Thinking of signing up for the next Primal Quest Sprint Series (and wondering what you’re in for)?

An overview video of the first PQSS race is available now. Re-live the May 10 event and revel in the beautiful scenery of Pocahontas State Park, Virginia. You can view the video on the PQSS web site. Also, be on the lookout for an announcement about PQSS video releases, including a Web news release of PQSS Race 1 and a DVD produced by Race Day Films,capturing all the action of PQSS Race 1.

In the mean time, you are welcome to advance order the PQSS Race 1 DVD at a special pre-release price of $14.95. Please visit the PQSS Store for more details and to order.

Dear Primal Quest Volunteers,

I want to personally thank you for either taking time out of your busy schedules to come out and support Primal Quest Montana; or for having expressed an interest in doing so. We are all very grateful for your devotion to this sport, to PQ, and to creating an event that will change many lives, including yours! Primal Quest volunteers are widely known as being the most dedicated and experienced in the industry, and we truly owe the success of our events to you! One of the most frequent compliments we receive from competitors is how impressed they are with the professionalism and hard work of our volunteers.

My involvement with producing adventure races dates back to 1997. During that time we have produced hundreds of multi-sport events and have built, in my opinion, the most experienced AR team (staff and volunteers) in the world. For the most part, our staff all started as volunteers. Many of our best volunteers who had the desire, time and willingness to do more joined our staff ranks. If you have an interest and the time and would like to be more involved with Primal Quest and the Primal Quest Sprint Series, please be sure to let me know. Both PQ and the PQSS are going to expand and we are looking for some more great talent to join us for this expansion.

Don D. Mann
Director
Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race
A Don Mann Production

The Blackwater: Escape and Evasion Adventure Race was announced just a few days ago, and already it’s building buzz in the AR community. Mike Bitton from CheckPointZero.com has written an excellent article about the event after speaking with Primal Quest CEO Don Mann who is managing this new race. The article takes a peek at what we can expect out of the Blackwater E&E and explores the potential role of Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater Worldwide, in the future of adventure racing.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

Don Mann, former U.S. Navy SEAL and the CEO of Primal Quest, is an adventure racing entrepreneur with an unusually rich history. During his decades as an “operator” on the Teams, Mann did countless things he can’t tell anyone. But here’s a little something he told me. Adventure racing has a new prince. And it’s a prince with a capital P.

Back when Mann was on duty at SEAL Team 2, prepping to lead fellow sailors through a Raid Gauloises expedition adventure race, he was approached by a member of SEAL Team 8, one Erik Prince, about what essentially amounted to a sponsorship for Mann’s adventure racing team. Prince liked the concept, Mann said, of a SEAL Team competing on a global stage. And, lucky for Mann and his AR teammates, Prince had just come in to some money. “He wrote me a check on the spot,” Mann recalled. The men have been friends ever since.

To read the entire story click here.

Blackwater Extreme Racing and Don Mann Productions are proud to announce the Blackwater Escape and Evasion Adventure Race. An endurance event unlike any other, the Blackwater E&E is set to challenge adventure racers, triathletes, or anyone else looking for a challenge, in unique and exciting ways this November.

This 24-hour race will pit teams of two against one another in the traditional adventure racing disciplines of trail running, mountain biking, paddling, and orienteering. But as the name implies, there is more to this race than just reading a map and finding checkpoints. Racers will also be challenged along the course by a series of special events, and surprises that could only be made possible by the combined expertise of Don Mann and Blackwater Extreme Racing.

The Blackwater Escape and Evasion Adventure Race will take place November 7^th and 8^th in Moyock, North Carolina. Mark those dates on your calendar now and prepare yourself for an adventure racing experience unlike any you’ve experienced before.

Stay tuned for more information on this exciting event, including the launch of the Blackwater E&E website, news on registration, and more. For more information contact Don Mann at don.mann@ecoprimalquest.com

This past Friday, Andy Thompson of the Richmond Times Dispatch wrote a great article on the first Primal Quest Sprint Series event held at Pocahontas State Park, not far from Richmond, VA last weekend. An excerpt follows:

All I could think about, waist deep in a swamp in Pocahontas State Park, was the ominous prerace briefing from race director Joe Moerschbaecher: “We saw a lot of snakes out there, so be careful.”

That and a scene from the classic’80’s movie “Stand By Me” that takes place in a mucky marsh similar to the one I was in and ends with this realization: “Leeches!”

To read the rest of Andy’s PQSS race report click here. 

Photo by Will Ramos 

The GoFAR Podcast has posted another great interview today, this time with John Stann of <a href=”http://www.racedayfilms.net/”>Race Day Films</a>. John talks about his experiences with adventure racing, both as a competitor and as a videographer. Amongst John’s recent projects was filming the first Primal Quest Sprint Series race in Pocahontas State Park, Virginia last weekend. The interview gives us a glimpse of what it takes to cover an adventure race event such as PQSS.

Click here to listen to the interview in it’s entirety.

Photo by Will Ramos

Primal Quest Sprint Series Race 1 Overview: Primal Quest Director, Don Mann, leads us through the Primal Quest Sprint Series Race 1, which occurred on 10 May 2008 in Pocahontas State Park, Virginia.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

To order a DVD of Primal Quest Sprint Series Race 1, visit the Race Day Films Web site at www.racedayfilms.net.

Another excellent race report from the first ever Primal Quest Sprint Series. This one comes from Caroline Brosius and offers up even more great insights into what racers can expect in future Primal Quest Sprint Series events. And when you’re done reading Caroline’s report, check out the full results from Saturday’s race on our Results Page.

A typical Don Mann production: PQSS #1 off with a Splash!

Saturday morning, driving south on I95 from Northern Virginia in a torrential downpour, Chris Rumohr (A-list Ambassador) and I were beginning to wonder what we would find at Pocahontas State Park, just south of Richmond VA. Weather reports were of 4”+ of rain and it wasn’t looking promising, but we had faith.

After doing OAR events for nearly 10 years I am nearly convinced Don Mann has an “in” with the weather gods; torrential rains to “prep” the course and the absolutely perfect weather to race in.

Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: RESULTS NOW POSTED! 
Photos by Will Ramos are now available online. Visit www.waramos.com for more info. Enjoy!

The first ever Primal Quest Sprint Series Race took place over the weekend at the Pocahontas State Park located near Richmond, Virginia. More than 20 teams lined up for this inaugural event, and a great time was had by racers and PQ staff alike.

Greg Yetter from SleepMonsters.com has written a great race report that can be found here. Alternatively, Chris Webster of The A-List has graciously submitted this wonderful race report below to give us all a sense of what Saturday was like.

Team A List — Chris Webster (The A List™) & Caroline Brosius (Super AR & world class paddler) –represented at the inaugural Primal Quest Sprint Series Adventure Race on May 10, 2008 at Pocahontas State Park, Richmond, Virginia. Short Story: The Richmond Virginia area venue is beautiful and the PQSS format is most excellent.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Primal Quest Sprint Series Virginia Newsletter is now available. The newsletter contains important information for competitors and volunteers alike, as the PQ Sprint Series kicks off this weekend with it’s inaugural event at Pocahontas State Park, Virginia.