Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. Ronald Tortola hails from Texas and was a life long athlete who came across endurance racing during the brief period of Death Race's absence. Participating in Hurricane Heats and Agoge, he thought he was prepared for the challenge of the Death Race. As he would soon discover, there is no race like The Death Race. Listen as Roland talks about the training, the tricks he learned from p...
Nov 19, 2020•43 min
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In this week's episode, we hear from Tera Spencer, a single mother who got sober and found fitness as her new outlet. Upon discovering fitness, she found Camp Rhino in Las Vegas, and shortly after met the one and only Rob Barger, after crewing the 2014 Death Race, the compelling need to compete herself took over. Tera's story is woven with many lessons all aspiring endurance athletes...
Oct 22, 2020•55 min•Ep. 49
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. This week Tony continues his conversations with a string of female interviews with Mynet Velez, Law Enforcement Officer, and ambassador of Family Reach; a non-profit that raises money to help cover the living expenses of families as they battle cancer. 'Ma' (as she is affectionately called) speaks about her New Jersey roots, how she incorporated fitness into her life while raising he...
Oct 08, 2020•56 min•Ep. 48
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. Alex Terrazas is an International Spartan Championship racer who caught his first glimpse of the Death Race in 2014 when he volunteered for the Mexico Death Race. With the help of some gentle persuasion, he traveled to Vermont to participate in summer 2015’s race. Listen to this weeks' episode as he shares his experience with Tony and highlights the important growth that athletes cul...
Oct 01, 2020•53 min•Ep. 47
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In this week's episode, Tony catches up with the creator of the Spartan WOD, Jason Jaksetic. Jason was no stranger to the world of endurance races when he found himself living on Joe’s property to train for the Death Race; earning him the nickname “Barn Beast”. He shares his hindsight on what motivated him to get outside his comfort zone, what he gained from his experience, and how t...
Sep 24, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 46
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In Episode 45 we catch up with Leyla Di Cori, a veteran of both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Death Races. Up until two months ago, Leyla had spent the better part of the past decade training for the day where she would finally earn her skull. That is, until earlier this summer when she received a diagnosis of cancer. Listen as she tells her story with humor and authenticity; reminding us how ...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. On this week’s legend, we meet Marine Corps Major Maggie Seymour. In 2014 Maggie’s military experience had already taught her how to play the Death Race game; go hard, get out of your head, hack the system. And yet something went awry in 2014. Unphased, she carried on with life until a familiar friend suggested giving Death Race another shot. Listen as she recalls how those three day...
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 44
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In this weeks' forty-third podcast episode, we talk to Frank Fumich; an entrepreneur whose racing career includes raising funds for causes close to his heart. Listen as he recalls his history leading up to his 2011 legend after meeting one of the founders of the Death Race and pivots from his familiar world of racing and climbing to take on an adventure full of unknowns. Catch episod...
Sep 03, 2020•38 min•Ep. 43
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. This week's podcast features the father of all death racers, 2007 Inaugural Winner Doug Lewis. Doug, was an Olympic medalist in skiing who went into the Death Race expecting little more than a quick trail run on that fateful day 13 years ago. Fast forward through race history and we find that the roots of the Death Race continue to share many common themes today. Values including wil...
Aug 27, 2020•46 min•Ep. 42
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the forty-first episode, we catch up with Jesus Chavez as he recalls his experience from the 2014 Summer and Mexico Death Races. His legend includes creative ways to train for the Vermont slopes in the flatlands of the Midwest, with a throwback to one of the original Death Race training camps. Most importantly, Jesus talks about his greatest inspiration and describes the unique wa...
Aug 20, 2020•47 min•Ep. 41
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. Join us as we catch up with Scottish Death Racer John Chambers. John is a next-generation Death Racer who came to the event through the Spartan Agoge and a series of other endurance challenges from ‘Across the Pond’; listen as he recalls with delightful humor battling emergency surgeries, training deadlines, and an ambitious race schedule in his pursuit of the skull. Catch episodes w...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 40
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-ninth episode of the podcast, we hear from Dion Mindykowski. In 2014 Dion happened upon a chance meeting with one of Death Race’s most recognizable figures, leading him down the path that would become his legend. Recognizing his strength in cold weather led him to discover the drive to face the more challenging climates of the Vermont summers. Through all his races he r...
Aug 06, 2020•57 min•Ep. 39
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-eighth episode of the podcast, we connect with Jeff Robinette, who competed in the 2012 Summer Death Race as well as the 2015 Winter Death Race. At the time, Jeff had been diagnosed with cancer, but he never let it stop him from challenging himself to go beyond his limits. We discuss what mindset it takes to train and compete with cancer, how he navigated both of his De...
Jul 30, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 38
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-seventh episode of the podcast, we connect with Anthony Capone who first started participating in Death Race all the way back in 2008. You're in for a real treat with this episode as we go back in time and review some of the crazy challenges faced over the years. Tune in to find out why Anthony kept coming back for more and more after each year, to learn some fun histor...
Jul 23, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 37
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-sixth episode of the podcast, we connect with Francis Gennarelli, owner of Mud Sweat Tears in Verona, NJ, who started racing competitively and fell in love with endurance events. Francis qualified and competed in all 3 Spartan Ultra World Championships in Iceland and Sweden taking 2nd place in his AG in 2019. He's a CPT, Spartan SGX Coach, and CrossFit L1 trainer. Hear ...
Jul 16, 2020•55 min•Ep. 36
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-fifth episode of the podcast, we connect with one of the latest generations of Death Racer, Ashley Alarcon who competed in the 2019 Death Race. Previously a belly dancer, Ashley takes us on her interesting journey to the 2019 Death Race. From failing her first Spartan Race to competing in a Death Race, it took time to develop the confidence and courage to sign up, but o...
Jul 09, 2020•59 min•Ep. 35
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-fourth episode of the podcast, we decided to bring an entire team back together to discuss their team Death Race. In this episode, you'll hear about the Team Death Race experience of previous guests Shane Ellison and Matt Waller , as well as their fellow teammates Valerie Smith and Stephen Crawford. We discuss what it was like to find a team, training thousands of miles...
Jul 02, 2020•46 min•Ep. 34
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-third episode of the podcast, we connect with Morgan McKay, the Canadian woman who made my first Death Race finish possible. Morgan and I take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the 2012 Death Race and share how we both helped each other to continue racing even when everyone else was literally telling us to quit. In the Death Race, not giving up and doing whate...
Jun 25, 2020•51 min•Ep. 33
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-second episode of the podcast, we connect with the one and only, Johnny Waite. Johnny has been involved in the Death Race for quite a bit of time, during which he's had the opportunity to participate in Winter, Summer, and Team variations of the Death Race. He has even taken to the Darkside and played the role of Race Director on a few occasions. Johnny approaches life ...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 32
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirty-first episode of the podcast, we connect with Lauren Cisneros who considers herself the everyday person and athlete who uses these events as a way to overcome adversity. Lauren entered the Death Race with little preparation but a whole lot of motivation to overcome any obstacles thrown her way. After losing two people that she deeply loved and cared for, her mother and ...
Jun 11, 2020•47 min•Ep. 31
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the thirtieth episode of the podcast, we connect the first winner of the Spartan Ultra World Championship, Josh Fiore on his experiences at the Spartan Death Race. We discuss his journey from being addicted to smoking and drinking to becoming one of the top ultra-endurance athletes in the world. In this episode, you'll learn how smiling can help you overcome everything in the Deat...
Jun 04, 2020•57 min•Ep. 30
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-ninth episode of the podcast, we connect with one of the most decorated athletes in the sport of obstacle and endurance racing, Ryan Atkins. You've probably heard his name if you follow obstacle racing at all but what you might not know is in 2014 he decided to participate in the Winter Death Race after winning his first World's Toughest Mudder (he won 3 total, I mistak...
May 28, 2020•46 min•Ep. 29
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-eighth episode of the podcast, we have the story of Kristal Bergeron-Clement, a single mother of two who is a runner turned endurance athlete. Kristal discovered the Death Race in 2011 but didn't make her attempt until 2018. Kristal has endured much in her life as a three-time cancer survivor and finds the art of endurance and meditation to be her ultimate saving grace....
May 21, 2020•50 min•Ep. 28
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-seventh episode of the podcast, we get to hear the legend of Don Schwartz. Don has a legend the goes far beyond that of the Death Race. In the early days of snowboarding, Don became one of the first few professionals in the sport, from magazine articles to documentaries, he's had a life full of adventure. As someone who has suffered more than most after surviving a cras...
May 14, 2020•55 min•Ep. 27
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-sixth episode of the podcast, we have the legend of Ella Kociuba, one of the youngest competitors to toe the line at a Death Race, winner of the 2011 Spartan Race World Championships, and all-around badass. Ella competed in five Death Races and has overcome some serious obstacles in her life, including the discovery that her spine never fused to her sacrum after an acci...
May 07, 2020•51 min•Ep. 26
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-fifth episode of the podcast, we have multi-sport, ultra-endurance athlete, Stefanie Bishop, who competed in four Death Races and has some very unique stories from the early days. Stefanie competed in the beta version of the Winter Death Race and also the Mexico Death Race. With her unique experiences, you'll want to tune in to this episode. You'll hear how she went fro...
Apr 30, 2020•50 min•Ep. 25
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-fourth episode of the podcast, David Magida joins us to share his experience competing in the 2014 and 2015 Death Race. Magida has been an athlete for much of his life and after competing on the Spartan Pro Team for a few years was coerced into competing in the Death Race to prove that "pretty boys" can endure anything the race directors threw his way. After being calle...
Apr 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-third episode of the podcast, Amelia Boone joins us to share her incredible journey from her life in Chicago, to becoming the "Queen of Pain." Amelia shares how she went from knowing little about endurance sports to her rise to the top. Discover how the Death Race pulled her from the need to have everything organized and calculated in life to learning to let go and thri...
Apr 16, 2020•50 min
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-second episode of the podcast, Amie "Livewire" Jacobs, shares her story of being a mother and what it's like competing in ultra-endurance events and shuffling her life responsibilities. In 2014, Amie took on the Death Race challenge, which involved competing in all four Death Races that year starting with the Winter Death Race. Amie takes us on remembrance of her journe...
Apr 09, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old. In the twenty-first episode of the podcast, Rick Cohen, a Sports Documentary Director joins us to share his journey through the 2014 Death Race. In this episode, you'll hear all about how he dedicated the race to his friend Chad. Coming from a background in creating Sports Documentaries, Rick had set out to create a true documentary of the legendary race. Prior to the event Rick had ...
Apr 02, 2020•1 hr 6 min
