Nike/Powerblast Wins Primal Quest
Primal Quest Utah finishes in a tight race for top teams
Jul 5, 2006
On July 1st, after 5 days, 23 hours and 35 minutes of racing, Team Nike/Powerblast crossed the Primal Quest finish line and claimed the $100,000 first-place prize. Primal Quest Utah led competitors from 89 teams across 417 miles of rugged terrain in temperatures that exceeded 100°F. The ten day race was rich with tales of heat exhaustion, injury, difficult navigation and fluid/water shortages. In the end, 55 teams finished the entire course within the allotted time. The following is a list of the top ten finishers of Primal Quest Utah.
- 1st Place: Team Nike/Powerblast (Finished 7/1/06 at 5:45am) Team Nike/Powerblast began the race strong and set a torrid pace. Arriving at the finish line, the team had to endure a torturous wait before they could be named the official winners. Team GoLite/Timberland had closed in on the lead team and had been awarded a time bonus due to technical problems. The bonus wasn't enough to top Team Nike/Powerblasts time and the result became official. This marks this team's fourth Primal Quest win.
- 2nd Place: Team GoLite/Timberland (Finished 7/1/06 at 6:43am) This team overcame bad luck at almost every corner. The team received a sick horse; had ½ of their paddles break; lost a bicycle tire on the bike zip line; and were close by as a helicopter made an unplanned "hard landing" (no injuries) in the Moab desert. Team GoLite/Timberland pushed ahead and nearly caught Team Nike/Powerblast in the end.
- 3rd Place: Team Merrill/Wigwam Adventure (Finished 7/1/06 at 12:32pm) Battling exhaustion and misplaced checkpoints this team remained strong. After leaving the final checkpoint they scrambled to the finish line as Canadians, Team Supplierpipeline threatened to overtake them.
- 4th Place: Team Supplierpipeline (Finished 7/1/06 at 12:34 pm) This Canadian team pushed their own limits to work their way from 19th place to 4th and finish on Canada Day.
- 5th Place: Team Salomon/Crested Butte (Finished 7/1/06 at 1:24 pm) This team made an unconventional decision to skip the difficult orienteering section and accrue a ten hour penalty. They spent the penalty period sleeping as other teams battled through the course. In the end, Team Salomon/Crested Butte moved ahead in the pack to finish 5th.
- 6th Place: Team Bjurfors Adventure Racing (Finished 7/1/06 at 3:21)
- 7th Place: Team SOLE (Finished 7/1/06 at 4:58 pm)
- 8th Place: Team OrionHealth.com (Finished 7/1/06 at 8:13 pm)
- 9th Place: Team Spyder (Finished 7/2/06 at 4:48am)
- 10th Place: Team Nike-Beaver Creek (Finished 7/2/06 at 1:00pm)
Missed the action? The Primal Quest website has a comprehensive list of teams, statistics and articles about the teams and each leg of Primal Quest Utah. Also, look for Primal Quest Utah to air this fall on CBS and OLN.
The copyright of the article Nike/Powerblast Wins Primal Quest in Extreme Sports is owned by Jodi Gallegos. Permission to republish Nike/Powerblast Wins Primal Quest in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
