Musing and Errata on the world of Adventure Racing from the Yak
presented by MPGear.com

Primal Quest is winding down. I'm back home in Greenville. I'll be updating the PQ page with news as it's released by race management and Sherry is still on the course following the Dogs to the end.

Sadly, I wasn't able to catch up with the Rabbits even once past TA6 on day 3. I'll be touching base once they resurface in the real world and I'll bring you their story in full as soon as possible.

While I haven't had much time to reflect, I can already look back, before the race is even over, and easily say this was not only the best Primal Quest I've been to personally, but by far the best to date.

The setting, the course itself, the effort undertaken to orchestrate the event in realtime...epic, epic, epic. The plentiful and varied coverage provided by both race management and a veritable constellation of blogs, online newspaper features and podcasts was and is remarkable and exiciting. Jonathan Dorn's audio blog is particularly compelling.

It will take a little time before we get much feedback from the racers, but based on what I saw on the course with my own two eyes and after talking to dozens if not hundreds of them face to face, I can tell you that complaints and criticism are likely to be few and far between. That's not to say their weren't problems and won't be some sour grapes...this is adventure racing. Regardless, this event is sure to go down as a turning point in the evolution of the sport and will serve as the high water mark for any future expedition adventure race.

That people like Denise and Bill Watkins have the vision, means and spirit to even attempt something like this and pull it off so brilliantly is something we should all be thankful for. They are truly in it for their love of the sport and deserve to be commended for what they have given to all of us.

The exceptionally talented veterans they surrounded themselves with are nothing short of the best you will find in their respective domains of expertise. In the end their involvement is what made this the best PQ ever. Kudos to Rich Brazeau, Don Mann and the countless other specialists that gave this event the feel that no detail was too minor to deserve thorough scrutiny to be sure it was addressed in the absolute best way possible.

Not every race is Primal Quest, but after it's broadcast on ABC and ESPN this fall, this event, unlike any since Eco Challenge, is what the man on the street will identify with when he hears mention of adventure racing.

Primal Quest's day in the sun is here. Primal Quest is adventure racing.