Subaru Primal Quest
Dan Barger Interview
Rob / 03.09.2003
It is my opinion that timing is everything. The adventure racing community needed a big, expedition race to participate in here in the US, so we’re simply meeting that demand. But the real reason for our success is the effort of more than 180 staff and volunteers who make the race possible.
The race is described as ‘Earth’s Richest Adventure’. How important was it to get significant prize money into the sport?
While it was a priority to offer a significant amount of prize money for the top teams, actually, the words “Earth’s Richest Adventure� comes from the experience that we hope to provide to racers, crews, volunteers and our staff.
Almost without exception all of the world’s top teams are racing. Is there any risk the prize money will make teams push too hard?
The very experienced teams of Nokia, Subaru, Seagate, Buff, Nike ACG and a handful of others are constantly pushing the limits both physically and mentally, but most teams (about 80 percent) are here simply for the experience, to test their own limits and try to finish.
Lake Tahoe is a well known area to racers in the USA. For those who don’t know the area, what challenges will the terrain give the teams?
The interesting thing about Lake Tahoe is that it is historically rich in Western lore. Cultural markers of the great American westward diaspora are all over this area, like the Donner Party, the Pony Express, and the Gold Rush. So we hope the racers really get a sense of the American West.
Will the race ever go elsewhere, to jungle environments for example, or is it going to stay a US race?
Currently I am working on a very interesting and promising new venture that involves Primal Quest. I think that we may be able to publicly announce the news in the Spring of 2004.
How hard is it to get a very ‘spectator unfriendly’ sport like AR into the mainstream media and how important is it?
It is very high on our list of priorities. Because AR is difficult to watch as a spectator, we have concentrated on the GPS tracking and other avenues to involve the viewer without being on-site. Our IT department is top notch, and is headed by Denise Watkins and Aileen Stephens, with web support by Isite Design and tracking by Competitio out of Canada.
Being a Race Director is a tough job, especially on such a high profile race. Are there times you wonder why you do it?
Race Directing is one component of the overall event. I believe that the people that surround me are the heroes. They often give up their vacation time and time away from their families to give back to the sport, which I highly recommend. So I don’t think that it is a tough job, I find it challenging and compelling.
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