The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast

Brian Gatens
  • 5.0 (54)
  • Sports
  • Updated Semiweekly

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)

  1. 6d ago

    TDZ 171 - Champion Racer Rachel Nolan: The Queen of Rocking Up And Racing Steady

    Rachel Nolan is back on the show FOUR YEARS (We can't believe it either!) after her first visit on Episode #35, and it's great to have her join us. In July 2026 she won PC12 in Colombia with Vidaraid, her first race with the team. Rachel and Brian also get into how she got there: solo bikepacking across the Atlas Mountains and the Pan Celtic, a training week built on hill repeats and packrafting off the west coast of Ireland, and a racing style she calls steady rather than fast. They also talk meat-free fueling in a meat-heavy country, sleeping (or not sleeping) through a five-day race, running her own tour company, and why she thinks waiting to feel ready is a mistake. Next stop for her is the world championship in Corsica. Shownotes: Rachel on TDZ #35 - https://ardarkzone.com/2022/06/27/the-dark-zone-35-rachel-nolan-irish-adventure-racer-bikepacking-champion-and-african-donkey-whisperer/ Jen Segger - https://jensegger.com/ Jill Mooney - https://barrultra.com/about-us/jill/ Northwave - https://www.northwave.com/en/bike/shoes Infinity Bike Seat - https://infinitybikeseat.com/ Albion Cycling - https://www.albioncycling.com/ Orbea Bikes - https://www.orbea.com/es-es Columbia Sportswear - https://www.columbia.com/ TransAtlanticWay - https://www.transatlanticway.com/ Montenegro Mountain Madness - https://www.montenegromountainmadness.com/ Super Jay - https://www.instagram.com/jay_jantaraboon/

  2. Aug 25

    TDZ 170 - 2026 ARWS European Championships - RD Lars Bukkehave on Crafting Denmark's Beautiful and Challenging Course

    Just days before the ARWS European Championship Montane Adventure Race, race director Lars Bukkehave sits down with TDZ to explain the 48-hour course that he built. Showcasing the beauty and challenge of Denmark, the race runs 19 stages including a sea cliff where you can still see the black clay layer left by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, underwater checkpoints, a Cold War nuclear bunker turned checkpoint, a vertical orienteering stage that sends racers climbing into the trees, and a maze set in a public park so spectators can watch. Lars also gets into what holds it all together: 70+ volunteers, and the bonfires, stick bread, and shared meals that turn 50 teams from 17 countries into a reunion before the gun even goes off. His 22-year career as an adventure racer, race director, and championship-winning teammate has led to this moment, and he looks forward to sharing it with the world. Shownotes: Race Social Media - https://www.facebook.com/MontaneAdventureRace Atlas Explorers Expeditions - https://www.atlas-explorers.com/

  3. Aug 8

    TDZ 169 — New Zealand's Louie Burger: 18 Years Old and Four Expedition Races Deep

    New Zealand's Louie Burger is 18. He's also four expedition races deep, including a run at the iconic Godzone. He got there by way of one of the country's strongest school adventure racing programs, a last-minute addition to a team at The Magnificient, dedicated training and teamwork, and a lot of very long days in the bush. We talk about what it takes to trust people you've known for 24 hours versus teammates you've raced with since school, what actually goes wrong on a six-day expedition race, and the moments both fun and not-so-fun that always come along during a race. Along the way, Louie speaks about mentors, challenging moments, an unforgettable in-race surprise, and his own thoughts on how hard to push a young body built for a sport he wants to still be doing at 60. Shownotes: Facebook Page - Link Here Instagram Page - Link Here Godzone Report - Link Here Tasman Adventure Race - www.tasmanadventurerace.nz

  4. Aug 3

    TDZ 168 — Finding Your People: RD and Racer Shawn Lemaster On His First 100 Miler and 361's Biggest Year Yet

    In December 2021, Racer and Race Director Shawn Lemaster sat down with us for Dark Zone #16. He was building races through 361 Adventures and putting in his own long days planning race courses and personal adventures. This year, we hit five years of the show, so we're running it back with some of those early voices, and Shawn was first in the chair. A lot has happened. 361 Adventures continues to grow, this spring he ran his first hundred-miler, and connects even more with his community through racing, directing, and adventures both near and far. That's the thread running through the whole hour. Triathlon, then AR, then bikepacking, now ultras. Every time Sean moved to a new sport, what he was really looking for was his people. We also get into 361 going all in for 2026, their signature event The Fig growing to twenty-four hours for its twenty-fourth year, and a mountain bike race that broke his social media. The Dark Zone is delighted to welcome Shawn Lemaster back to the show. Shownotes: 361 Adventures - https://361adventures.com/ 361 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/361.Adventures/ 361 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/361adventures/ Stagecoach 400 Documentary - Click Here

  5. Jul 29

    TDZ 167 - The Endless Mountains Podcast, Episode 6: Slaying Dragons

    Rootstock Racing is taking over the Dark Zone feed, offering a limited series podcast chronicling the 2026 Endless Mountains Adventure Race. In this, the final episode, official standings, returning to real life, and holding on to the magic of the adventure Shownotes: The Endless Mountains Adventure Race - www.endlessmountainsar.com Rootstock Racing - www.rootstockracing.com

  6. Jul 24

    TDZ 166 - The Endless Mountains Podcast, Episode 5: A Warm Welcome

    For the next two weeks, Rootstock Racing is taking over the Dark Zone feed, offering a limited series podcast chronicling the 2026 Endless Mountains Adventure Race. In this episode, strategic route decisions, the field stretches to the max, and stress levels rise as the finish line is in sight. Shownotes: The Endless Mountains Adventure Race - www.endlessmountainsar.com Rootstock Racing - www.rootstockracing.com

  7. Jul 20

    TDZ 165 - Allison Marinucci: Racing, Loss, and the Work of Recovery

    Therapist, ultra runner, and race director Allison Marinucci joins the show for a conversation that starts with endurance and goes somewhere deeper. Allison traces her path from Couch to 5K, through COVID-era backyard ultras, to a double hip replacement that forced the question every athlete eventually faces: who are you when the sport goes away? From there, Brian and Allison dig into what therapy and adventure racing teach each other, and why the lessons of the racecourse matter most when life delivers its hardest disruptions. Allison also shares the deeply personal story behind Serenity on the Trails, the four-mile race she directs in Schenectady's Central Park on August 22 in support of people in recovery. Registration and resources in the show notes. Shownotes: Serenity On The Trails - https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Schenectady/SerenityOnTheTrails NY State Office of Addiction Services and Support - https://oasas.ny.gov/ SAMHSA Drug and Alcohol National Helpline - https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline

  8. Jul 16

    TDZ 164 - The Endless Mountains Podcast, Episode 4: Journey to the Crossroads

    For the next two weeks, Rootstock Racing is taking over the Dark Zone feed, offering a limited series podcast chronicling the 2026 Endless Mountains Adventure Race. In this episode, the first sleep, the cliff jump, and the race starts to take its toll. Shownotes: The Endless Mountains Adventure Race - www.endlessmountainsar.com Rootstock Racing - www.rootstockracing.com MRS Packrafting - https://www.microrafting.com Sound credits: Film clip: Up. Directed by Pete Docter, Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures, 2009.

See All (185)

5
out of 5
54 Ratings

About

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)

Information

You Might Also Like