The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast

Thank you to Sachiko for coming onto the show. This episode recounts Team East Wind's experience at the Nordic Islands Adventure Race on the Faroe Islands from August 2023. A legendary team, East Wind lived up to its reputation of relentless racing, strong competition, and making solid strategic decisions. Sachiko, a well-established long-distance trail runner before she joined East Wind, speaks a...

Thank you to Abby and Brent of Rootstock Racing for coming onto the show. This episode is the culmination of a six-episode arc in which TDZ was embedded into The Endless Mountains Adventure Race. In this episode, Abby and Brent unpack the planning, preparation and experience of presenting a 5-day race. It's a deep dive into all aspects of the race. Special mention is made about volunteers, their d...

Thank you to La Ruta Madre Race Director Javier Barreda for coming onto the show. Billed as 'Mexico's Toughest Race," La Ruta Madre puts the natural beauty of Mexico on full display. Javier speaks about the challenging course, the high level of hospitality, and how he works hard for both a great race and to give those who travel a wonderful overall experience. Get your gear ready! Mexico is callin...

Thank you to Team Bend Racing for joining TDZ to discuss their decisive victory at Rootstock Racing's Endless Mountains Adventure Race. Alongside their discussion of their race, Bend speaks about their approach to the sport, team dynamics, and the process they follow when it comes to race training and preparation. Shownotes: www.endlessmountainsar.com www.rootstockracing.com www.bendracing.com www...

Thank you to volunteers Jim Rounsley, Misty and Ainsley Glenn, and Shelley Johannesen for joining TDZ during Day 4 of Rootstock Racing's Endless Mountains Adventure Race. Without volunteers, we wouldn't have adventure races, and this episode highlights their motivation as well as the wisdom and knowledge they pick up along the way. There is always more to learn and thank you for their time and tho...

Thank you to Emily Korsch, Jason Magness, and Stephanie Ross for joining TDZ on Facebook Live to discuss the Endless Mountains Adventure Race. Teams are now halfway through the race and our panel analysis helps the adventure racing fan understand and enjoy the race. Plus, there are always lessons to be learned for all racers. Shownotes: www.endlessmountainsar.com www.bendracing.com and www.rootsto...

Here comes the biggest episode ever of the TDZ. Over 100 minutes of racer voices directly from the race course of Rootstock Racing's The Endless Mountains Adventure Race. Thanks to the kind hosting of the Penn-Wells Hotel in Wellsboro, PA, TDZ was able to interview each racer team during a mandatory media stop. The entire project took over 13 hours from the race leader to the chasing teams. Here c...

Welcome back to Zoe F. for her return visit to The Dark Zone. A lifelong AR racer, volunteer and font of wisdom, Zoe shares her thoughts on teamwork, transitions, nutrition, and what she hopes for the racers at Rootstock Racing's The Endless Mountains Adventure Race. Be sure to return tomorrow to TDZ as we'll be bringing daily episodes from The Endless Mountains. Thank you to Lycoming College, hos...

Thank you to USARA Nationals Race Director Chris Yager of the Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association (GMARA) and USARA Executive Director Michael Garrison for joining The Dark Zone to offer a first peek into the upcoming 2023 USARA National Championships based out of Smuggler's Notch in Vermont. Kudos to Chris for sharing just enough about the course to pique racer interest and to Garrison fo...

Thank you to AR Racer, Coach and Mountain Guide Jen Segger for returning to The Dark Zone for another episode. Seegs was first on TDZ #24 and returns with even more wisdom, stories, and guidance. Pull up a chair and give this one a good listen. Jen was kind enough to extend the following offer to TDZ listeners: 40% off my AR courses for both BEG and INT Sprint races (this is the 4-8hrs race traini...

Thank you to Paul Steele and John Hardin for coming onto the show to talk about their newest endeavor. The CheNarr Adventure Race is coming to the Nashville, Tennessee area this coming August. Driven by a desire to share the natural beauty of the area and their love of adventure, John and Paul are excited for the first edition of the race. Shownotes: https://www.adventuresignup.com/Race/TN/Pegram/...

Thank you to Stephan Muller for coming onto the show. A longtime adventure racer, including the first Eco-Challenge, Stephan goes deep on his plans for the ARWS World Championship in South Africa this October. Along the way he shares his AR wisdom, talks about what the sport means to him, and how teams can prepare for a big race. Shownotes: https://arworldseries.com/world-championship

Thank you to Travis and Mark 'Mace' Macy for joining The Dark Zone to share their experience, strength, hope, and stories. Travis's new book A Mile at a Time recounts their family's dedication to endurance racing (including Mace's participation in the first Eco-Challenge), Mace's Alzheimer's diagnosis, Travis's successful adventure racing career, and their decision to race Eco-Challenge: Fiji toge...

Thank you to Adrian Crane for joining The Dark Zone to share his adventure racing stories and wisdom. Adrian has competed in every Eco-Challenge, among many other events, and shares not only his stories from back in the day, but what he sees today as an Adventure Racing World Series referee. We are fortunate to have Adrian on the show and the TDZ community is grateful for his time. Thank you to th...

Thank you to Jennifer Strong McConachie for joining The Dark Zone to discuss her book Go Far: How Endurance Sports Help You Win at Life. An accomplished ultrarunner, climber, and endurance sports competitor, she doesn't hold back in sharing her many life lessons and personal adventures. And, yes, rollerblading finally makes its way onto an episode of TDZ. My apologies in advance. https://jennifers...

Thank you to Team Bend Racing/Skin Doctor for joining The Dark Zone. Only a few hours from their resounding win at Expedition Ozark, Bend Racing recounts their journey, the challenges along the way, and how they held it together at the front of the race for so long. This is a must listen for racers of all speeds as Bend shares so many of their strategies and techniques. Special thanks to Rob Howar...

Flash Podcast alert - This is a special episode of TDZ. No music! No intro! Nothing! We get right into Expedition Ozark. Welcome to the show! Thank you to Brent Freedland, Emily Korsch and Jason Magness for joining The Dark Zone for this Expedition Ozark Flash Episode. Recorded halfway through the race, our panel discusses the race so far, the strategies being used by the teams, the mid-pack and b...

Thank you to Travis Siehndel and Mike Chaney of Adventure Enablers for joining The Dark Zone. Their wide-ranging conversation covers their Adventure Racing, Self-Made Adventures, and their jump into Race Directing. Chock full of advice, this episode is valuable to both the beginner and the veteran racer. Thank you to this episode's sponsor: VJ Shoes - https://vjshoesusa.com/the-dark-zone and use c...

Thank you to New Zealanders Fynn and Molly of Team Fear Youth for returning to The Dark Zone (Check them out on Episode #30) to recount their experience at Godzone, Chapter 11. They had a great race and do a fine job telling the world all about it. They offer a master class on how to level up from Year 1 to Year 2 and do it in the typically humble NZ sort of way. Be sure to check out: https://godz...

Thank you to Vanessa Cummings for coming onto The Dark Zone. We connected with Vanessa well in advance of her first race and she was kind enough to track her preparation and overall approach to the event while balancing the other demands of day-to-day life. Special shoutout to her strategy of springboarding from volunteering at an event to racing it the next year. A tried and true method for many...

Thank you to Marina LeGree of Ascend Leadership Through Athletics for joining The Dark Zone for a discussion of her group's work in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Along the way we draw the connection between her organization's work and what similarities it has to the attitude and ethics of AR. You can learn more about Ascend and support their work at the following link: https://www.ascendathletics.org/...

Thank you to Mary for joining The Dark Zone to talk about her entry into AR, her years as a solo racer, and her trajectory into becoming a multi-day racer. Along the way, we write down the Five "Foster Rules" that she has developed. Mary loves AR, the people that she meets, and what she has learned about herself. Warning - This one may cause you to strap a pack on your back and go walk through the...

Thank you to John for joining The Dark Zone to talk about NYARA's premier event - The Longest Day 24-Hour Race - and his experience as a racer, race director, and student of the sport. John's enthusiasm for AR is contagious and you'll want to listen to this one when you're on the trainer, climbing a mountain or pounding out those road miles. Learn more at www.nyara.org Thank you to this episode's...

Thank you to Jason and Danny for joining The Dark Zone to talk about Expedition Ozark, a new 5-day race coming up in April 2023. Set in the host city of Bentonville, Arkansas, EO sounds like it has all things for all racers. Jason and Danny talk about the course, the disciplines, and what the race has to offer. And, of course, there will be caves, but the fun type! Learn more at: www.expeditionoza...

Thank you to Kate Geisen for coming on the show as she recounts her AR history, but more importantly her bikepacking adventure on the North-to-South route of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Kate walks us through her prep, those early hard days (including an unexpected zero-day), her need to commit breaking and entering (with permission), and how an automatic sprinkler was her partner's bigge...