Team Nike Undefeated at Primal Quest
Team Nike - Chris Forne, Monique Merrill, Mike Kloser and Michael Tobin
cross the finish line at Big Sky, Montana
Team Nike captain Mike Kloser has lead his squad to a 5th consecutive
Primal Quest adventure race victory in Montana.
Nike covered the multi-discipline 512 mile course with over 100,000 feet of
vertical gain in 5 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes and 45 seconds, beating their
closest rival, Team Merrell / Zanfel Adventure by nearly 15 hours.
The current adventure racing world champion team is made up of Kloser, of
Vail, Colorado, Monique Merrill of Breckenridge, Colorado, Michael Tobin of
Boise, Idaho and New Zealand endurance phenom Chris Forne.
Mountain-X France
On the days that teams were competing in some of the more technically skilled events such as the Via Ferratta, free climbing, and white water paddling,
every second counted. Nike took a bit more of a conservative approach on
the ropes sections and found that to have cost them more than they bargained
for on the points scale. They really had to try to make up ground wherever
they could in the other disciplines.
This race consisted of teams of three with categories of Open and Co-ed.
Nike made a rare move, opting to race in the open field of all male teams.
Besides regulars like captain Mike Kloser and Michael Tobin they rounded out
the team with XTERRA standout Nicolas Labrun of France. This was the 1st
race they had done with Labrun. Kloser and Tobin knew that he was talented
by his individual racing results. His teamwork and performance in this race
were outstanding, with top 3 finishes daily on the trail running segments.
Kloser added: "Racing through the French Alps in the region of Monte Blanc
in the summer is something that one has to experience to appreciate. It's
truly spectacular with the mountains jettising upward thousands of feet in
all directions around you. It was typical for us to ascend and descend 10
to 15 thousand feet on a daily basis, including one spectacular glacier
section, while looking across at Mont Blanc."
In a closely contested race Nike finished third overall.
Well done guys!
Team Nike is building up to the World Champs in AR in Brazil later this month. Check back here to see how they get on!
