With the start of Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT just hours away, teams are making final preparations for a race that has been called “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”. Approximately 35 teams from around the world will embark on the 600-mile journey through the Badlands and the Black Hills of South Dakota. The race can take up to 10 days for teams to complete. Racers will test their abilities in mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, caving, swimming, and fixed line ropes.

According to Kraig Becker, Primal Quest Media Director, “The pre-race briefing is complete, and the teams have received their maps and passports. They are now pouring over both and plotting their course through the Badlands and Black HIlls of South Dakota. Their navigational skills will be put to the test over the next ten days as they bike, hike, and paddle their way through the race. The teams learned that there would be plenty of orientteering during Primal Quest Badlands. In fact, they’ll be navigating on foot, mountain bike, and on the water, and if that wasn’t enough, they’ll have an orienteering course inside of a massive cave.”

Some of you may remember that a large portion of water sections were eliminated last year due to safety concerns. Josh Galt, Primal Quest River Director, stated, “the water at this year’s Primal Quest is the polar opposite of last year in Montana, but it poses spectacular challenges of its own. Instead of intense raging whitewater, this year the course is going to travel around a placid reservoir and meander across the prairie in the Cheyenne river, narrow and twisting and difficult because of shallow water. The racers are going to be tested mentally as much as physically with a frustrating but doable paddle that includes numerous sections so shallow they must hop out of the boat and pull it across the rocky riverbed – sometimes shin deep, sometimes barely enough to wet their shoes!”

“Later this evening the leaderboard and tracking system powered by SPOT will go live for fans following the race at home,” Becker said. “The entire course will be laid out online and when the race begins tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM Mountain time and you’ll be able to track all the teams as they begin their 600 mile journey.”

I am excited about the event this year and look forward to following along myself. Continue checking back as we will be posting updates from the race until it is over and we will then follow that up with some post-race interviews.

With Nike’s withdrawal from the race due to a serious injury with one of its team members, the top spot is up for grabs this year. Does anyone have any predictions about this year’s race?

Photos on the right by Jan de Bree.
Photos on the left by Wouter Kingma.