Discussion: PQ...

For those who haven't seen it already, PQ has announced they are postponing until 2018 due to numbers. I'm bummed to hear this though I wasn't going to race in it. Bummed as a dotwatcher: I was eager to follow this one, to see PQ continue its comeback, and to see what comes next. They noted a big announcement is still coming (I suspect it's the long rumored partnership with Godzone?), but I also wonder what this means for PQ.

Their pricepoint is more reflective of the old days of XPD racing, and I wonder if they will get bigger fields like they used to with many races being more affordable. Are the days of a 10,000$ race gone? Will PQ bounce back again, or is this a sign of what's to come? I was actually impressed they had nearly 30 teams on their roster considering Worlds, so I am surprised to see them cancel as 30 teams is a solid XPD field these days, especially considering the cost of admission and especially since it'r roughly 100% more teams than they had last year. Not bad!

Now it will be interesting to see if delaying makes a big difference for them. With Untamed New England coming back at less than half the price, rumors of a new Adventure Enablers XPD somewhere east of the Mississippi, the continued rumblings that Alaska might run again (though I'm dubious at this point) and who knows what else: will they end up with the 50 or so teams I suspect they're looking for?

P.s...I'm also bummed for all those racers who have spent the past year looking forward to this event, investing time, energy, emotions, and resources to it. Understand how hard this must have been for the RDs, but I know I would be feeling all sorts of hard emotions today if I was supposed to race it. Good luck to all in figuring out the next step!

whoa, that stinks. I was hoping to drive up there and volunteer. Speaking from the perspective of a racer, the price point was just too high for me to participate, as badly as I wanted to. I imagine the costs of the event were just too much, even at $10K a team and having 30 teams already. Shame to think of all the time down the drain in terms of building the course and programs to support it. Maybe they can recoup a little by putting on a short course. It's a crying shame the Squamish region of BC doesn't have an AR, it's an endurance sports mecca.