The Dark Zone Returns as Official Podcast of the 2026 USARA Adventure Racing National Championship

September 17, 2026

The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast will once again return to cover the championship on the ground in Central Oregon, October 23–24

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (September 17, 2026) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/  — The Dark Zone, the podcast covering adventure racing and endurance culture since 2021, will be onsite at the 2026 USARA Adventure Race National Championship as the event’s official podcast. Host and creator Brian P. Gatens will report from Central Oregon across the race weekend, filing pre-race, in-race, and post-race coverage as teams take on 30 hours of trekking, mountain biking, paddling, and navigation.

The championship, directed by Bend Racing with a course designed by Jason Magness and Darren Steinbach, starts Friday morning, October 23, and finishes Saturday afternoon, October 24. The event doubles as the Adventure Racing World Series North America Championship, drawing four-person teams in the mixed, all-women, and all-men divisions.

The Dark Zone’s coverage will follow the race from check-in through the finish: interviews with racers before the start, updates as teams move through the course, and post-race conversations once the national champions are crowned. The aim is to bring listeners inside a race most of them will never get to watch in person, and to document the people who show up for the challenge.

“Since the start, The Dark Zone has been fascinated with the breadth and character of the adventure racing community, and it is our honor to again return to the national championship. Bend Racing enjoys a sterling reputation for course design that is challenging and beautiful, and we look forward to bringing it to the worldwide community of racers and fans” said Gatens.

“USARA Nationals is the centerpiece of our racing season, and we’re delighted to have The Dark Zone join our media team,” said Brent Freedland, Executive Director, USARA. “This is their third time at Nationals, and the community appreciates their insights and updates.”

“We are excited and honored to host Nationals, and return to our roots,” said Jason Magness, Race Director, Bend Racing. “We built our identity first in North Dakota of all places and then in Oregon Designing 24-30 hour races that have that expedition feel. A race of this importance deserves a robust media presence, and we look forward to telling our story to the world.”

Coverage will be available via www.usara.com and their related Social Media sites. Post-race interviews and stories will be found on The Dark Zone podcast feed at www.ardarkzone.com

About The Dark Zone

The Dark Zone is a podcast about adventure racing and the endurance world around it, hosted and produced by Brian P. Gatens. Since launching in July 2021, the show has released more than 170 episodes of long-form interviews with the people who make the sport: racers, race directors, fans and volunteers from events across the globe. Guests have ranked from first-time finishers to some of the most accomplished names in the sport. Gatens reports on adventure racing as a racer himself, an approach that shapes the show’s focus on the decisions, navigation, and endurance that play out where no spectator can follow. New episodes are available at ardarkzone.com and wherever you get your podcasts.

Media contact: Brian P. Gatens · brian@ardarkzone.com