never forget it!

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Primal Quest is happy to announce that photojournalist and race director Tim Holmstrom, a member of the PQ family from the beginning, has returned for another round of adventure.

Having served as Photo Director for the previous four races Tim is currently designated as “Race Management,” a catch-all title that allows us to take advantage of his many and varied talents.

Said Primal Quest Director Don Mann, “We are all very excited and fortunate that Tim has joined the PQ Management team. Tim brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the sport of adventure racing. I have known Tim for many years. He worked with us at an early BEAST, and was one of the main photographers for The Complete Guide to Adventure Racing. As part of the management team, Tim will be contributing in the areas of photography, graphics, course design and race management.”

Since 2005 Tim has also been producing, promoting and staging his own events in Costa Rica and is the Race Director/Event Founder for The Coastal Challenge, Expedition Run, a race going into it’s fourth year in 2008.

Tim will return to Costa Rica in October for The Coastal Experiences, a much kinder and gentler version of The Coastal Challenge and a great way to be introduced to a staged running event.

Tim is also busy working on a couple long-term book projects including one documenting disappearing or endangered indigenous cultures such as the Ainu in Japan or the Inuit in Canada, as well as endangered cultures in Southeast and Central Asia, and Latin America. He also is working on a series of interviews with lighthouse keepers in the United States for a book titled “Light over the Water, a Quiet Way of Living.”

Photo Credit: Dan Campbell

For the second year in a row, registration for Primal Quest came and went in the blink of an eye. One of the big stories to emerge is the number of people from around the world who are excited to race or volunteer in Primal Quest 2008.

Primal Quest Director Don Mann noted, “The enthusiasm for PQ from around the world is overwhelming. As of this morning over 130 teams from eleven different countries have sent in applications. I believe this is unprecedented in the history of expedition level adventure racing.”

In addition to the slew of teams from all across the United States, applications were also received from Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela .

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Primal Quest is excited to announce that the 2008 race sold out in less than 12 hours! Registration opened at midnight and within 30 minutes more than half the applications were filled by teams from 5 different countries.

Think you missed your chance to participate in this epic race? For a limited time you may sign up for the reserve list! We anticipate accepting teams from this list and highly encourage you to submit your application soon.

We are also happy to announce that since volunteer registration opened on Monday over 100 people from around the planet have signed on to help support the race. Join our team and add your name to the list!

The PQ team is very pleased to be an integral part of the adventure racing community and a leader in the continuation of expedition-level racing!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / 26.June.2007
Contact: Chris Caul
540.969.9357

info@ecoprimalquest.com

While the location of next year’s Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race is still a secret, we are happy to announce the 2008 race dates.

Between June 21 and July 2, 2008* seventy-five co-ed teams of racers will take part in the World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition.

Primal Quest is an environmentally friendly, ecologically aware wilderness Expedition Adventure Race®. Teams of experienced back country adventure athletes journey across expansive terrain using only a map, a compass and combined skills. Successfully finishing requires much more than stamina and mental fortitude. It requires selfless teamwork, spirit and absolute determination.

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