Volunteers on a Quest of Their Own

Rob / 11.04.2003

A team made up of race volunteers from last yearâ€™s Primal Quest have been given the chance to have a go at the race themselves this year. Team Subaru Primal Quest Volunteers all helped stage the first race in Telluride Colorado last year and when teams gather on Sept. 5th this year at South Lake Tahoe, theyâ€™ll be taking a few deep breaths on the start line. Itâ€™s quite a challenge as theyâ€™ll be alongside the worldâ€™s best teams and trying to complete a 450 mile + multi-day race.

With intense competition to get a place in the race at all the team were guaranteed a free entry. \"This race lives and dies by its dedicated support staff,\" said Race Director Dan Barger. \"We have always made it a priority to treat our volunteer corps really well. And this just seemed like a creative way to thank the people who make the race a reality.\"

Though Barger immediately jumped at the idea, it was not his to begin with. While stationed at the remote 17th checkpoint of last year\'s course in the San Juan Mountains, future team members Werner and Michael Herrick had plenty of time on their hands to stoke their envy at the racers and came up with a great idea.

\"We had a lot of time to discuss why the sky is blue, the meaning of life and how we could convince Dan Barger to let us in the race,\" Werner said. \"Since none of us were Playboy Bunnies, elite racers or independently wealthy, we thought of a program that would help the sport and help us to get a spot in the coveted race: the Volunteer to Competitor Program (V2C).\"

The Team

Herrick, 42, a hospital administrator from Denver is the captain and self-proclaimed \"elder statesman\" of Team SPQV. A college rugby player in his youth, Herrick suffered a serious neck injury in 1981 and battled back from complete paralysis to compete in numerous races and become an avid alpine skier. \"Adventure racing to me is about overcoming challenges perceived as impossible,\" Herrick said. \"(SPQ 03 will be) the culmination of all the outdoor activities I have done. It will push me far beyond my every physical and mental limit.\"

Werner, 30, from Chicago is a former triathlete who recently moved into adventure racing. Werner is keen, he was even on honeymoon with his new wife Ann Meier while volunteering last year! Once SPQ race management found out the couple sleeping in a tent in the volunteer campsite were on their honeymoon, they began their support of the Werner household by \"getting them a room.\" (They are still married by the way!)

Michel Roy, 35, and Tanya Kanczuzewski, 34, add some additional adventure racing experience to round out the team. Roy, an Aeronautical Engineer from Lancaster is now in his third year of competition in the Cal Eco series and Kanczuzewski, who owns a creative marketing company in Knoxville, Tennessee, has developed a series of adventure races in her home state.