Primal Quest Dates and Details

SPQ Press Release / 16.01.2004

Just days after its 2003 race was broadcast on CBS – a first for adventure racing -the Subaru Primal Quest announced its 2004 dates and location.

The race will start on September 19th, 2004 and end on September 28th, after ten grueling days of paddling, trekking, mountain biking and ropes work.

The location of the 2004 edition of the biggest event in adventure racing will be the Pacific Northwest, an area generally encompassing Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The racers will begin to gather at the venue on September 16th for pre-race skills verification and check-in.

The entry criteria and the size of the field has changed slightly from the first two years of the race, which was first held in Telluride, Colorado in 2002 and moved to Lake Tahoe, California last year. For 2004, the field will expand to 125 in order to address the huge demand for slots. As in previous years, most of the entries will be allotted through an online lottery. The lottery opens on March 1st; as in past years, the available slots are expected to fill in a matter of minutes.

As in past years, some of the entries will be granted in advance through qualifying criteria. The top-10 finishing teams from 2003 are granted automatic entries, as are members of the event’s Athlete Advisory Board. An additional 20 spots will be reserved for international (non-U.S.) teams in order to sustain adventure racing’s growing global appeal.

New this year is the addition of two qualifying races. Twenty unpaid entries will be granted to the top ten finishing teams of the Cal-Eco Finals and the Florida Coast to Coast. Both of these events attract top domestic teams and are situated on the eastern and western coasts, insuring that U.S. teams have an accessible chance of attaining a coveted entry.

Race director Dan Barger said, “The Primal Quest has gained a reputation for staging its events in hugely challenging terrain, and the Pacific Northwest has this in abundance. We’re particularly excited to expand the field, in light of the overwhelming demand for the race.”

Two other hallmarks of the race have been its robust online coverage and its high-exposure television broadcasts – both of which are expected to continue in 2004. The race will go live with its new web site on January 26th, where videotapes and DVDs of its 2003 CBS broadcast will be for sale.

The expected $250,000 prize purse will again draw the best field in adventure racing, including defending champions Team Nike ACG/Balance Bar and other top teams, including Australia’s Team AROC and Team Seagate, led by Nathan Fa’ave. Other entries in 2003 included teams from New Zealand, Great Britain, Columbia, Costa Rica, Sweden, Spain, Finland, Canada, Poland and Brazil.

Please visit www.subaruprimalquest.com for additional details.