Primal Quest Could Be Here, There, or Elsewhere

Rob / 11.01.2004

After last weekend’s CBS showing of a 2 hour film on the 2003 Primal Quest, which went out across most of the USA (but not all, much to the annoyance of some racers) everyone is asking when and where the 2004 race will be.

It seems Primal Quest are not quite ready to release all the information, but Race Director Dan Barger has put a notice on the race website in advance of a full announcement, which will be made on Jan. 26th.

The race will be in September, will have 125 places, and will be in the Pacific Northwest. More intriguingly it could be in “Oregon, Washington and/or Idaho”. Unlike the first two races, when the host city was announced well in advance, there is going to be some secrecy over the venue this time. Here’s what Barger had to say;

“In June, Primal Quest will release to the public and the racers the airport to fly into, and located in the final athlete update will be the location to meet on a specific date and time to travel to race headquarters. Lodging will be arranged by management three days prior to the race start.” Sounds like there are going to be lots of rumours about the race this year, with sightings of Dan Barger in the Northwest being reported on the grapevine!

The announcement also mentions the race’s Athlete Advisory Board, which includes 10 people who meet to discuss rules, regulations and gear lists etc. This is to be expanded according to Barger. “In 2004 we will add representation from areas such as support crew, volunteer, educational, and media. It is our intention to continue to listen to the voice of the people that experience the event and increase awareness of the environmental status of the public lands that we enjoy as racers and non-competitive outdoor enthusiasts alike.”

For those teams hoping to get a place there was a final piece of interesting news. Places will be allocated on the following basis.

1. Top ten teams from 2003
2. Athlete Advisory Board
3. International teams
4. Lottery
5. Qualifying events

It seems international teams will get some preferential treatment and some places could be won in qualifiers, but the exact details will follow on the 26th.

One thing is for sure, when the entries open the race will fill up fast, and most of the world’s top teams will be there.