The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast

TDZ 155 - Adventure Racer Marina LeGree of Ascend Athletics and Her 134 Teammates

Returning guest Marina LeGree, Executive Director of Ascend Athletics, is always a delight to have on The Dark Zone. In this episode, we discuss her introduction to adventure racing, the parallels between Ascend and AR, and how her family is again returning to The Maine Summer Adventure Race. LeGree founded Ascend Athletics in Afghanistan in 2015 — taking girls into the mountains to teach navigation skills, rope work, and what it feels like to be part of a team. The Taliban shut that down in 2021. Ascend pivoted to Pakistan, and helped to resettle 134 Afghan alumni across three continents. The work of Ascend, in the face of incredible challenges, didn't stop. Marina and her team kept moving forward. It is easy to see the strong connection between Ascend and AR culture. There is always difficult terrain to traverse, the need for good navigation, and genuine teamwork. The Afghan alumni who made it out of Kabul in 2021 are now leading Ascend's Hike for Her events in Dublin, North Carolina, and around the world. One of them just volunteered to take the Ascend model to Africa. And some have dipped their toes into the AR waters. This is a conversation about adaptation when situations change rapidly, about building teams across impossible cultural distances, and why good work matters in an evolving world. Thank you to Marina for coming on the show! Shownotes: Ascend Athletics Hike for Her - https://www.ascendathletics.org/event [https://www.ascendathletics.org/event] Sponsor Links: ARWS Junior World Champs - https://tinyurl.com/mr48z4c6 [https://tinyurl.com/mr48z4c6] Youth Adventure Race Camp - https://events.adengear.com/e/YouthRaceCamp2026 [https://events.adengear.com/e/YouthRaceCamp2026]

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 below And 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-1 [https://www.usara.com/news/community-loss-1] Shelley's Dark Zone Episode #2 - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-zone-2-shelley-mclaughlin/id1578529221?i=1000530189736 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-zone-2-shelley-mclaughlin/id1578529221?i=1000530189736] Jason's Adventure Bash - https://www.gritadventureracing.com/races [https://www.gritadventureracing.com/races] Ascend Athletics Hike for Her - https://www.ascendathletics.org/event [https://www.ascendathletics.org/event] Endless Mountains Adventure Race - https://www.endlessmountainsar.com/ [https://www.endlessmountainsar.com/] Endless Mountains Lite - https://www.rootstockracing.com/endless-mountains-adventure-race-lite.html#/ [https://www.rootstockracing.com/endless-mountains-adventure-race-lite.html#/]

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/ [https://3riversoutdoor.com/] 3ROC's Pay What You Want Adventure Race registration website: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Pittsburgh/3ROCAdventureRace [https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Pittsburgh/3ROCAdventureRace] Sponsor Links: Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1 [https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1] Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3 [https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3]

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/tcr [https://www.lostdot.cc/tcr] Lost Dot Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetranscontinental/ [https://www.instagram.com/thetranscontinental/] Sponsor Links: Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1 [https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1] Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3 [https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3]

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/ [https://www.goldrushadventureracing.com/] Greg Callas Website - https://www.outdoorgoyo.com/ [https://www.outdoorgoyo.com/] Sponsor Links: Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1 [https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1] Shenandoah Epic Adventure Race - https://www.adventureenablers.com/ [https://www.adventureenablers.com/] Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3 [https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3]