So we have been out of internet range since about Sunday night… so much to tell!  First and foremost, the team is doing AWESOME and are still very much in this race. Paul, they are one of the few teams that are going to complete the FULL course.  You all may have noticed a drastic drop in rank, however most of the teams had to be short-coursed and skip the final trek.  But not our team!!  With swollen ankles, blistered feet, and some major GI troubles, they pushed on and started the 35 mile trek to Ennis Lake at about 8:00pm last night (Monday).  Nike said this final trek was the most difficult of the entire course!  We are sitting lakeside in Ennis waiting for their arrival.  We don’t know why the team shows a rank in about 40th position - could be something with their Spot tracker or all the teams being short coursed, etc. At this point, we will know their final rank probably a day or so after the race ends so the directors can calculate penalties, credits, etc. We are excited that the final stretch to the finish line is on the bikes and so is the team.  The climb back over the mountain to Big Sky is strenuous, but they are still very motivated and spirits are still high!

Some catch up from our last blog when we expected the team to arrive from their trek in the Bridger Mountains… team came in dragging a bit due to the obvious long trek and extreme heat. Daytime temps have been in the 90’s and nights are bitterly cold when the wind is blowing.  Mark R (Pup) had a cut on his lower lip and it was swollen. He said he missed his footing and tripped and fell forward onto a log with his teeth and face. He is very lucky he didn’t knock out any of those pearly whites and got just a cut fat lip! While in the Bridger Mountains, the team came upon a check point that was 12 feet up a tree and hanging over a creek. Pup scrambled up the tree and punched the card for that check point! Some teams took a photo of the check point with their cell phone and race directors said that counted also. The directors said when they placed that check point about 10 days before, there was about 8 feet of snow under it! To answer a question about why the teams did not trek along the ridgeline in the Bridgers, because when they reached the saddle, they had a choice to climb back up but through very loose rock and slush or climb down and stay in better terrain. Most chose down, which ended up being the more difficult route and took them up and down peaks over and over. BUT, they made it!

They left that transition on bikes toward Storm Castle. They were riding very fast and Suz bit it a couple of times. But of course she came into the TA all smiles! Many of the other teams, support crews and race directors have made comments about how much our team and support crew are enjoying this and we are all always smiling!! Suz is the PQ darling, and had the #1 viewed photo from the pre-race meeting and video from the riverboard section. Suz’s quote, “There’s no crying in adventure racing…” is a favorite among all! As tired as we are, this really is a blast and we have definitely made some friends for life!!

They got in some needed sleep, then set out on the trek to the climb section. It was about a 5-6 hour hike to get to the climb area.  From there, it took them 4 HOURS to ascend the ropes for 1,500 feet, followed by a free climb where they clung to rock on what felt like the top of the world!  When asked what the pucker factor was on a scale of 1-10, Mark J said “12″!  But they all loved it and said it was the most amazing thing they ever did.

After the climb, they elected to skip the Orienteering Course, as most teams including Nike did. The course was not mandatory and there were no penalties to skip it. But, if a team did it, they would receive a one hour time credit for every point found.  Team XC happened across one of the points and so they will receive that credit. They then did the rappel. It was visible from our camp and we watched with binoculars as Mark J and Erich came down first, then Suz and Mark R.  It was 157 feet down and they had a blast!  Kristen was able to be at the base of it and got some great photos!!

There was some concern whether or not they would decide to conquer the final trek, or if they would voluntarily short course themselves and be transported to Ennis Lake for the final bike ride in. When they returned from the trek/climb/rappel segment, they were very pumped up and everyone’s feet and legs were doing good (meaning they were still attached to their bodies) so they went for it!  As we sit here typing, the team looks to be about 8 miles or so from here and it is 5:00pm.  Hopefully, they will be to us by 9pm or 10pm and this will be a quick transition to the bikes.  It is expected to take 4-6 hours for the ride back so it looks like a very early morning crossing of the finish line! We are ready with the champagne and cooler full of beer!

Again, your well wishes and shout outs have meant so much to all!  The latest batch are printed and waiting for them.  There are so many stories, pictures, and videos still to share so continue to monitor the site for a while after the race.  Also, Pup’s sister Mary went through the entire photo gallery a few days back and created a separate website with just our team’s photos!  Here is the link:  http://gallery.mac.com/m.holmberg/100131   (Look in the lower left
corner for full screen slideshow.) THANK YOU, MARY!

From the best support crew at PQ,

Teresa, Kristen & Rob

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Primal Quest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.