Primal Quest
Encyclopedia
Primal Quest was an expedition-length adventure race that has been called one of the most difficult athletic events in the world and was cited as the most prestigious expedition event in North America. The race once featured the largest prize purse in adventure racing. Each race lasted up to ten days, with winning teams completing the course in approximately six days. Each team was required to have four members and were co-ed.
Each team was required to carry a GPS monitoring device allowing race organizers and spectators to track each team real-time via the Internet on the Primal Quest website. This device does not offer any navigational assistance to the teams. In an emergency, the teams can use the tracking devices to signal for help.
. In 2003, the race moved to Lake Tahoe
and 2004 featured a course on San Juan Island
, in the State of Washington. During this race an unfortunate injury resulted in the death of a racer http://www.coolrunning.com.au/ultra/nigelaylott.shtml . CBS broadcast highlights of the race in 2003 and 2004, the first expedition adventure race to be featured on network television.
Primal Quest was not held in 2005 but returned in June 2006 to the Utah desert after addressing safety concerns http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1103847/index.htm Here the racers faced a course of approximately 420 miles and temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Returning to the roots of adventure racing, no support crews were permitted for the racers, requiring teams to carry more gear and up to three days of food. Disciplines included mountain biking, trekking, horseback riding, technical rope skills, mountaineering, kayaking and white water swimming. Primal Quest Utah was broadcast internationally as four one-hour episodes on ESPN2 and a one hour recap and finale on ABC Sports. Barrett Productions produced the video.
Each team was required to carry a GPS monitoring device allowing race organizers and spectators to track each team real-time via the Internet on the Primal Quest website. This device does not offer any navigational assistance to the teams. In an emergency, the teams can use the tracking devices to signal for help.
Race history
The first Primal Quest was held in 2002 in Telluride, ColoradoTelluride, Colorado
The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains...
. In 2003, the race moved to Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
and 2004 featured a course on San Juan Island
San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
, in the State of Washington. During this race an unfortunate injury resulted in the death of a racer http://www.coolrunning.com.au/ultra/nigelaylott.shtml . CBS broadcast highlights of the race in 2003 and 2004, the first expedition adventure race to be featured on network television.
Primal Quest was not held in 2005 but returned in June 2006 to the Utah desert after addressing safety concerns http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1103847/index.htm Here the racers faced a course of approximately 420 miles and temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Returning to the roots of adventure racing, no support crews were permitted for the racers, requiring teams to carry more gear and up to three days of food. Disciplines included mountain biking, trekking, horseback riding, technical rope skills, mountaineering, kayaking and white water swimming. Primal Quest Utah was broadcast internationally as four one-hour episodes on ESPN2 and a one hour recap and finale on ABC Sports. Barrett Productions produced the video.
2002 Telluride
- SoBe/SmartWoolSmartwoolSmartWool is a company founded by New England ski instructors Peter and Patty Duke in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in 1994 and acquired by the Timberland Company in 2005. The company makes eponymous products primarily from treated merino wool. SmartWool claims that this proprietary treatment makes...
- became Nike ACG/Balance Bar in 2003 - Team Montrail
- Team GoLite