Today was an interesting and exciting day for racers and staff alike. When the Gallatin River began to swell this afternoon, the decision was quickly made to get the teams off the water and safely on to dry land. It was a day of perseverance, determination, and heroic rescues. But most of all, it was a day for teams to demonstrate the spirit of Primal Quest.

While out on the whitewater, a number of teams found themselves in trouble, as the Gallatin buffeted them in huge waves. The bone numbing water was rising at an alarming rate, and teams that had been racing for more than 30 hours found themselves overwhelmed in the process. Three teams showed great sportsmanship and respect for one another, each helping the other out amongst the chaos of the paddling section. Team Werewolves, Team Number Twenty-Nine, and Team Radioactive Beagles all supported one another and offered assistance when each was in need. Stories like this show how tightly knit the adventure racing community is, and how often they go out of their way to help one another, even when it’s at their own personal risk. Great going teams!

Team Quixote had a challenging and trying day of a different kind, and if you followed them on the SPOT tracking system and leaderboard you noticed that they struggled with navigation. After hours on the course, they were the last team to arrive at TA2, a bit demoralized and certainly tired. At that point, it would have been easy to cal it a race, but showing great resolve and teamwork, they elected to continue on. Keep your chin up Quixote! Tomorrow has to be a better day. 

These teams displayed the spirit of the race and sport today and the Primal Quest staff salutes you all.

Photo by Wouter Kingma

When asked how the ride on the river was today, one rescued racer said:

“Epic. I almost died three times but I’d do it again.”

Stay tuned for pictures from today’s wild events, or check the photo gallery.

Here’s a preview from Brian Knight Photography:

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.

One such partner is Mindquest, a company that specializes in improving performance under extreme and high risk conditions. The Mindquest programs are specifically designed to enhance human performance, whether it’s in the boardroom or out on the adventure racing course through carefully assessed, and scientifically backed, solutions.

Mindquest offers a variety of solutions for teams of all types and sizes, including leadership and team training, seminars aimed at quickly enhancing performance, and assistance in creating your own instructional programs. 

The staff at Mindquest consists of operational psychologists, intelligence, security and crisis management specialists, cultural experts, and much more. The highly educated and talented Mindquest team has the experience and knowledge to help everyone from CEO’s to professional adventurers alike. 

Primal Quest is proud to have Mindquest as one of it’s segment partners. 

Extreme Whitewater: Day 2, Part 2

Posted by Frances Fisher, Asst Media Director

Wow!  What a day at Primal Quest 2008: Montana!!!  Competitor Blaine Reeves of team TravelCountry.com summed up today’s events with one word: EXTREME.  Extreme cold, extreme speed, extreme whitewater, extreme danger, and extreme adventure.  So extreme, in fact, that the Gallatin River has been closed and all competitors pulled off the water as of 2:50 pm.  At that time, approximately 14 teams had completed the TATE riverboarding section and were already headed out on the MYTOPO.com trekking segment.  The rest of the 58 teams were spread out from Transition Area 2 (TA2) to TA4, a range of about 35 miles.  Today, Montana’s unpredictable conditions brought racers to the edge, kayaking and riverboarding the flood-level Gallatin.  But as the water got even bigger over the course of the day, HQ made the call to remove competitors as the extreme conditions posed a severe safety hazard. All teams have been accounted for and will be staged at Transition Area 4 over the next few hours. 

Many PQ Staff, Volunteers, and racers worked for hours to rescue team after team from the raging river.  At one point, PQ directors were tracking four rescues at one time.  One team was stuck on an island in the middle of the river and HQ has been buzzing with their heroic rescue by water course designer Josh Galt of Face Level Sports. 

Continue reading ‘Extreme Whitewater: Day 2, Part 2′

Wondering why teams were pulled off the Gallatin River today halfway through the paddling and riverboard sections? Then wonder no more. Just check out this video and all will be made clear.

Video shot by Frances Fisher