Primal Quest on hold

Not that I necessarily want my head to again float free from my body, but it was with some sadness that I read a communiqué from the people who put on the Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race that the whole production has been put on hold.

(This is the race I did last year—that’s me crossing the finish line below, after eight days of effort!—and it was an event that pushed 2006 over the top as my most adventurous year to date.)

There will be no Primal Quest in 2007.

The future of this race—regarded as the World Series for the sport of adventure racing, and one with a $250,000 prize purse—is up in the air as well, or at least to me the press announcement seemed stocked with verbiage alluding to that: ”. . .we are continuing to explore every option in staging the expedition in the future. . .”.

Here is the full press release from Primal Quest LLC:

PRIMAL QUEST EXPEDITION ADVENTURE RACE ON HOLD

TO: PQ Racers, Volunteers, Staff & Fans—
Our sincere apologies for not officially communicating with everyone sooner regarding the status of the next Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race.

Since the conclusion of Primal Quest Utah, we have been diligently trying to make arrangements to enable the race to take place in 2007 and beyond. As you know, PQ is a complex undertaking that requires substantial planning, financing and partnerships in order to maintain the high quality standard that PQ is known for. We realize placing the event on hold affects the racing community to a great degree, but please know we are continuing to explore every option in staging the expedition in the future and appreciate all the input we’ve received.

On behalf of our entire team, we sincerely appreciate your support and wish you success in the upcoming racing season.