The Course Reveal Podcast

This is a special Course Reveal episode of The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast, released just as the 2026 Adventure Racing World Championships get underway in Corsica.

Nancy Bahuaud of Raid in France joins us to walk through the course she and her husband Pascal built: 505 kilometers and twelve stages across an island often called the mountain in the sea. From the start in Corte to the finish on the northwest coast, teams will face nearly every discipline the sport has to offer, and terrain that will test the best in the world.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How Raid in France thinks about building a race as a journey
• The river and sea sections, and why this dry year has everyone watching water levels
• The stage Nancy expects to be the hardest, and how long it may take even the fastest teams
• Why compulsory rest remains non-negotiable
• A prologue that brings the town of Corte into the race

Nancy also shares what this race means to her and Pascal after twenty years of directing, and why Corsica holds a special place in that story.

Follow the race at www.arwc2026.com.

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Want more adventure racing stories?

Check out Rootstock Racing's takeover of The Dark Zone feed during their Endless Mountains Adventure Race. This limited series of six episodes captures the race from start to finish chronicling the experience of the racers, the grandeur of the course, and the human experience borne from an expedition-distance adventure race.

https://ardarkzone.com/the-endless-mountains-podcast-by-rootstock-racing/

This episode of The Course Reveal Podcast drops on race morning, which means the teams are already out there as you listen. Wilderness Traverse, now in its 16th edition, is a 30-hour adventure race in Ontario's Algonquin Highlands, a place where the ground rarely stays flat and the forest closes in fast.

Race directors Bob Miller and Wayne Leek join host Brian Gatens to walk through what they've built. The race opens with navigation that tests teams from the first step, then sends them into a paddle Bob built the whole course around, one with portages that have earned their own names. Much of the field will finish it in the dark, deep in canoe country with no easy way out. After that come the late-race decisions that tired teams tend to get wrong, and a ride home that keeps going long after it feels like it should be over.

Bob and Wayne also explain why this may be the hardest version of their shortest course they've ever put on, and why the teams chasing a first finish are the ones they're watching most closely.

The course is open. The teams are racing.

This is Wilderness Traverse 2026.

Shownotes/Sponsors:

Algonquin Outfitters: algonquinoutfitters.com

Outward Bound Canada: outwardbound.ca

Harmon's Craft Brewing: https://harmonsbeer.com/

Columbia: columbiasportswear.ca

Squirt Cycling Products: squirtcyclingproducts.com

Canadian Adventure Racing Association (CARA): https://www.canadianadventureracing.com/

Adventure Racing Ontario: adventureracingontario.com

Don't Get Lost Adventure Running: dontgetlost.ca

AR World Series North America: arworldseries.com

Kawartha Dairy: kawarthadairy.com

International Adventure Racing Association (IARA): internationaladventureracing.org

MRS Packrafts: mrsraft.com

This episode of The Course Reveal Podcast drops on race morning — which means that as you listen, the teams are already moving. Expedition Africa: Back to the Berg is an expedition-length adventure race set in and around the Drakensberg of South Africa — one of the most dramatic and unforgiving landscapes on the continent.

Race directors Franco Olivier and Damon De Boor join host Brian Gatens, along with commentary from adventure racing journalist and Expedition Africa veteran Adam Rose, to walk through what they've built before the final results are in. And what they've built will test everything. Navigation that punishes complacency. Rivers that demand respect. Mountain bike stages that go on long after your legs have stopped cooperating. A rogaine through terrain that looks the same in every direction at 2 AM. A dark zone that will separate the race winners from everyone else. And a final push into the Berg that ends on a via ferrata above one of the most spectacular views in African adventure racing.

Franco and Damon have spent over a year designing a course that is hard without being cruel, remote without being reckless, and beautiful in the way that only suffering in a remarkable place can be. The course is open. The teams are racing.

This is Expedition Africa: Back to the Berg.

Shownotes:

https://www.instagram.com/expafrica

https://www.facebook.com/expafrica.net/

https://ea26.maprogress.com/

Sponsors:

@alpineheathresort

@pigglywigglymidlands

@dargleforestlodge

@hebronhaven

@merrellsa

@radbag.co.za

@squirtcyclingproducts

@foreverfresh.sa

@bikebox.company

@freedomchallenge

@drakensbergbrewery

Welcome to a special episode of The Course Reveal Podcast, a companion show to The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast. Today, we turn our attention to the 2025 United States Adventure Racing National Championship, where the best teams in the country will gather in Northwest Arkansas to battle for the top of the podium.

This year’s Nationals features a demanding 230-kilometer course, with 78 teams racing against the clock for up to 30 hours across trekking, mountain biking, and paddling stages. Expect rugged terrain, steep climbs, and the wild beauty of the Ozarks as racers push themselves through a nonstop test of endurance and teamwork.

We’re joined by two key voices at the heart of the event: Stephanie Ross, Nationals Coordinator, and Michael Garrison, Executive Director of USARA. Together, they’ll guide us through the vision behind this year’s championship, the details of the course design, and what makes Northwest Arkansas such a powerful stage for the sport.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, and share. TCR is designed to offer the at-home fan/dotwatcher another opportunity to enjoy and engage with their favorite races.

You Keep Watching, and We'll Keep Talking.

Shownotes:

Race Website - https://www.usara.com/2025-national-championships

Tracking Website - https://live.enabledtracking.com/usara2025/

Welcome to a special episode of The Course Reveal Podcast, a companion show to The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast. Today, we turn our attention to the 2025 Subaru Canada Adventure Racing World Championship, where the best teams on the planet will converge in Penticton, British Columbia, to chase the ultimate prize in the sport.

This year’s race features an epic 799-kilometer course, with teams racing for up to 9 days across glaciers, mountain ranges, whitewater rivers, and backcountry roads while visiting remote villages along the way. Expect rugged mountains, complex navigation, and the dramatic landscapes of British Columbia as athletes push through a relentless test of strategy, endurance, and teamwork.

We’re joined by three key voices behind the event: Lyndie Hill of Hoodoo Adventures, Race Director John Ford, and Course Designer Alex Man. They go deep into the course, the challenges faced by the racers, and their pride and joy in bringing the ARWC to British Columbia. Together, they’ll guide us through the vision for this year’s championship, the details of the course design, and why British Columbia is the perfect stage for the world’s toughest teams.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, and share. TCR is designed to give at-home fans and dotwatchers another opportunity to connect with and enjoy the world of adventure racing.

You Keep Watching, and We’ll Keep Talking.

Shownotes:

Race Website - https://www.expeditionracecanada.ca/

Tracking Website - https://www.expeditionracecanada.ca/livetrackmedia

Welcome to the Course Reveal Podcast.

Join Course Director Lauri Hollo as he breaks down each stage of Endurance Quest Saimaa.

As the Adventure Racing European Championship, this race will bring 60 teams from 12 countries to the Savonlinna region of Finland, and winners will earn a coveted spot at the ARWS World Championships. The course includes more than 70 km of trekking, 125 km of mountain biking, 44 km of paddling, and 2 km of swimming – plus climbing and rope challenges. Competitors have up to 30 hours to complete the race course.

This demanding course will be the highlight of the European adventure racing season.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, and share. TCR is designed to offer the at-home fan/dotwatcher another opportunity to enjoy and engage with their favorite races.

You Keep Watching, and We'll Keep Talking.

Shownotes:

Race Website - https://www.endurancequest.org/

Tracking Link - https://www.tulospalvelu.fi/gps/2025eq/

Welcome to the Course Reveal Podcast.

ITERA is an iconic expedition-length adventure race, and we are delighted to bring you the second half of the course. Paul McGreal and Tom Gibbs sit down with host Brian Gatens to break down the course from Stage 7 all the way until the Finish Line! Please see the shownotes below to follow the race.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, and share. TCR is designed to offer the at-home fan/dotwatcher another opportunity to enjoy and engage with their favorite races.

You Keep Watching, and We'll Keep Talking.

Shownotes:

ITERA Website - https://itera.co.uk/

Tracking Link - https://live.durtyevents.com/itera2025/

Welcome to the Course Reveal Podcast.

ITERA is an iconic expedition-length adventure race, and we are delighted to bring you the first half of the course. Paul McGreal and Tom Gibbs sit down with host Brian Gatens to break down the course through Stage 7, and will return for Part 2 on August 12. Please see the shownotes below to follow the race.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, and share. TCR is designed to offer the at-home fan/dotwatcher another opportunity to enjoy and engage with their favorite races.

You Keep Watching, and We'll Keep Talking.

Shownotes:

ITERA Website - https://itera.co.uk/

Tracking Link - https://live.durtyevents.com/itera2025/

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Course Reveal Podcast. Today we are joined by Aaron and John Courain of The New York Adventure Racing Association (NYARA) as they break down the course for The Longest Day Adventure Race. Please see the shownotes below to follow the race.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, and share. TCR is designed to offer the at-home fan/dotwatcher another opportunity to enjoy and engage with their favorite races.

You Keep Watching, and We'll Keep Talking.

Shownotes:

New York Adventure Racing Association - https://nyara.org/

Tracking Link - https://live.enabledtracking.com/tld2025/

https://live.enabledtracking.com/tld2025/

Flyover - https://youtu.be/KHlCdNPBVf4