Peter left a mark on the AR community that is hard to argue with. His tragic packrafting accident in 2022 left a huge hole in the lives of his teammates at Team Checkpoint Zero, as well in the entire landscape of expedition racing.

But he made his legendary mark on me way back in 2010. He may not ever have know how his small actions had such big impacts on who I have become as a racer, and who our team is as a whole. I'm sorry I never told him while he was around, but I am hoping that he knew it somehow.

Sometimes we witness people do things that change who we are...and the people that do them never realize that their "normal" seeming actions are perceived by another person as "the stuff of legends". These shorts are about those moments, and those people. Welcome to Bend Racing Legends.

Double episode. There are many ways to look at what "worst races" mean. And here we look at two different takes on 12 hour races. Both take place in 2003, and both were with "newer" racers. One was bad because of the format, length, and lack of follow-through. The other was bad because the racers were really bad. Maybe the race was bad too, but the racers were so bad they'd never know. So sit back and enjoy! And reach out if you have your own story to tell!

Yeah - it was bad. But looking back at it is oh-so-good. It was the who's who of AR at the time - with Mari Chandler, (the late great) Peter Jolles, Ryan Van Gorder, WEDALI, Marco Anselem (Vidaraid), Kyle Peters, Bob Miller, Fletcher Hamel, etc. And in the mix was our baby team when Dan was only 24 and could barley grow a mustache. Seriously, after you listen (or before) check out the video playlist on youtube here. I can't believe these are still up, but yeah there is quite a fun old school AR playlist. And then it all went away - the race disappeared, but unlike other recent failed events, this one still has all the videos nicely curated for a blast to the past. And damn, I was in my 30s then!

Yep - we all know they happen. And this race in Brazil's remote Pantanal region (the world's biggest wetland) was incredible - both in it's scope and failures. And we were there. A guy lost his hearing. No one finished. And not even the military could get into some of the TAs to help get people out. Oh yeah, and did we mention the crocodiles? The Indiana Jones pilot? Teams rebelling against the organization? It had it all.

Read the GearJunkie report and see images here

But a video tells even more. Check out this video from the race

Ok, this really isn't #9, cause I am pretty sure we only have done 5 of these, but I was not sure so we said 9. Join us as we discuss the recent La Ruta Madre Race, the Magnificent, racer responsibility, getting sick post race, and a host of other AR related stuff. Good to have Darren back with us, and excited to get back on the podcast train and churn out some episodes while we recover.

In 2016 I collapsed in the remote wilderness of the Patagonian Expedition Race. We were in 1st place at the time, and my team literally carried me to the safety of the next transition area. There a media crew interviewed us in the raw moments of realizing we'd lost the race we'd spent nearly a decade trying to win, and worse, my racing career was likely over. But then I flew to India and took a gamble...

The 2024 Adventure Racing World Champs is in the books. And it was a doozy - with tight competition and many course changes that left us with a new World Champion and lots to talk about. So join me for some analysis of the broader implications of this year's race.