It’s official, Primal Quest will return in 2008. Don Mann will be the new Primal Quest CEO and the event will take place in one of 3 US mountain states. Registration for PQ at the yet announced location will open July 1st, 2007. If you want to race, you should sign up early since the race will be limited to 75 teams. You can read more details about the 2008 Primal Quest here. The biggest news is that Bill and Denise Watkins will no longer be financial backers of the event. It was long rumored that one stumbling block for the event to continue was a lack of financial backers.
I’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the Adventure24 this year. Why? To be honest, the passion and heart just isn’t there right now. Putting on an event like this, the passion and heart just have to be there.
When Cathi and I started Adventure24 scouting in 2004 she lived just down the street from me and we got together to look over maps and planned the areas we wanted to visit. Scouting a new area is an adventure itself. You’re exploring new land and seeing sights you’ve never seen before. Those scouting trips were exciting.
Times have changed since those early days. Cathi lives in Chattanooga and I’m married and living in a 70 year old house. Trips to scout for the race used to be time away from my empty condo which required very little attention. Now scouting trips are time away from my new wife and our home that needs way more attention that I ever expected. I’m also in the process of getting back into school to finish up my masters degree that I started a few years ago. Needless to say, the amount of free time I have has been drastically reduced and I need to prioritize.
What does the future hold for Checkpoint Adventures? Well, the UOG is just a few weeks away and it will be a great event. Patrick and I have been hard at work placing checkpoints in Prentice Cooper gearing up for what again will be an event to talk about. As for the Adventure24, it might return one day. If it does return, it will be in a new location because part of the enjoyment of race directing is seeing and experiencing new areas. There might even be some new events and new people in the coming years. If you are interested in helping plan an event but don’t know where to start, contact me and we’ll talk. We’re on the lookout for a few good men or women to keep you adventurous types busy.
As for me, I’ll be spending less time working on events and more time out on the trails myself. I dusted off my mountain bike last weekend on a nice 9 hour bike/push suffer-fest that reminded me of the first NGAR I raced in (the snow edition). My teammate and I called that NGAR “Nature Walk with our Bike” because we pushed our bikes as much as we rode them that day. Last weekend was the same way, I even ran out of water like I did at that NGAR (where my water frozen and I got dehydrated). I’m also going to go camping and sit around the fire and drink some beers with my friends. And for once, it won’t be a camping trip revolved around scouting the area. See you around, and hopefully at the starting line again.
I’ll have the inside scoop on the 2008 USARA National Championship Race. How? I’ve been selected as the course consultant for the 2008 race which will take place in GA. So what exactly is my involvement? Basically I’ll be given the course from the course designer and I’ll be in charge of making sure it meets certain USARA guidelines. I’ll also give my input on possible changes to the course if I feel those guidelines aren’t being met. In addition, I’ll also verify the race checkpoints. I’ve been sitting on this news for a while while everything was approved behind the scenes. Needless to say I’m pretty excited and I looking forward to seeing what takeaways I can bring from this event to Checkpoint Adventures.
Patrick and I took a day trip up to Prentice Cooper this past weekend to hang some flags for the upcoming Ultra O-gaine. I hadn’t been to Prentice Cooper since I ran the StumpJump 50K a number of years ago. Wow! The area was absolutely gorgeous. Large flowing creeks, steep climbs, waterfalls, dead snakes, we saw it all. For those who did the Ultra O-gaine last year at Pine Log, you’ll definitely like the beauty of Prentice Cooper much more than Pine Log WMA. Be prepared for a challenge come June 8th! With over 10,000 more acres than Pine Log, the course will be BIG! See you soon.
Our very own Cathi Cannon was recently featured in Competitor Southeast Magazine with a very nice two page article. With hard work, Cathi has improved steadily over the last few years and has become a force in the SE as a multi-sport athlete. But Cathi, where’s the Checkpoint Adventures shout out in the article? Just kidding. The article is a good one and worth the read. You can read the entire article online here or pick up the April issue if they are still out. Way to go Cathi!
