More video from Primal Quest 2008. In the first clip we have Team #18, Brunton, subtly weighing in with their feelings on the GPS issue. The second clip reminds us that there is no crying in adventure racing, even on riverboarding sections courtesy of Team Xtreme Couture. In the third clip we get a scouting report on the course, and thoughts on Primal Quest from a young fan, and finally PQ Water Director Josh Galt makes a GoPro promo video.
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.
When Primal Quest was scouting locations to hold this years race, a number of states were considered. However, it wasn’t long before it became clear that one location stood out above all the rest. The state of Montana has all the elements that the PQ team was looking for, vast open spaces, amazing mountains, staggering heights, incredible whitewater, and much, much more.
In order to make an event like Primal Quest work however, you need more than those wonderful natural resources. You need the support and assistance of the state itself, and when approached with the idea of hosting the most challenging adventure race on the planet, the response was complete cooperation and enthusiasm.
We have said many times that there would not be a Primal Quest without our partners, but that couldn’t be any more true with the state of Montana. The entire state welcomed the race, and made us all feel at home. Not only were the mountains, forests, and rivers a sight to behold, but so was the friendly nature of the people that inhabit the state. We couldn’t have asked for a better location to hold our race.
Primal Quest is proud to have partnered with the state of Montana for PQ 2008. The event has been everything we could have hoped for, and so much more. We only wish we could come back next year to do it all over again.
To learn more about Montana, and everything it has to offer, go to VisitMT.com.
The breaking news tonight is that Team Big Sky/Flathead Beacon has withdrawn from the event. The team arrived at TA 9 after emerging from the Crazy Mountains and elected to end their Primal Quest 2008 race. As the only team from Montana, the team was followed closely and cheered on by fans across the state. The team did Montanans proud and raced a good race.
Day 5 of the 2008 Primal Quest Presented by Spot continues with news from the course.
- At this stage of the event it’s really become two different races. There is Nike out in front, with Merrell in second, and then there is the rest of the pack. With the withdrawal of TeamPeakAdventure.com early today, the race for third place should certainly be interesting. It seems like Team Bones,Team MOAT, and Dart-nuun will be battling it out for the last podium spot.
- There has been a lot of local interest in Montana for the home squad Team Big Sky, and if you’ve been watching their progress, you’ve probably noticed that it seems like they’ve stalled out just before the Crazies. Here at PQ HQ we believe that their SPOT device is not responding, and it’ll be reset at the next checkpoint, giving a more accurate representation of where they are at on the course.
- Foreign teams are making a good showing for themselves on American soil, with Team Hunky Dorys, from Ireland, currently holding down the 9th spot, Canadians Soul Terra are in 10th, and Merrell Halti Multimania of Norway holding down 11th.
- The majority of the teams are still moving through the Crazy Mountains, and the Bridgers are still ahead. After that they have to look forward to a challenging ropes course that starts with a tough free climb. At the top of the ropes sections is an orienteering course, followed by a repel. As we move into the sixth day, Primal Quest doesn’t get any easier.
- This quote was sent in by Garret Ball at CP24 who over heard Robyn of Team Merrell say: “”I just hope I don’t fall asleep on my bike on the downhill.” But Garret points out that the waist deep snow drifts just south of the checkpoint should help keep them awake!
To say the least, it was ironic. Some 11 ½ hours into a 12 1/2-hour trek along the rugged ridge of the Bridger Mountains, we came across a group of young men at the famed white Montana State “M,” high above Bozeman.
“Yes!” they yelled toward our headlamps bouncing down the trail, struggling up the slope in their white tank top T-shirts. “Water! You guys must have water for us!”
“No,” one of us mumbled in response. “We don’t have any.”
“Yeah, right!” they yelled back. “Give us some of your water!”
“We don’t have any. Really.”
By that time it had been some 5 hours since we last took a sip of water. We were in terrible need ourselves, which is why the demand pissed us off so.
Throughout the night, over 30 teams transited UTA8, the lead-in to the epic Crazy Mountain / TATE Trekking segment. The TA is unsupported, which means that teams did not see their support crews at this TA — they rode their bikes 2.5-3 hours to reach it and simply drop their bikes from the Sportraxx by Simpson MTB ride to the trailhead. Some teams, like Kagome, took the opportunity to take a short nap by the campfire before heading out in the darkness. The TA volunteers checked mandatory equipment and grilled teams on whether they had any bear spray, as there have been three bear sightings that this TA alone.
Teams were almost invariably upbeat but tired. Team GORGRP was having a great time and truly seemed to enjoy each others company. Between huge mouthfuls of spaghetti, they were making the obligatory “wag bag” jokes. Apparently, the bags are not airtight and as team members carried their waste out of the woods an an eco-friendly, minimal-impact approach to trekking, appropriate odors wafted from their backpacks. It was firmly decided that he with the smelliest wag bag stayed in the back.
Many teams commented that if they can make this TATE trek through the Crazy Mountains, they feel they will be able to finish the race. It is truly a pivotal moment in Primal Quest Montana, as tired teams, some walking on blistered feet, try to make it through this “Crown of the Course” and strive to reach the peaks and breathtaking views the lead teams experienced yesterday.
These middle- and back-of-the-packers have shown a resolve and spirit that is truly uplifting. Though they hurt and they no there are miles upon miles to go, they support each other, crack jokes, and happily speak of their experiences so far. Stay tuned for videos of these determined teams, coming soon to the Primal Quest Montana website.
Photos by Gulnur Tumbat, trusty sidekick to intrepid girl reporter Frances Fisher
Lead teams made it through the Crazy Mountains yesterday during the TATE trekking segment and couldn’t have been happier. Team DART-nuun literally bounced into camp after what they called a looooooooong but truly amazing trek. They reported that when they started the trek at 3:00am, parts of the trail were pure ice. One they were up and over the initial ridge the conditions became more forgiving as the ice softened to slush and got downright sloppy.
Team Bones’ colorful teammate Walter said the land was “Absolutely Delicious… like Ice Cream!” Wonder if they’ve been running out of food and confusing snow capped mountains with Sno-Caps candy! He went on to say that the whole race has been spectacular — “We’ve seen parts of Montana the locals don’t even know exist.” They commented that now that they’ve accomplished 3 out of 5 grueling but scenic treks, they feel that they will be cruising home from here on out.
Team TravelCountry.com was trucking along on the trail, feeling good after “smoking” the trek. Their spirits were high even though these native Floridians haven’t been able to train on anything like what they’re seeing now. They felt their collective experience with road biking really helped them make it through the 107-mile monster bike ride (aka “Death March” according to team member Blaine Reeves). Blaine also said that though he’s been Adventure Racing since 1995, the most beautiful view he’s ever seen was during this TATE Trekking segment.
Team BaseCamp was nearly to TA9 when we caught up with them. They caught views of a beautiful sunset over the flat valley constituting the only barrier between them and TA9 and some much deserved rest.
Today, the vast majority of teams are entering these beautiful Crazy Mountains and will experience the ups and downs (literally) that these forerunners experienced yesterday, before moving on to the Sportraxx MTB segment that will get them to the next epic TATE Trek through the Bridger Mountains. Soon they will face a rarity for Adventure Racing — a true free-climbing section during the MindQuest Climb & Rappel segments.
Stay tuned for continued adventure….
Photos by Gulnur Tumbat, trusty sidekick to intrepid girl reporter Frances Fisher
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.
Day 5 of the 2008 Primal Quest Presented by 
By Devon O’Neil
