The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast

TDZ helps the United States Adventure Racing Association with 'The Checkpoint' Podcast. In editing Episode #6, Steph Ross and Troy Farrar were asked by Host Brent Freedland about their favorite USARA National Championship memories. Their answers were so interesting, fun, and poignant that we pulled them out for Episode 100.5 of TDZ. Call it a 'TDZ Short.' Not a full episode but a small taste of th...

Thank you to Grant Killian for joining us for our 100th episode. Untamed New England holds a special place in the AR World as well as for The Dark Zone as it was the first expedition race that we tackled. A legendary race, UTNE was known not only for its challenging terrain and navigation, but for the ethic of exploration and discovery brought to the event by Grant. Even though the UTNE was last h...

Thank you to Nathalie Long, Race Director for Raid The Rockies, for joining TDZ to talk about her newest stage race in the Canadian Rockies, her own racing career, and a little race called UTMB. Natalie runs the well-named Adventure Immersion Lab and her racers got their fair share of immersion at the inaugural Raid the Rockies. Shownotes: https://www.adventureimmersionlab.ca/ https://arworldserie...

Thank you to Thomas Ogander, Race Director for the One Water Race, for joining TDZ to talk about One Water, the limits of human capacity, and how the Swedish Archipelago provides a challenging backdrop for his race. An increasingly popular event, racers swim/run for sixty hours and navigate among the coastal islands. Adventure Racers will see echoes of our sport in One Water. Shownotes: https://on...

Thank you to Expedition Canada's Ben Kwiatkowski for joining TDZ to talk about his big goals and his big races. In the past several years he has competed in some of the most challenging races on multiple continents including Eco-Challenge Fiji and the AR World Championships in South Africa. A firefighter by training with many years of outdoor experience, Ben has applied all that he knows to his ra...

These may be the smartest guests that we'll ever have on The Dark Zone. Thank you to Dr. Barton and Dr. Sutcliffe for joining TDZ to discuss the findings in their paper, "Enacting Resilience: Adventure Racing as a Microcosm of Resilience Organizing." Published in March 2023, they go deep on their onsite research at races and what AR teamwork teaches other organizations and professions. The team dy...

Here comes the course beta! Thank you to USARA National Championship Race Directors Michelle and Liz Faucher for coming onto the show to preview the course, discuss the logistics, and otherwise turn the Race Stoke Meter up to 11 for this year's nationals. We go deep on all parts of the race and offer training advice for all racers. TDZ will be onsite for this year's nationals helping to bring upda...

Thank you to Mari Chandler and Brennan Schoenherr for coming onto the show to discuss Arthur the King. Listeners know Mari well as she is most definitely a Friend of the Pod. Brennan is a new name for TDZ Nation. A personal friend and (currently) a non-racer, Brennan brings a new and insightful perspective to our sport. Aside from the dog, he's the real hero of this podcast. This episode is much m...

Thank you to Nick Hurff for coming onto the show. Whether as an Adventure Racer, Coach, Race Director, or Sports Performance Expert, Nick is a font of knowledge, experience, and wisdom. From his training to the intricacies of nutrition and recovery, Nick has much to share with the listener. Special shoutout for his Adaptive AR coming this year. This is another good one for both the newer and exper...

Thank you to Polish Adventure Racer and Ultra-endurance Athlete Rafael Adametz for coming onto the show. An accomplished racer, Raf recounts his entry to the sport, his growth as a racer, and his recent experience racing La Routa Adventure Race (the Philippine one, not the Mexice one). He's a great guest so settle in and enjoy this episode of The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast. Shownotes:...

Thank you to Team MDWW - Mountain Designs Wild Women - for coming onto the show. As the first all-female team to win an ARWS Expedition Race, they have secured their spot in AR lore, and also provide a cracking good episode filled with guidance, advice, and the keys to their longevity. With 78 combined years of adventure racing between them, they are the best of the best and when they speak, AR cl...

The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast is delighted to collaborate with the United States Adventure Racing Association on their new podcast: The Checkpoint. Join Brent Freedland and Brian Gatens as they interview regional race directors and a wide variety of voices from the world of Adventure Racing. Shownotes: The Checkpoint on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-checkp...

Thank you to Team NAWWAL - Not All Who Wander Are Lost - for coming onto the show. This is a true-blue AR story. Four (somewhat) strangers decide to join forces and take on the 2023 edition Malacara Expedition Race in Florianopolis, Brazil. What follows is a bonkers story of struggle, teamwork, triumph and finishing with leftover food. This is a great listen to kill an hour or so while training. T...

Thank you to Jason Bettis and Danny Collins for returning to The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast. Expedition Ozark 2024 is their sophomore effort as RD's and are coming into this year's race following the great success and positive feedback from EO 2023. This episode touches upon their growth as RD's, their own successful adventure racing careers, and the appeal of Northwest Arkansas as a r...

Thank you to Santiago Lopez for coming onto the show. One of the longest-serving and most successful race directors in the sport, Santiago talks about his experiences as both racer and race director, the upcoming ARWS World Championship in Ecuador, and his thoughts about the future of the sport. Huairasinchi, the race for which he is best known, is the adventure race with more editions in the hist...

Thank you to Alyssa Godesky for coming onto the show. One of our more accomplished guests, Alyssa has placed on the podium at the 2022 USARA National Championship, has eight top-5 professional finishes at the Ironman distance, and holds multiple Fastest Known Times (FKT's) including on the New Hampshire 48 High Peaks, Adirondack 46 High Peaks and Vermont's Long Trail (273 miles). Alyssa competed i...

Thank you to Amanda Bohley for coming onto the show. Originally recorded in December 2022, Amanda drops timeproof stories, pearls of wisdom, and overall stoke for this sport of ours. From having the world's greatest co-workers to being the adventure race equivalent of a human "Break Glass In Case A Great Teammate is Needed" emergency box, Amanda loves AR and we love the enthusiasm, attitude, and s...

Thank you to Mikael Lindnord - Adventure Racer, Author, and Executive Producer of the upcoming film 'Arthur the King' for coming onto the show. Not only does Mikael share his experience with Arthur, the dog he rescued in Ecuador in 2014, but he also shares his vast racing experience and what it was like to be an Executive Producer for the upcoming film. Our longest episode yet, Mikael goes deep on...

Thank you to Adventure Racer and Race Director Chris Dixon for coming onto the show. Chris's outfit, Wild&Co., offers AR's all over Australia and his organization likes to think big and offer expansive and challenging races. First and foremost, Chris loves to be an adventure racer and he makes sure that his events honor the sport, the efforts of the racers, and focuses on getting people to the...

Thank you to Per Vestling and Oskar Svärd of The Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team (SAFAT) for coming onto the show. The 2023 Adventure Racing World Champions Per and Oskar, alongside their teammates Malin Hjalmarsson and Team Captain John Karlsson, captured their 2nd championship in the last three years at the ARWS World Championship held in Kouga, South Africa in October 2023. Shownotes: https...

Thank you to repeat guest Mari Chandler of Team Vidaraid for joining the show. She is fresh from the ARWS Championship Race Course and walks us through the race, the ups and downs, and how Vidaraid stormed back from a long overnight dark zone to capture 2nd place. Full of wisdom and experience, Mari is not to be missed. Thank you to The New York Adventure Racing Association - www.nyara.org - for s...

Welcome to Flash Podcast Episode #2 of The Dark Zone. Once again we have assembled an excellent team of analysts to share their thoughts and wisdom with the legions of at-home dotwatchers. This episode was recorded on Facebook Live during the ARWS World Championships held in South Africa October 2023. Thank you to Stephanie Ross from Flying Squirrel Racing, Jason Magness from Bend Racing, and Bren...

The next best thing to adventure racing is talking about adventure racing and welcome to this Flash Podcast Episode of The Dark Zone. We have assembled a crack team of analysts to offer in-race updates, analysis, and predictions from the ARWS World Championship Race happening RIGHT NOW in South Africa! Thank you to Ashley Eaton from Strong Machine, Jason Magness from Bend Racing, and Abby Perkiss...

Thank you to ARWS World Championships Race Director Stephan Muller for coming onto the show. This episode is a full course preview of the 2023 World Championships being held in Kouga, South Africa. 800 KM, 10 stages, and over 8 days of racing is just waiting out there for the racers and this episode goes deep on the entire course. Thank you to Stephan for making time for us during the busy days le...

Thank you to Nationals Race Director Chris Yager and Team Grit Adventure members Jesse Spangler and Jesse Tubb for coming onto the show. This episode recounts their 2nd place finish at the 2023 USARA National Championships. All three guests have been on TDZ previously and they do a great job recounting the race, discussing their nutritional and navigational strategy, and sharing their training in...