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by Brian Gatens
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- Today17 min
TDZ 154.5 - Remembering Shelley Johannesen, Race and Event Updates, and a Podcast Takeover in June
Before we get into the race and event updates, we take a moment to remember TDZ Guest #2 Shelley Johannesson. Her loss has been a tremendous blow for our community, and TDZ wanted to join the community in honoring her and who she was. We then turn to Jason's Adventure Bash, June 13th in Columbia, South Carolina, a race that Jason Schmidt designed himself before he passed away this past winter. His wife Liz made sure it's happening. Two formats, beginner to advanced, and 50% of proceeds go directly to a college fund for Jason's three kids. If you want a race that means something, this is the one.Ascend Athletics' Hike For Her goes global May 30th, one day, one trail, one mission connecting women and girls from Afghanistan and Pakistan to wherever you're lacing up. Get involved at the link belowAnd come late June, the keys to this feed are getting handed over to Rootstock Racing while we're out racing the 5-day Endless Mountains. Rootstock is producing an in-race podcast, dropping episodes right here while we're still on course. We're happy to give RR this platform, and this episode captures the spirit of The Endless Mountains Adventure Race. Thanks for being here for this unique episode of TDZ.Shownotes:Remembering Shelley Johannesen - https://www.usara.com/news/community-loss-1Shelley's Dark Zone Episode #2 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-zone-2-shelley-mclaughlin/id1578529221?i=1000530189736Jason's Adventure Bash - https://www.gritadventureracing.com/racesAscend Athletics Hike for Her - https://www.ascendathletics.org/eventEndless Mountains Adventure Race - https://www.endlessmountainsar.com/Endless Mountains Lite - https://www.rootstockracing.com/endless-mountains-adventure-race-lite.html#/
- Apr 17, 202652 min
TDZ 154 - Welcome to the Other Pitt: 3ROC's Pay What You Want AR in Pittsburgh
Kevin Tucker didn't find adventure racing through a slick marketing campaign or a friend with a team slot. He found it because famed RD Grant Killian left the door open to Untamed New England. Now, fourteen years later, Tucker is doing the same thing for Pittsburgh — and his team is taking the philosophy further than most race organizations would dare. "His Pay What You Want" six and twelve-hour race on May 16th isn't just a pricing model. It's a statement about who this sport is for and who gets left out when we make entry too hard, too expensive, or too intimidating. Tucker — a civil rights attorney by day — brings the same access-first thinking to adventure racing that he's applied in federal court on behalf of athletes with disabilities. In this conversation, we cover the mechanics of the pay what you want model, the joys and challenges of urban race permitting, what a first-time race director actually loses sleep over, and why Pittsburgh is having a moment that adventure racing should be part of. Plus: Kevin's own racing history, from a wild expedition debut at Untamed New England to a two-person adventure through Endless Mountains 2025 — and one unexpected international adventure that no one saw coming.Shownotes:3 Rivers Outdoor Co. website: https://3riversoutdoor.com/3ROC's Pay What You Want Adventure Race registration website: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Pittsburgh/3ROCAdventureRaceSponsor Links:Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3
- Apr 13, 20261h 0m
TDZ 153 — Same DNA, Different Discipline: Ultra Cycling Comes to The Dark Zone
What do adventure racing and ultra cycling have in common? More than you think.This week on The Dark Zone, Brian sits down with David Ayre of Lost Dot — the organization behind some of the world's most demanding ultra cycling events. What starts as a conversation about bikes across continents quickly reveals something familiar: dot watching, control points, self-sufficiency, volunteers as the backbone of the race, and a community built on the same ethos we live by in adventure racing.David walks us through the Lost Dot race portfolio, the legacy of TCR founder Mike Hall, the nuanced world of self-supported racing ethics, and the organization's newest initiative — a race designed specifically for women, trans, and non-binary riders that drew more than a hundred applicants for its inaugural edition.If you've ever wondered what racing looks like on two wheels across an entire continent, this episode is your answer.Shownotes:Lost Dot Racing - https://www.lostdot.cc/tcrLost Dot Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetranscontinental/Sponsor Links:Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3
- Apr 1, 20261h 6m
TDZ 152 - Greg Callas: A California AR Gold Rush and Growing the Sport Out West
Adventure racing has always depended on people who love the sport enough to build it. Greg Callas is one of those people.Greg is the new president of Gold Rush Adventure Racing, a nonprofit based in the foothills of the Sierras with a two-decade history on the West Coast. He inherited a legacy, and a responsibility, from the founders who built it, and he's determined to carry both forward.But this episode isn't just about race directing. It's about a guy who found adventure racing the way a lot of us did, by doing something that looked a lot like it before he even knew it existed, and then couldn't stop. From his first race at Mammoth, where his team basically set up a picnic at the transition area, to a strong finish at Raid the Rockies, to lantern rouge honors at Expedition Oregon two years running, and then greater success, Greg has learned the sport the hard way and applied every lesson.In this conversation, we talk about what it takes to grow a community, what a Bay Area sea kayaking club taught him about onboarding new athletes, and why he turned a 24-hour race into a 12-hour race — and why that might have been the right call all along. We also get into the Gold Rush Adventure Challenge, coming September 19th to the Marin Headlands, with a paddle to Angel Island, views of the Golden Gate, and yes — a cannon.The sport grows when people like Greg show up. This one's worth your time.Shownotes:Gold Rush Adventure Racing - https://www.goldrushadventureracing.com/Greg Callas Website - https://www.outdoorgoyo.com/Sponsor Links:Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1Shenandoah Epic Adventure Race - https://www.adventureenablers.com/Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3
- Mar 9, 202657 min
TDZ 151 - Kate and Cliff White: Building an AR Strong Machine in New England
Kate and Cliff White of Strong Machine Adventure Racing have been a fixture in the adventure racing community for over a decade — first as racers stumbling toward the back of the pack at a winter race in Wisconsin, and eventually as two respected race directors on the East Coast. The path between those two points is anything but straight.In this episode, we trace that journey: how a family machinery business became a team name, how a land trust in Maine became their first race venue, and how the simple act of showing up in a state with almost no races led them to build the ones they wanted to exist. Along the way, they've developed the Strong Machine Development Squad — a structured mentorship program designed to solve what Cliff identifies as the sport's most stubborn barrier to entry: people who want to race but can't find anyone to race with.We also talk about the big races. Cliff on going unofficial in South Africa after a teammate's injury on day one, and still grinding through nine more days. Kate on a moment in Spain when she asked her teammates to leave her at a river crossing — and what it meant to come out the other side of that.And we talk honestly about the sport's ceiling. Adventure racing will never be mainstream. Kate and Cliff have made their peace with that. What they haven't made peace with is the wide audience of endurance athletes who have yet to dip their toes into the AR water. Bringing them into the sport is the work they're still doing.Shownotes:https://www.mainesummerar.com/Sponsor Links:Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1Shenandoah Epic Adventure Race - https://www.adventureenablers.com/
- Feb 22, 20261h 5m
Episode 150 - Dan Brannen: Endurance Legend and The Best First Teammate A Guy Could Ask For
Episode 150 of The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast honors a milestone with someone who embodies the long arc of endurance sport — Dan Brannen.Dan was my first adventure racing teammate back in 2011, when I was just breaking into the sport. But long before that, he had already built a remarkable career across decades of endurance.A winner of the legendary JFK 50 Mile, former American record holder in the 48-hour run, multi-day competitor, and inductee into the American Ultra Running Hall of Fame, Dan’s legacy extends far beyond his race results. He played a pivotal role in organizing and legitimizing ultra running at both the national and international levels, helping establish championship pathways and governance structures that still shape the sport today.In this conversation, we explore:How influential coaches shaped his early running careerThe explosion of the American running boom in the 1970sMulti-day racing on indoor tracks and the psychology of going longWhy adventure racing in his 50s opened up a new dimension of challengeWhat separates strong teammates from fragile onesThe concept of “discomfort management” — and why endurance success isn’t about absorbing pain, but navigating it intelligentlyAt 72, Dan continues to race, design courses, and shape the adventure racing community through events like the Fool’s Rogaine. His story is one of patience, persistence, humility, and quiet leadership.Episode 150 is both personal and historical — a tribute to a first teammate and to a man who has helped build multiple sports from the inside out.Sponsor Links:Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1Shenandoah Epic Adventure Race - https://www.adventureenablers.com/
- Feb 19, 20263 min
TDZ & The 2026 Katie Cookie Ride to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital
For almost 150 episodes, The Dark Zone has been free — stories of grit, uncertainty, partnership, and the long road through the unknown.Now we’re turning those miles into something bigger.From March 19–22, 2026, Bob Mina and Brian Gatens of TDZ will attempt to ride 400 miles from West Chester, Pennsylvania to The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. No guarantees. No shortcuts. Just four days and a whole lot of pedaling.We’re calling it Katie’s Cookie Ride.For years, Bob has baked cookies for his daughter Katie. This time, he’s baking a batch and carrying them 400 miles south — turning a simple family tradition into a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.At St. Jude, families never receive a bill for treatment. Every dollar raised goes directly to their lifesaving mission. Bob and Brian are covering the full cost of the ride themselves.If The Dark Zone has ever kept you company on a long run, a long drive, or a long trainer session — this is a chance to pay it forward.Live tracking for the ride is being generously provided by Mark Harris of Enabled Tracking, and we’ll be updating along the way.Donation Link Here
- Feb 8, 202658 min
Episode 149.5 - Crafting Adventure @ Mechukha — India’s ARWS Expedition
In this episode of The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast, we sit down with the team behind a new and exciting expedition-length race — Ajita Madan and Sayeesha Kirani, founders of NthAdventure, alongside Heidi Muller and Stephan Muller, veteran adventure race directors. Together they unpack the story, strategy, and heart behind Adventure @ Mechukha, India’s first Adventure Racing World Series Qualifier.Recorded against a backdrop of jaw-dropping landscapes and months of race build-up, our conversation explores what it takes to bring a world-class 450 km expedition to life in one of the most remote corners of Arunachal Pradesh. The team shares the logistics and cultural collaborations that define the race — from engaging local communities and navigating rugged borderland terrain to designing a course that tests the mettle of any expedition-caliber team. Ajita and Sayeesha reflect on their decade-long journey growing adventure racing in India — from regional events to hosting international qualifiers — while Heidi and Stephan offer global perspective on why Mechukha is a pivotal new chapter for international adventure racing. Listeners gain insight into the philosophy of expedition race design, the importance of place and people in endurance sport, and what this race means for future athletes eager to chart their own path to the Adventure Racing World Championship. Whether you’re a seasoned adventure racer or new to the sport’s expansive world, this episode is a deep dive into the passion, planning, and community that fuel adventure racing at its highest level — from the Himalayan borderlands to the global stage.Shownotes:Nth Adventure Site - https://www.nthadventure.com/adventureatmechukhaARWS Site - https://arworldseries.com/races/424Sponsor Links:Nuataaq Carabiner Hydration Bottle - www.nuataaq.comShenandoah Epic Adventure Race - https://www.adventureenablers.com/
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About The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast welcomes you to our world. Come hear from racers, race directors, fans of AR, and everyone in between. The podcast's out there, you pick it up, it's yours, you don't, I got no sympathy for you. (as inspired by Glengarry Glenn Ross)
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