Primal Quest

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Primal Quest is an expedition-length adventure race. Each race lasts up to ten days, with winning teams completing the course in approximately six days. Each team is required to have four members and must be co-ed. With a prize purse of $250,000, it is one of (if not the most) lucrative of all expedition races.

Each team is required to carry a GPS device allowing race organizers and spectators to track each team real-time via the Internet on the Primal Quest website.

The first Primal Quest was held in 2002 in Telluride, Colorado. In 2003, the race moved to Lake Tahoe and 2004 featured a course on San Juan Island, in the State of Washington. CBS broadcast highlights of the race in 2003 and 2004, the first expedition adventure race to be featured on network television.

Primal Quest was not held in 2005, but returned, under the new leadership of CEO Rich Brazeau, in June 2006 to the Utah desert where racers faced a course of approximately 420 miles and temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Returning to the roots of adventure racing, no support crews were permitted for the racers, requiring teams to carry more gear and up to three days of food. Disciplines included mountain biking, trekking, horseback riding, technical rope skills, mountaineering, kayaking and white water swimming. Primal Quest Utah was broadcast internationally as four one-hour episodes on ESPN2 and a one hour recap and finale on ABC Sports. Barrett Productions produced the video.