Episode 150 of The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast honors a milestone with someone who embodies the long arc of endurance sport — Dan Brannen.
Dan was my first adventure racing teammate back in 2011, when I was just breaking into the sport. But long before that, he had already built a remarkable career across decades of endurance.
A winner of the legendary JFK 50 Mile, former American record holder in the 48-hour run, multi-day competitor, and inductee into the American Ultra Running Hall of Fame, Dan’s legacy extends far beyond his race results. He played a pivotal role in organizing and legitimizing ultra running at both the national and international levels, helping establish championship pathways and governance structures that still shape the sport today.
In this conversation, we explore:
- How influential coaches shaped his early running career
- The explosion of the American running boom in the 1970s
- Multi-day racing on indoor tracks and the psychology of going long
- Why adventure racing in his 50s opened up a new dimension of challenge
- What separates strong teammates from fragile ones
- The concept of “discomfort management” — and why endurance success isn’t about absorbing pain, but navigating it intelligently
At 72, Dan continues to race, design courses, and shape the adventure racing community through events like the Fool’s Rogaine. His story is one of patience, persistence, humility, and quiet leadership.
Episode 150 is both personal and historical — a tribute to a first teammate and to a man who has helped build multiple sports from the inside out.
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The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast 