Article by Craig Stein

The premiere edition of the Primal Quest Sprint Series (PQSS), www.primalquestsprintseries.com, is now upon us with the first race being held May 10, 2008 in Chesterfield, VA at Pocahontas State Park. This four to six hour multi-sport adventure race presents participants the opportunity to experience the high energy of the sport without the huge time/financial commitment required to tackle a 400+ mile expedition adventure race course. It will challenge the elite level racer with its intensity and introduce the beginner to the world of adventure racing. Two additional 2008 races are scheduled for September 6 at Moraine State Park in PA, and October 10 at the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC.

The PQ Sprint Series courses will feature many disciplines associated with an expedition length race such as mountain biking, trekking, paddling, and orienteering. In addition, there will also be unique endurance challenges, as well as technical decision making skills. Log PT drills and a ropes obstacle course are unique legs of the race that racers will face.

Click here to read the rest of the article. 

The Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine has written a nice profile of the Primal Quest Sprint Series. Here’s an excerpt:

It’s been called one of the most difficult athletic events in the world, and now a little piece of it is coming to the South. Primal Quest is an annual high-profile expedition-length adventure race that finds the toughest competitors shelling out thousands of dollars to tackle some of the toughest terrain in the country. Past events have taken racers into the Utah desert and the remote San Juan Mountains of Colorado for over 400 miles of mountain biking, climbing, trekking, and paddling. But running an event of this magnitude—coverage has included spots on ABC and ESPN—is no easy task, and last year race organizers considered ending the event for good. Suddenly to the rescue came Don Mann, a former Navy SEAL and adventure racing pioneer from Virginia Beach, Va., who formerly owned promotion company Odyssey Adventure Racing, which produced the epic BEAST of the East adventure race. Mann sold Odyssey with no intention of returning to the sport, but out of nowhere, opportunity came knocking.

Read the rest of the article by clicking here. 

Front Royal, Virginia – Production company Race Day Films, LLC announces sponsorship of the Primal Quest Sprint Series.  As a part of sponsorship, Race Day Films will shoot the first ever Primal Quest Sprint Series race on 10 May at Pocahontas State Park, Virginia.

“We are very pleased with our new relationship with Primal Quest,” said Race Day Films founder John Stann.  “The Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race is heralded as the “World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”, and I am sure the shorter, faster Primal Quest Sprint Series races will be incredible too.”  “We are also proud to support the Virginia film industry by shooting at Pocahontas State Park,” added Director Kevin Hershberger.

Continue reading ‘Race Day™ Films to Sponsor the Primal Quest® Sprint Series’

The Primal Quest Sprint Series in the news…

Following four successful expedition length races, the Primal Quest organization has launched the first Primal Quest Sprint Series. In 2008, its premiere year, the PQSS will consist of two races, the first on May 10th at Pocahontas State Park just outside of Richmond, VA. Starting next season, the PQSS, with eight races scheduled, will give amateur and elite athletes alike, the opportunity to win a spot in the 2009 Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race.

Read more of Cory Rosen’s story over at Xtri.com

Adventure World Magazine is now available online!

One magazine for all adrenaline and adventure junkies is finally available!  And, the publishers and creators of Adventure World Magazine are scouring the globe to give fellow athletes the latest and edgiest event destinations, outdoor venues, and gear on the planet.

“This publication was launched out of a passion for the sports that Adventure World Magazine will cover in our upcoming issues,” said Clay Abney, AWM Editor-in-Chief, “We are athletes first and journalists second.”

Numerous magazines on the market today are dedicated to individual adventure sports, but there is not an all-encompassing publication for the adventure sports industry.  Abney says after researching this void for over a year he realized many athletes were craving this type of media outlet.  “I have been on dozens of messages boards, and interviewed numerous pros and race directors throughout North America,” said Abney, “and the result was a resounding desire for one entity which will cover all things in the realm of adventure and endurance sports.”

Continue reading ‘Primal Quest Proudly Supports Adventure World Magazine’

PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 2008

Grass Roots Racing
Contact: Franky Eyth, Race Director
4925 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224 
412-362-2131 

www.rootsrace.com / grassrootsracing@comcast.net 

This year will mark the beginning of a Grass Roots partnership with Don Mann and the Primal Quest team. The latest news in the adventure racing world is about the Primal Quest Sprint Series (www.primalquestsprintseries.com). This recently announced series will take place in three venues this year but will grow to 8-10 venues by next year.

Teams of two–any combination–will race in the standard format of paddling, running, and biking over distances similar to most GRR events. The winner of the series will be given a paid slot in the 2010 Primal Quest expedition race. That’s an over $10,000 value!! 

Continue reading ‘PQ Sprint Series Teams With Grass Roots Racing’

Article by Brian Knight

Last month we teased the arrival of the new Primal Quest Sprint Series (http://www.primalquestsprintseries.com/), a series of shorter, faster, higher energy, adrenaline-fueled sprint races brought to you by the same folks who produce the longer, harder, more intense Primal Quest expedition race.  In February, PQ management announced the dates and locations for the first three events. 

 2008 will see racers, runners, mountain bikers, paddlers, triathletes and any other athlete looking for a challenging and fun experience battling it out at these exciting east coast locations: 

• May 10             - Pocahontas State Park, Chesterfield VA (registration is now open)
• September 6    - Moraine State Park, Pittsburgh, PA
• October 4        - US National Whitewater Center, Charlotte, NC

 In 2009 the Sprint Series expands from three to as many as eight total races. And while management is still working on the dates and locations for ‘09, hosting offers have poured in from more than twenty states and three countries.  Come next year you might find yourself with Primal Quest racing opportunities stretching from Maine to California, Florida to Alaska (and oh yeah, Canada, Mexico, and Costa Rica too)! Adding to the excitement is the series’ grand prize.  The individual who earns the most points from the ’08 and ’09 seasons combined wins a FREE entry into the next year’s (2010) Primal Quest expedition race.

Continue reading ‘Primal Quest Update’

Details are still being finalized, but PQ management is now able to announce the locations for the first races scheduled in the 2009 Sprint Series:

• February: Florida
• April: Louisiana
• May: Virginia
• August: Connecticut
• September: Pennsylvania
• October: North Carolina
• November: Georgia

Check back often for more details!!

Photo by John Nantes

Iconic Adventure Race Primal Quest Spawns Sprint Series

By Frances C. Fisher

Nothing captures the imagination of outdoorsy people like adventure racing — the soaring peaks, river-threaded valleys, and all the pain, heartache, and glory in between. For years we have watched seemingly superhuman athletes compete in impossibly scenic surroundings that look like outtakes from the Lord of the Rings.

Now, it’s time for mere mortals to shine. The makers of Primal Quest – the extreme race that challenges contestants’ bodies almost as much the limits of their inner strength – now bring a more accessible race to everyday athletes (you know, the ones with jobs, and kids, and commitments) who still want a chance to get outside and push their bodies to the max.

Continue reading ‘Superhuman Adventure for Mere Mortals’