Six to 10 hot days, cold nights. Walking, biking, running. Bugs, dirt, sweat, heat, muscle cramps. Exhaustion.

Sounds like fun.

By the time you're reading this Friday morning, a handful of South Dakotans will launch themselves into one of the most physically-challenging sporting events ever created. For them, it's a week of challenge, maybe even fun; for South Dakota, it's a bit of long-lasting, much-deserved recognition.

It's Primal Quest - 600 miles of ruggedly-painful challenge. Four co-ed teams this morning started navigating the course through the Badlands and Black Hills. They'll be on their hands, knees, biking, caving, swimming and kayaking.

For the South Dakota team - Paulette Kirby, Gary Haven, Andrew Busse, Eric Hansen and Lisa Gustin, all of Rapid City - the race started in Meade County just outside of Rapid City.

The team has already been setback by injury and illness and has had to change the initial lineup but each member knows the challenge of competing at that level of competition: Just finishing an event that more than half never do.

"Since we don't have any experience at this level, the goal from the beginning has been to just finish the course as a team," said Haven, team captain. "If we do that, it would be considered a huge success."

We certainly hope they do finish. And finish in six days? That would be most memorable for our state.

But we would suggest the South Dakota team participating in the event should already be considered a success.

Imagine that competitors will, according to a Journal story (although the exact route is secret as of yet) "pass near Deadwood, Crazy Horse, Old West forts, wild buffalo herds and abandoned gold mines."

As the teams follow the challenging course, so do the eyes and ears of thousands of friends and family, and media covering this unusual event.

It's a positive event for western South Dakota. We won't realize a deluge of publicity but the event is a feather in the cap for South Dakota.

Thousands of athletes - serious and recreational - challenge themselves each and every day in Rapid City and the Black Hills. They run, swim, bike - always pushing for a personal best. We congratulate all of them.

But the Primal Quest group is striving for a different level many athletes appreciate, yet don't choose to strive for.

If you want to pull up a lawn chair, put up an umbrella and watch the teams pass, you may have the opportunity - checkpoints and observation areas will be announced soon.

Cheer on the South Dakota team - we know we will.