Living It: Primal Quest's Rich Brazeau
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Primal Quest Reinvents Adventure Racing
Once a weekend warrior, now CEO of the world's toughest adventure
race, Rich Brazeau is looking to steer his sport back to the big time.
Text by Lynne Sanford Photograph by Jeffrey Scott Goldberg
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Rich Brazeau near his home in the Santa Cruz Mountains |
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One day he was in a Silicon Valley office devising marketing strategies for risk-management software, the next he was in the Utah desert plotting routes for the
fourth installment of Primal Quest (follow the race on their Web site from June 25 to July 4), the only ten-day nonstop multisport expedition race of its kind. A veteran of both Raid Gauloises—the genre's defining event—and Mark Burnett's U.S. spin-off, Eco-Challenge, Rich Brazeau, 40, had been organizing small-scale races as a hobby since 2001. When Primal Quest came calling three years later, he leaped at the chance to put his marketing savvy and outdoor skills to work full-time." Some big changes were in order," he explains. "Eco died because Mark Burnett went off to do Survivor and The Apprentice. And Raid fragmented into smaller races in order to turn a profit. But if you look at what
Ironman did for triathlons, you'll see that we really need a successful mega event for this sport to break out." Unfortunately, Primal Quest has had trouble hitting its stride: When the first one was held in Telluride in 2002, environmentalists protested the route; producers of the 2003 Tahoe race failed to capture its made-for-reality-TV drama; and in 2004, a racer was killed by rockfall in Washington's San Juan Islands. We spoke with Brazeau about the state of the sport and his plans for bringing backcountry's Superbowl a better run of luck.
Last year Primal Quest was put on hold. Meanwhile, 24- to 48-hour adventure races have been booming. Why bring back a large-scale event now?
The shorter races have become a bit too predictable—more like 95 percent race and only 5 percent adventure. Also, a lot of triathletes have started getting involved, which has kind of changed the dynamic of the sport. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but true adventurers want unpredictability and the sense of a lasting journey. That's the experience we're bringing back.
It sounds like a return to the sport's roots. But Raid Gauloises, Eco-Challenge, and even Primal Quest have already covered that ground. Do you think you can improve on the formula?
We're taking it a step further this time. It's much more isolated and extreme than in years past. No RVs or deluxe shelters. No dark zones [mandatory stops] or markers on the course. The night before the race, the teams will get a map, a box of gear, and that's it. They'll be carrying all their food and water for 500 miles [805 kilometers], so the pace will be much slower. If they're hoping to see support crews every few days, it won't happen.
You picked the Utah desert for this year's venue. What can the racers expect out there—besides hundred-plus-degree days?
They'll be tackling serious river rafting, high-altitude trekking, narrow-slot canyoneering, white-water swimming, and beast-of-burden challenges like horseback riding—things endemic to the American West. We tested this course over 12 months, looking for the best rappels, descents, and water sections. What we found is going to beat the heck out of these people. And if they're anything like me, they're going to be eating it up.
How many competitors are on the roster?
From about 800 applicants, we narrowed it down to 90 teams of four. They're coed, and they're from all over the world. But maybe 12 teams at most have any real shot at winning top honors.
Did you design the course to weed out the contenders from the pretenders?
It's going to be really treacherous, and lots of teams are going to drop out, especially those who just want to move fast—36 hours later they'll be lying in their hotel rooms with IVs in their arms. But our goal isn't to annihilate people, it's to bring back the gritty, rugged, expedition-style experience.
How do you plan to attract an audience that has no idea what adventure racing is?
We're still finalizing the details, so I really can't be specific, but the race will be broadcast on a major network and will reach millions of viewers. We're offering $250,000 in prize money, so the stakes are high. And we've got some dramatic story lines, with teams that include recovering cancer patients and victims of Hurricane Katrina. Ultimately, to be successful on television, it's about the personalities.
What's in it for hard-core fans of the sport who aren't as interested in the soap opera?
There's been a recent boost in athleticism. Speeds have increased dramatically since the early events, especially of those coming from smaller, faster-paced races. Teams are getting five minutes faster overall per hour. They're also getting younger. A few years ago our top finishers were in their mid- to late 30s. Now there's a nice breed of twentysomethings who are really fast. There's no telling what records might be set this year.
So, as the racers get better, you've got to keep them interested?
The logical progression for all of these athletes is that next level of adventure, the chance to be part of a team and compete against world-class opponents. They're also drawn to the diversity of activities. But the social aspect is another huge part of the allure. I mean, what other opportunity do you have to spend ten days around the clock with three of your friends, neighbors, or peers, working together to get through something tremendous? There are amazing highs and lows, periods when—after carrying a teammate for miles over the mountains—you're just too exhausted to speak. In a race like this, it's as if your entire life has been concentrated into one very intense period of time.
What are some of the risks the competitors will have to manage on this course?
We'll be in a lot of canyons with huge expanses and major traverses, and flash floods are a distinct possibility. If the stream flow in the rivers is even 20 percent above normal rates, then the racers are going to find themselves stuck. The fact is, there's gonna be blisters, sickness, and pain. We just don't want anyone dying, and we're exercising all reasonable precautions to make sure that doesn't happen.
But it has happened before. In the 2004 Primal Quest, Australian racer Nigel Aylott was killed in Washington State's San Juan Islands.
From what I understand, that was a freak accident. A boulder came loose as his team scrambled down a gully. Nigel was at the bottom and it went flying down and struck him. It wasn't the result of negligence, so no one was really at fault. But he and his team members had decided to take an aggressive route and, tragically, Nigel died. But fast teams invariably tend to take more risks.
Apart from the general dangers associated with hard slogs through the backcountry, what have you found to be the most trying aspect of long-form adventure racing?
Definitely the sleep deprivation. It's a primary cause of hallucinations. When I competed in the 2000 Raid Gauloises, in the Himalaya, we were told that tigers had escaped from a nearby national park. During that part of the course, exhausted, we were convinced that a tiger was about to jump out at us. We were seeing eyes glowing everywhere. In the 2003 Primal Quest, blind climber Erik Weihenmayer experienced auditory hallucinations. He heard bells and echoes and became completely disoriented to the point that his teammates had to attach bungee cords to him in order to keep him safe. But it goes without saying that he was a huge advantage in the caving section.
Primal Quest has run afoul of environmentalists in the past. Is that why you've forged an alliance with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) this year?
Teaming up with them is one of the smartest things we've ever done. NOLS members are true ambassadors to the outdoors. When we go to South America next year, NOLS wilderness medics will be transporting an entire medical infrastructure to each of the small villages and towns we'll be working in, and we want these facilities to continue operating once we leave.
What's in the future for adventure racing?
I don't know how much further you can push people physically. What I do see is athleticism and exploration combined with a cultural experience. Hopefully there will be more long-term endurance events like this worldwide, in which racers can pick the venue. Want to compete in the subclimates of Ecuador or cruise through the Mongolian steppe? Expedition racing is going to morph into an alternate form of adventure travel.
To follow Primal Quest racers in real time, visit www.ecoprimalquest.com.
Photograph by Jeffrey Scott Goldberg
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