The Bend Racing Podcast

In 2016 I collapsed in the remote wilderness of the Patagonian Expedition Race. We were in 1st place at the time, and my team literally carried me to the safety of the next transition area. There a media crew interviewed us in the raw moments of realizing we'd lost the race we'd spent nearly a decade trying to win, and worse, my racing career was likely over. But then I flew to India and t...

The 2024 Adventure Racing World Champs is in the books. And it was a doozy - with tight competition and many course changes that left us with a new World Champion and lots to talk about. So join me for some analysis of the broader implications of this year's race.

Join us in a unique journey to far away Ecuador as we endeavor to line up with 300 other athletes at the start line to the Adventure Racing World Championships. And I mean join us for real. This podcast was recorded live throughout one of the most challenging "pre-race" experiences in the history of the sport. Missing tickets, power-outages, dirtbag failures, an impromptu trip to New York, and a n...

Weather Proof Courses, Modern Pentathlon is not AR, Bothy Bags, Opinionated Arseholes, Awesome map boards, Solo Expedition Racing, and more. As the 2024 season gets ready to culminate at World Champs in Ecuador, we look at the state of affairs in the Adventure racing universe. Give us a listen, and then listen to a few of the back episodes that you missed!

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Ugly Babies, the aftermath, the idea of a "world championships", kid power, navigation vs speed, national kudos, some shenanigans!

All the info you could ever need to get super excited about the USA's final ARWS race of the year. The 5th edition of Expedition Oregon is so big it could not fit into one state! Join Darren and Jason as they give a away lots of details on this legendary event

Chelsey has been my racing teammate for nearly 15 years now, longer than we have been married. We've shared far more sleep-deprivation filled moments than even the most prolific parents (Valentina and Feodor) and I was curious to know what she actually remembered from those early years. But first I had to chase her to the top of a mountain to get her to settle down long enough to talk.

We make some coffee and discuss the Spring Energy controversy, discuss the remarkable new all "kids" team forming in the Pacific Northwest, Darren as a polarizing figure and mush more.

More anxious ramblings and analysis by Bend Racing's Jason Magness. He has a love/hate relationship with dot watching. Especially when his wife is racing. Catch up on Day2/3 drama here.

Catch up on the excitement of this unique ARWS event that includes 16 stages! With an expected finish time of only 60 hours, this is a fast a furious race for sure. Will the pace be too fast? Will there be penalties that affect the top teams? Will the scenery be mind blowing? The answer is a resounding YES to all 3.

Ok, I made that up. But a podcaster can dream right? But I did have a great conversation with Jr National Orienteering team members Ben Brady, Ben Conley, and Zariah Zosel. They tell some great orienteering stories, and discuss how they became better with a map and compass than nearly every adventure race navigator in the country - all before they could vote or drink. And yeah - I try to convince...

We all know what WTF stands for? But do we? Regardless, most first time participants in the Fear Society's " W ilderness T raverse of F iordland" would likely be using the more standard WTF acronym meaning several times throughout the event - most likely starting during the daunting pre-race meeting. Come along as we go inside the event and follow the "non-race" through the...

We'll delve into the state of AR as the 2024 season gets fully underway! The truth behind Hollywood's "Arthur the King" What's up with Bend Racing's love of ties Ranking Challenges at Expedition Ozark Just what is a mountain bike defined as, and why is that important Tyvek painter suits and looking for loopholes Should we expect races to be "safe" or for teams t...

I woke up to see a strange sight on the leaderboard. Highpoint racing was no longer on the map or the list of lead teams. They'd had a commanding 4 hour lead when I'd gone to bed, and less than 16 hours or so of course left. The win was theirs. Or was it. But for a team to drop with that big of a buffer means that it was unlikely a mechanical, nav error or even stomach issues. 4 hours can...

Tu: The buddhist word for willful, stupid, but necessary suffering. Join us on a love story of sorts - a glimpse into heartbreak, friendship, risk, failure and introspection. There might be a poem in there too. A true story at the confluence of romantic dramedy, absolute loneliness, and self discovery.

Also known as PRD (post race depression) or PED (Post Expedition) it all amounts to the same thing. Ultra-endurance endeavors are "disruptive", and when you succeed (especially) when you succeed at self-selected disruptive events...well depression is a fairly common outcome. Seldom talked about - but here we go - a personal insight into my recent struggle and some of the tactics I used t...

The MAGNIficent GodZone legacy (see what I did there?), the new IARC vs FISO, the return of the legendary GoldRush, the power of underwear, mental vs physical training, simple supplements for adventure racing and more.

I talk with esteemed ultra-endurance coach Heather Hart about her shift from Ultrarunning to Adventure racing. We get into training, risk, and way into the weeds with parenthood, funny stories etc. We even leave you with some sample training plans if you make it to the finish (or click here). Huge thanks to Heather for making me wake up way to early to hear her wisdom. You can follow her and her t...

What if you could never put on a pair of padded bike shorts again, or skip a ride because you were worried about cold hands. Better yet, what if you could stop at that coffee shop on the way home from your long training ride without the wobbly awkward tap tap tap of bike cleats and tired post ride legs. Or what if you could save minutes on every transition in a race, increase ride comfort and neve...

Boom. Lets look at all things AR as we transition from 2023 to 2024. A Hollywood movie looms (and will finally educate the world about this sport, albeit with some questionable realities), ARWS looks at rule changes, and Kiwis come to race in America. We are joined by long time racer and Expedition Oregon 2024 course designer Darren Steinbech!

Fear, drama, effort, and lots of soul-searching. What does it feel like from the inside of a world championships race that asks athletes to fight against physical fatigue, and mental breakdowns for 24 hours non-stop. Pure speed, planning, execution and a little bit of luck as riders try to complete as many loops of a 14km single-track as they can in 24 hours. Join us as we follow 2022 world champi...

The final day of the race was just as exciting as the first finishers - with more heartbreak and celebration. Ozark takes a surprise Lantern Rouge! Bad feet suck (and are they good for the sport?). Post race depression sucks, but you can help your team avoid it. And can expedition racing really lead to HIV? Only one way to find out.

Life after the top 10. Even after the top 20. There are so many inspiring stories and athletes out there racing. There is a new AR world record currently being set (and not by any of the top teams!). The life blood of this sport is the athletes that line up, not knowing if they'll make it to the end - but stand bravely facing a true adventure - unknowns at every new stage. How are they fairing...

Ok, we open up that can of worms. Drugs and racing. What is the potential for "cheating" in these expedition races, and how should we be looking at it as a community. And spoiler alert it 100% does happen if you follow WADA rules, which ARWS says it does. So how do we move forward as a community and a sport. Well talking about it is a good first step. Note - there are 100% no allegations...