Subaru Primal Quest
The Leaders Race for the Line
Gordon Wright (SPQ) / 09.09.2003
When the “dark zone� was lifted at 6:30 a.m., Teams Nike ACG, Parallax, and AROC put-in on the South Fork of the American River only four minutes apart. Montrail set out one hour later, with Nokia Adventure and Seagate.com following soon thereafter.
“It’s a whole new race,� said Nike captain Ian Adamson as he pushed his boat into the water. “It’s become a foot race once we get off the water. Hopefully we’ve got strong legs.�
Nike realized it would not make the 3:30 cut-off Sunday afternoon, so the team took its time on the preceding bike leg, stopping in the nearby town of Placerville for ice cream and enjoying In-N-Out burgers that the crew brought back to the TA later that night.
In chowing down double-doubles (animal style), the racers paid unwitting homage to the genesis of the SPQ. It was on an In-N-Out napkin that race director Dan Barger first sketched the outline that would eventually become the biggest adventure race in the world.
Despite the two teams breathing down its neck, Nike maintained a distinct advantage for the remainder of the race - having slept a full eight hours at the TA Sunday night. “That was a luxury,� Michael Tobin said at the shore of the river. “You don’t get that much sleep often in a race.�
“The more sleep you get the faster you go, and I think we’re gonna need it,� he added, while Steve Gurney of Team Parallax finished inflating his boat only fifteen yards away. Gurney captained Nike’s Tobin, Mike Kloser, and Danelle Ballangee to a win in last year’s inaugural SPQ, so the proximity of the two teams may lead to some additional drama in the final day of the race.
After pulling into the TA around 4:30 a.m., Parallax bedded down for an hour and a half before waking to the sounds of Nike on its way to the water. AROC arrived about an hour after Parallax, though it set out on the whitewater only two minutes behind them and four behind the race leader.
Team Montrail opted to sleep before the bike section, pedalling all morning to arrive at the TA only a half hour after the others had left.
“We definitely needed to sleep, so we did last night,� Patrick Harper said as he sipped steaming coffee and shoved heaping spoonfuls of oatmeal in his mouth. “We’re a little behind, but that’s okay. We might be able to make up some time on the paddle.�
Montrail hoped to take advantage of its extensive knowledge of the American River. Harper has led rafting trips down the river, while team captain Rebecca Rusch has trained with the U.S. Whitewater Women’s team on these specific rapids. “It’s all different in a little rubber dingy though,� Rusch said.
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