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/3ROCAdventureRace

Sponsor Links:

Adventure Addicts Racing's Brake The Habit AR - https://www.adventureaddictsracing.com/copy-of-brake-the-habit-1

Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3

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

Lost 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-1

Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3

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-1

Shenandoah Epic Adventure Race - https://www.adventureenablers.com/

Photographer Nic Wynia - https://www.storycityfilms.com/new-gallery-3