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

They say a picture speaks a 1000 words. This is the team that won the Checkpoint Zero Adventure Race...in Georgia. Congratulations to Bo, Daisy and Luke of Enduraventure/Outspokin' Bikes for showing all comers how it's done back home in Hazzard county :-)


















This and over 1,000 other photos are now online for your viewing pleasure. Thanks to Will Ramos for shooting the race from Start to Finish. Please ensure that he'll be back next year by buying a print or two through his site to commemorate the first ever Checkpoint Zero Adventure Race.

My source tells me that they're stoking the flames in the engine room and are planning to go public with news about the next edition some time soon. No details on the venue or date, but at this point I'm just happy to get a bona fide "heads up", from someone who knows, that the race is in fact coming back.

http://www.ecoprimalquest.com

UPDATE: A second source confirms a pending announcement AND rumors about an unspecified organizational/structural change with regard to what PQ is and how it does business. I'm told this does not relate to management or the performance of any person or group in the past, but rather it has to do with changes in the business model. The production costs, ROI and such things are driving these changes. Indications are that these are positive changes that will ensure that the race survives as a going concern.

2nd UPDATE: At this point I'm sure you're all convinced this is a hoax or I'm just making things up. It's neither. Based on a follow up conversation I JUST had with one of my two sources (reliable, highly placed sources)...we're back to a holding pattern.

The imminent deal to have been announced next week...has fallen through. I'm sad to report that as of this second update, Primal Quest is back in a holding pattern. I can't say when or if there will be news to report relating to another edition of this epic race. If there is you'll hear it here first.

In a new first, Checkpoint Tracker will be used to provide online coverage of 3 adventure races this weekend...at the same time.

Bonk Hard Racing's Sunflower 24-Hour and my first ever race, the Checkpoint Zero Adventure Race presented by GoLite are both part of the Checkpoint Tracker National Points Series (look for BIG news about this series next week...it's growing).

Gravity Play's Adventure Xstream 12-Hour in Moab will be using all but the Leaderboard to keep fans at home informed. They've got a WHOPPING 350 racers which has got to be some kind of record for a 12 hour race.

Paul was well known among Gravity Play's regular racers:

We were saddened to hear that a good friend and a great member of the outdoor community, Paul Maniaci lost his life in an avalanche on March 10th. Paul had raced in the Adventure Xstream Series the last several years, even winning the 2005 Series as a member of Team Honey Stinger. Paul was an influential mentor to at risk kids through his teaching job in Steamboat Springs. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Paul's family and friends and everyone touched by Paul's presence.

Will and Jenny Newcomer, Gravity Play Sports

Paul was a business partner of George Rice. The two have been working on bringing new adventure racing events to Montana.

Steamboat Pilot & Today

Jackson Hole Daily

Teams of 1-4 will mountain bike, orienteer, run/hike, and paddle in rugged corners of the Charlotte metro. Teams can be coed or single gender. Each event is designed for you to succeed. All you need are sneakers, a bicycle and a smile! Most events have 2 levels: 4-hours or 7-hours. USARA sanctioned and licensed. Come meet people and have fun!





NCARS #1 Skills clinic and 3-hour race. Lake Norman State Park. April 28, 2007. Activities include canoeing, mountain biking, orienteering. $50 per person.

NCARS #2 US National Whitewater Center, May 19, 2007. Activities include whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, orienteering, and special challenges. $55 per person. Entry cap: 300

NCARS #3 US National Whitewater Center, October 13, 2007. Activities include whitewater rafting, flatwater canoeing, mountain biking, orienteering, and special challenges. $55 per person. Entry cap: 300

Pre-registration is required at www.action-learning.com/adventure, www.usnwc.org/happenings.asp, or www.active.com. Benefit for the USNWC and American Diabetes Association. Additional donations are encouraged.

Senator Ted Stevens says the internet is a bunch of tubes:



Yahoo says it's a bunch of Pipes. I'm with Yahoo.

Their latest offering (yes it's called Pipes) is truly remarkable. In a nutshell...you can grab data from pretty much any source on the web...serveral at a time actually...and mix them up and create a single data source.

This looks to be an exceedingly useful tool in light of the swelling ranks of bloggers in the Army of Zero. I'm working with it to create a 21st century version of the AR Newswire that will automatically integrate the most recent reports and blog entries posted to the site into a single RSS feed. This will mean site owners and those of you with news readers can keep up to date with our latest content in one feed instead of many.

The product is still in beta and a tiny bit unstable so far, but it looks very promising. You can preview it here. Click on the Pipe from the list then click "subscribe" to get at the RSS or add it to your homepage/reader, but don't be surprised if it goes down, acts weird or just plain goes away. When I'm convinced this thing has legs I'll post an update and firm things up.

Checkpoint Zero is looking for individual racers, teams, promoters, aspiring journalists or anyone else with something to say about the sport to join the Army of Zero and get your blog on. Ideal candidates will be prolific and articulate writers offering a unique perspective. You'll be hooked up with your own blog neatly arranged in your very own corner of the site for all to see.

What's the catch? There is no catch. The premise is simple. Checkpoint Zero brings your great content to our large and growing audience and you get your great content put in front of our large and growing audience. Oh ya, we'll even give you ownership of the ad space on your blog for your sponsors, events, products, services, etc. Sounds to me like an offer you can't refuse.

If you're interested send an email to yak at checkpointzero dot com and convince me you've got what it takes to wear my colors :-)

I always loved that line from Saving Private Ryan. Right before the big battle at the bridge near the end of the movie you can hear this German soldier shouting in broken English at the paratroopers over a loudspeaker...

...the statue of liberty is kaput...

Ok, so the Statue is fine...it's my hosting provider that was kaput for about 2 hours this morning. A switch in their data center failed and traffic wasn't being routed so any attempt to hit the site was timing out. The switch has been replaced and we're back to cooking with gas.