The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast

Welcome to David Webster of Team ACDC AR. Not only did he jump into the deep end of the pool at the 5-day ITERA Expedition Race this past August, but he didn't even dip his toes in the water beforehand. Sit down, buckle up, and listen to how David jumped into an expedition race as his first AR. Special thanks to NYARA.org for sponsoring this episode of The Dark Zone. Head over to their website to...

The Eastern Mountain Wilderness Challenge, the brainchild of Eric Caravella of Packrafting Adventures , was held for the first time this past August in New York State's Adirondack Park. A wilderness area larger than the State of Massachusetts, the Adirondacks offer a true backcountry experience for the teams that took on this 30-hour, four-checkpoint race. That's right. No bins. No TA's. Nothing....

Thank you to Nathan Fa'avae for coming onto the show. In many ways, Nathan is in no need of an introduction as his 20+ year adventure racing career, with multiple wins and 7 AR World Championships, does all the talking for him, but Nathan is plentiful in his thoughts and gracious with his time as he speaks about his personal growth as a racer. Alongside that, he walks us through the challenges and...

Whether solo or with a team, Jesse Spangler brings his best, fast self to every adventure race that he enters. Thank you to him for coming on the show to talk about his entry to the sport, how his solo racing has helped him to be a better teammate, and defining all those navigation terms that bedevil those of us who are more human.

Thank you to Craig Cook of AR Live Coverage, Brent Freedland of Rootstock Racing and Jason Magness of Bend Racing for coming onto the show for instant/flash analysis of the ARWS World Championships in Paraguay. The top ten are still coming across the line (after almost 130 hours of racing) and teams are scattered all over this monster of a course. They talk about Avaya's convincing win, the teams...

Thanks to the hard work of Dave Gedney and the magic of tracking devices, we were able to track down four teams while on the course at USARA Nationals. We made good use of their mandatory 5-minute media time to chat about the race and how it's going so far. Thank you to the following teams: Team Psyched, Cherubini Brothers, Thisability Racing, and Only Mostly Lost for sharing their experience so f...

Thank you to Brent Freedland as we spend 10 minutes breaking down the action found in the first two stages (and little bit of the rest of the race) of the 2022 USARA Nationals. Head over www.usara.com for all their media coverage.

Thank you to the hardest working AR analyst in the business Brent Freedland of Rootstock Racing for sticking around AFTER our Worlds episode to offer his thoughts on the upcoming USARA National Championship Race being held in Bishop, CA this weekend. The terrain, the teams, and the big race picture are all discussed. Sit back and enjoy this flash episode of The Dark Zone. Shownotes: www.usara.com

Thank you to Craig Cook of AR Live Coverage and Brent Freedland of Rootstock Racing for coming onto this Flash Edition of The Dark Zone. Craig and Brent offer their thoughts on the upcoming AR World Series World Championship Race in Paraguay. They go deep on the teams, what information can be gleaned from the race schematic, and who they think will be on the podium after almost 100 hours of racing...

Thank you to Allen Wagner of Broad Run Off Road for coming onto the show. A growing race organization, Broad Run's events have increased in popularity and challenge over time. Allen talks about the start of Broad Run, how it has grown organically, and what he has learned as both a race director and as a racer. Thank you to Rootstock Racing's Endless Mountains 5-Day Adventure Race (www.endlessmount...

Thank you to Liz and Michelle Faucher for coming onto the show to talk about their introduction to AR, their work as Adventure Addicts Racing and how they work hard to bring new racers into the sport. Veteran racers themselves, Liz and Michelle go deep into their base of knowledge and share all of it with our audience. Enjoy! Shownotes: Adventure Addicts Racing - https://www.adventureaddictsracing...

Thank you to Yishai Horowitz, Race Director for the 2022 USARA National Championships for coming onto the show to describe the course. He offers an overview of the terrain as well as the various disciplines just waiting out there for those fortunate enough to make it to California in September. Nationals is now in the open registration period so gather your team, plan your travel, and get yourself...

Originally recorded in May 2022, Katie Ferrington of Never Summer Race Productions joins The Dark Zone to talk about her entry into the sport, the big and small races that she has competed in, her growth into becoming a race director, and how AR prepared her for a recent life challenge. In this episode, listeners will learn about being a good teammate, where the best food is usually found (hint: i...

Through a collaboration between the United States Adventure Racing Association and The Dark Zone, we are proud to present this Facebook Live/Podcast Recording of Anna and Tim of Rib Mountain Racing. Alongside their two other teammates Jesse and Richard, they made it to the podium at Rootstock Racing's Endless Mountains Adventure Race in June 2022. Listeners can head over to USARA's Facebook page t...

Originally recorded in May 2022, Igor Dorotic of AR Croatia (ARC) joins The Dark Zone to talk all things adventure racing. A well-known and respected race director, ARWS referee, and successful adventure racer in his own right, Igor tells us about AR Croatia, the course design (he hopes you like transitions), the ability for people to relive any ARC at their own pace, and what makes the best teams...

Today we are joined by Lars Bukkehave for an episode originally recorded in April 2022. A stalwart in the world of adventure racing, Lars has raced all over the world and has the stories to prove it. Today he regales us with his origin story, how he grew into being a world-class adventure racer, and his sleep and nutrition strategies. This is one of the longer episodes of TDZ, and we could have go...

Today we are joined by Team Hunting Bigfoot. A team with a variety of AR experience and skills, Hunting Bigfoot took a gamble and used the Endless Mountains Adventure Race as their first race together. Listen in as they recount their five-day journey through the rigorous and unrelenting terrain of Western Pennsylvania. Their journey, teamwork, and how they overcame challenges along the way should...

Today we are joined by Rachel Nolan. Rachel came to The Dark Zone's attention following this year's Expedition: Africa. Her experience, energy, and accent helped to carry her team throughout the long, tough course. Rachel shares that experience, her success as a bikepacking champion, and she eventually reminds us to get to her training. Thank you to Rachel for spending so much time with us. You ca...

Today we are joined by Zoe F. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A rising 3rd grader, it is safe to say that Zoe, alongside her little brother Simon, has attended more adventure races than any other child in the world. In this episode, she shares her thoughts on teamwork, adventure racing, and her upcoming school year. Thank you to Zoe for taking the time out of her preparation for Rootstock Racing's...

Today we are joined by Brent Freedland of Rootstock Racing. A previous guest on The Dark Zone, Brent shares his recent dotwatching experience from Expedition: Oregon and what the race taught him about long distance racing, how the teams did (or didn’t hold it together out there), and how Bend Racing is trying to bring the sport forward. This is all in advance of Rootstock Racing’s Inaugural Endles...

Adventure Racer, Military Veteran, and Kidney Donor Dave Ashley joins the show to talk about his AR career, but more importantly his decision to donate a kidney to a colleague, and then use his ascent of The Seven Summits to show that kidney donors can go on to live lives of challenge and adventure. His journey wasn't easy and success wasn't guaranteed, and Dave walks us through the highs and lows...

Ben, Tom, and Jasper of Team Peak Pursuit join the show just hours after their finish at Expedition Oregon. In this Flash Episode, they recount their journey, how their preparation, teamwork, and communication helped along the way, and how much they have grown to love adventure racing. How did they do in the race? Give a listen to find out. Thank you to Adventure Addicts Racing ( https://www.adven...

New Zealanders Molly and Fynn join the show to talk about their recent GODZone experience, their preparation for such a long and ambitious course, and what they learned during the race. All of this is delivered in that wonderful and positive New Zealand way that will have you looking at flights to the island nation. Special thanks to Team Bend Racing's Jason Magness for joining the episode. Thank...

Eric Caravella of Packrafting Adventures joins the show today to talk packrafts, their use in adventure racing, and the journey that brought him to be the founder of Packrafting Adventures. Thank you to the United States Adventure Racing Association for partnering with The Dark Zone to offer a playlist of companion videos. Link to the companion video playlist - USARA Packrafting Video - https://ti...

Today we are joined by Rootstock Racing's Karyn DuLaney, Joel Ford, and Paul Miller for a Flash Episode of the Dark Zone. They are fresh off their win at this past weekend's Shenandoah Epic 24-hour Adventure Race. Their highs, lows, strategy, nutrition, and accidentally paddle to the side of a teammate's head are all covered during this podcast. Thank you to them for joining us on short notice. Sh...