Primal Quest 2008 footage mix taken by the Werewolves. All different clips from different days, footage taken by a GoPro camera

The Werewolves are back home safe and sound and I’m sure many of you have had the chance to catch up with them and hear more stories first hand so I’ll keep this short.

I want to thank all of you for your continued support throughout the Primal Quest experience as I know it definitely helped keep the team encouraged and it undoubtedly played some role in getting them across that finish line. I can speak first hand to the effect of knowing there is someone back home rooting for you and how it gives you that little extra bit to keep going when everything about your body wants shut down.

To the Houston Fit AR crowd I finally made it through the posts on the forum and was excited to see over 7 pages worth of posts. You guys are awesome and I hope you all still have jobs!

I’ve finally uploaded the last of the pictures I took in Montana of Primal Quest and the team so please take a look if you aren’t complete PQ’d out. For those of you here in Houston I’ll see you tonight at running practice to see if 2 weeks at higher elevation did anything to help my pitifully poor running capabilities.

Last Pics for PQ ‘08

Thanks again to you all and GO WEREWOLVES!!!

-Chad & Alan

After the race, it got kind of crazy. We had rush to get ready for the awards ceremony, the awesome PQ dinner, and celebratory party, and still haven’t slept, from 2 days ago.  At the awards ceremony the Werewolves got on stage for 3 different awards and the whole crowd was Hoooooowwwwwwllllinngggg anytime you heard the name Werewolves. The team definitely brought the true spirit of Adventure racing to the course. It felt great to be a member of the support crew of the Werewolves.

After the 3 hour awards ceremony, led into dinner, which had all kinds of different foods to replenish the racers after the exhausting 10 day race, well less for some teams. Then the band came on stage drinks were flowing and everyone was socializing and networking with each other.  It was cool to be at a place where you had the worlds biggest endurance race, athlete’s that had the physical and mental ability to race on this course, and then meshed with the media that allows to broadcast the event.  It was definitely cool being there, talking to people, brainstorming over beers, on how awesome this race was, and how to make it better next year.  No official word came out on where the race would be, but there was definitely high speculation on Calgary.  Also the talk about not being supported, kind of scares me, because if this was true for this race, then this website probably wouldn’t be here…

Werewolves crossed the finish line of Primal Quest 2008 at 2:10pm, earning a solid 24th in the final standings. The Werewolves were the last team to cross the finish line, as they were the last team in the field who were not short-coursed by the race director. They completed every excruciating mile of the course over a 10-day period!

Congratulations Ashley, Jason, Tom, and Paul. As you will read here on your blog, you have countless fans and admirers across the US and all around the world. We have been with you every step of the way! You have shown the world the true spirit of Adventure Racing and inspired us all!

So come home already, let’s celebrate your victory!

-Chris (Werewolves super-fan in Houston)

HoustonFit Adventure Racing

The Werewolves began the last leg of the Primal Quest 2008 Montana adventure race at 8:50 this morning and with a 4 to 5 hour bike leg we expect to seem them at the finish some time starting around 1 today.

The Werewolves slept for a quick nap after getting in at 5:30 this morning and were up and in good spirits as I think they are all starting to realize how real finishing this race has become for them. And I can’t think of a better way for the Werewolves to finish their 10 day journey than to not only be the last of the long-course teams to cross the finish but the last team of the PQ field to cross the line. It should make for a dramatic and exciting finish as the Werewolves have developed a reputation here at PQ as the team that exhibits true sportsmanship and the spirit of adventure racing.

Chad and I just completed the last TA pack up and we’ll be the last of the PQ crowd to leave TA14 and Ennis Lake. We’ll be making our way back to Big Sky, a roughly 2 hour drive, where we’ll be meeting the team with a cooler full of race-completion goodness, an obnoxious air horn to announce their arrival and a bottle of champagne to celebrate the end of an amazing race.

We’ll be there to capture pictures and video and we’ll try to get those posted as soon as possible so all of you watching back home can get a glimpse at the moment each one of them experiences the end of what has to be the most difficult challenge they’ve ever encountered.

Stay tuned and keep watching the tracker (granted it’s working again). Werewolves are almost there!!!

-Chad & Alan

P.S. Chad has found his phone and has ceased stomping around the camp ground like a lost mad-man.

P.S.S. Chad’s foot - 2, Apple Juice Container - 0.

Werewolves finally made it in to the last flipping TA for Primal Quest 08.  They are taking a small nap now.  We will wake them from their Wolfpack slumber shortly.  The latest we are letting them leave TA is 9:00.  That will give them 7 hours to finish Primal Quest.  This last bike leg is a 30 mile bike that have been taking teams 4-6 hours.  They do have a mandatory stop 4 miles out from the Finish Line.  At this point, a media team will be there for an interview.  Crazy, I wonder what they will say.

Anyway just wanted to let you know that they are safe.

Soon they will push on there last leg in to Big Sky.

There are still a few teams (maybe 3) in this TA getting ready for that final push. I just saw the Lucky support vehicle pull into this TA about 20 minutes.  They have been sleeping in the Medical tent, because there support was not here for hours.

Anyway signing out now, from another night of little sleep.

Tami, Alan, and Chad

PS - I can’t find my phone, please let me know if you have any details.

Here I sit at the Last TA at Primal Quest.  This has been a long haul for the Werewolves.   I heard other teams saw them out there. Much ground has been covered by all the teams and I applaud them.  The PQ staff said there were a few teams out by the dam.  There are 6 teams still headed to this TA.  Team Lucky is in here, without a support crew. If anyone knows where they please tell to come to Ennis Lake.  New Mexico Red/Green is in. Pandas and Carrerbuilder just left to finish the course, and both teams looking strong.

I wish the Spot was working, so we knew were the wolves were.  I am sure that they are near, and pushing along.  Go Werewolves.

After they come in; what meal do they want?  What time are they going to leave? After this then it is just a short bike back home.  It is like 30 miles for them and about 2 hours by car.  So at least they have a shorter path distance wise to the Finish.

Hope to see them soon.

A team just came in, going to check who they are.

Out.

Primal Quest 2008 footage mix taken by the Werewolves. All different clips from different days, footage taken by a GoPro and Ashley’s camera, edited by Chadle

Sitting here with the Dirty Avocados II support team and Matt suggested that the a possible reason for the SPOTs not updating the team’s positions is that there is weather rolling through the region and the increased cloud cover could be interfering with the SPOT signals. That could be why it looks like the teams aren’t moving. We’ll keep an eye on it and see if there isn’t a way we can find out where they are but we don’t know anything more than you do ’cause we watch the same tracking page as you guys do, but if we hear from other teams we’ll try and post it. However, also keep an eye on the leaderboard as it will show which checkpoints the team has made it to and when they made it. Hope this helps those of you concerned about the lack of movement on the tracking page. Not sure if Ennis Lake will have cellular coverage but we’ll post if we can.

-Chad & Alan

Werewolves on Bridger mountain ridge line encounter some Mountain Goat. They were headed to CP 11 at Primal Quest 2008. Actual footage recorded by Ashley, and uploaded by Chadle.