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.

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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.

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