Mission within a mission for PQ’s Enduring Freedom

By TIM DUMAS Chronicle Sports Writer

As if five hundred-plus miles weren’t enough. What’s one additional quest, anyway?

Christine Bone wasn’t able to bring home a handful of her comrades alive; the least she could do was honor them.

Bone, a 13-year member of the United States Army, hasn’t been fighting the War on Terror since the winter, although she’s still n as the name of her Primal Quest team indicates - Enduring Freedom.

When Bone returned to Colorado from the Middle East in March, she accompanied five deceased soldiers. And while traversing the southwest Montana countryside, her plan was to remember the quintet by placing an American flag that was flown in Tikrit, Iraq, on the highest point of the Primal Quest course.

“It’s really important that we represent those guys,” Bone said from Big Sky last weekend, before the 10-day adventure race began. “It’s probably not going to mean much to anybody else, but it sure as hell means a lot to us.”

Scott Olson, Bone’s teammate, is also a member of the Army, and celebrates 15 years with the branch this week. Olson is part of the Special Forces unit and returned from Afghanistan May 20. Three days later, he was competing in the Wild Wonderful 24-hour adventure race in West Virginia.

Unlike Bone, who had to improvise her Primal Quest training on Iraq’s flat, below-sea-level desert terrain, Olson was able to bring his bike to Afghanistan and even had the luxury of working out in a gym.

The pair does share one common training regimen: their jobs.

“For the past eight months, I have been doing nothing but map, compass and GPS (global positioning system) stuff,” Olson said. “When I go into the mountains trying to hunt down the Taliban, I’m navigating and getting our team where they need to be. This is the same thing; it’s just not for so long. We’ve been out there 2-3 weeks at a time.

“(Primal Quest) is going to be an adventure because it’s so hard and demanding, but no one’s shooting at us.”

Only a war can bring that type of perspective.

“We get mortared all the time,” Bone says. “One thing that will be nice, I can go out in the free world here and not have to worry about: ‘Am I going to get hit by an IED (improvised explosive device).’ You never knew. The (enemy) would put IEDs behind rocks or Coke cans or inside animal carcasses.”

Enduring Freedom has posted more than 20 top-10 finishes and 15 top-three finishes, although not with the same lineup. The current foursome has competed together on six occasions, and having two members with military experience is invaluable.

“Scott is a great navigator and Christine’s great with logistics,” said team member Patrick Henry, who hails from Fairfax, Va. “In critical times, it’s really nice having their experience backing us.”

Some of that experience includes Survivor Training, an Army course where soldiers are left in unfamiliar territory. Enduring sleepless nights while on duty is also helpful when it comes to multi-day races.

“I was working 18- to 22-hour days over there,” Bone said of her time in Iraq. “Sleep deprivation is something I’m very familiar with. You just try to get as much sleep as you can. Sometimes an hour can feel like five hours.”

Enduring Freedom isn’t likely to finish in the top 20 at Primal Quest. Yet simply finishing the team’s first attempt at one of the world’s most demanding races remains a commendable goal.

If for no one else than those five soldiers who didn’t make it.

“We can’t forget,” Bone said. “I feel like a lot of people don’t know what’s going on over there; they don’t realize how many guys are not coming back home. They’re coming home, but they’re coming home in caskets. It’s a reality check. That’s going to be my motivation.”

Tim Dumas can be reached at tdumas@dailychronicle.com and 582-2651.

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