Primal Quest Badlands
Day 7 and the Top Three Finish
Frances Fisher/Primal Quest / 21.08.2009
Much of the time difference was made up in the final push, as Team OrionHealth.com took a wrong turn biking back through the Badlands and lost several hours overnight. Unable to find their path, they laid down for a short period of rest, ready to re-engage at sunrise, when the light would make it easier to find their way back on course. They discussed how disheartening it was to be lost in that final push. They had been told they were ahead, but they didn't know by how much (they mentioned the public certainly knew more about the race then they did). Knowing they lost several hours, they didn't know if they had blown their lead, and felt it was a big emotional swing.
OrionHealth.com looked exuberant but exhausted - they were visibly overcome with the spectacle and the swarming crowds. Local television stations KEVN and KNBN were on scene, doing interviews and getting footage of the racers finishing. "You get used to being in the woods with these 4 people, and all of a sudden there's all these people..." Still, the winners obliged the local news reporters with interviews, which were undoubtedly viewed by thousands of South Dakotans, who have been following the race more closely than anyone expected. They said they were looking forward to a good rest, food, a shower, and perhaps a frolic on the rope swing in the creek nearby.
Team Salomon/Crested Butte finished about two hours after OrionHealth.com, and was elated about the course and their experience. They particularly enjoyed the Badlands. Female team member Jari commented on how primitive and untouched parts of the course felt. They felt they could have been in Jurassic Park, and would not have been surprised to see a dinosaur stroll by.
As for the hardest part of the course - "going through town at the end smelling all the donuts." Racers were hard pressed to say anything negative about the course - the words "epic," "spectacular," "unbelievable" are used over and over to describe the South Dakota landscape and the amazing course put together by Primal Quest organizers in cahoots with some local adventurers. As for navigator Travis Macy, however, he claims he spent so much of his time looking at lines on a paper, "I still don't know what the Badlands look like!"
Team Salomon/Crested Butte was interviewed by local television personality Bob Riggio from KNBN News Center 1, who was filming live when they rolled in behind him. After conducting the interview for all to see, he quickly got back to his film sight in front of the finish arches and did a quick weather forecast, working in some tidbits for the race. Local participation in this race has been as spectacular as the racers' views. It is difficult to go somewhere in Rapid City where they do not know about Primal Quest. Kudos go in part to the South Dakota Office of Tourism and Rapid City, who have worked tirelessly to get the word out about the race, which has made such a difference to these racers.
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