Good day Legends,
Short version:
I’m updating the website and I’ve got a lot of changes coming so bear with me and consider supporting this site by clicking on ads or donating. The website might be down here and there over the next week. It’ll be back soon. I thank you for your continued support.
Long version:
So this morning I decided it was time to take this website through its next evolution. The current theme has served me well over the years but it has its limitations. In order to continue with this endeavor, I must build a more robust website that allows me to collect revenue through advertiser relationships, you clicking on links and ads will help me to continue producing and developing the content that I have for years. I’ve produced this site entirely on my own dollar since 2013 (in 2012 I collected under $200 in ad generated revenue). While the site is under construction, don’t be surprised if you see “Site Unavailable: Under Maintenance” type messages for the next week. I will work as fast to complete the update.
As my Phoenix within melts to the ground and rises once again, so will my website.
With this rebirth of The Legend of the Death Race, I am bringing a new purpose to the website. The website began as a documentation of my individual journey through conquering one of the most difficult races in the world, The Peak Races Spartan Death Race, but over time, it has evolved into this idea of something more, something that can inspire others to have the courage to find something that scares the shit out of them and tackle it head-on. Through trial and error, I have been discovering how to live a life not only worth living but worth sharing, with the world and I want to share these stories, these “legends”, that I have from them. It’s my hope that they inspire others to: Find your impossible and go conquer it.
In 2012 and 2013 I experimented with sharing a unique 24-hour homage to the Peak Death Race. I put my own personal twist on it with inspiration drawn from many endurance races. After being hired by Spartan at the end of 2013, I put most of my personal endeavors aside to focus primarily on developing things like the Spartan Magazine and Spartan Endurance division. I worked with that team until January of 2017 and it was a wonderful journey, heck, Spartan Endurance is now an International event!
Now that I’m away from Spartan you might be wondering, what does that mean is next for The Legend of the Death Race, and Tony “La Tigre” Matesi?
Where to begin…let’s start with a quick life update, I’m still involved with Spartan in that my media company, Up, Beyond Media, provides video content to the production company that films the Spartan Race broadcast for the NBC Sports Network and I’ll still be racing myself when it’s convenient. In other news, I found a wonderful company that values health and activity. At Sportworks, I am marketing products that support multi-modal transportation and bike infrastructure. With these products, people are able to ride their bikes over great distances and have a place to safely park them. I now ride my bike to work often and in May I rode over 500 miles, in July I rode from Seattle to Portland. I don’t like long-distance cycling. But, it was an endurance event. Which brings me to the rest of what’s next.
I have this master plan that is set in motion but I can’t reveal too much. However this is what I can reveal, some have asked, “will you bring back The Legend of the Death Race Adventure Races,” the answer is no, The Legend of the Death Race will not be an event company.
The Legend of the Death Race is a blog that will become a book. The book will be different than the blog. There will be original content in it. That’s been the plan since sometime in 2014 and I am almost done writing everything for it. The next part (quite possibly the last) of the story should be ready this week. There are only a few things to write after that which will tie the entire book and concept together.
In regards to Tony “La Tigre” Matesi, I plan to get back into racing but I am having some trouble still with my hip and buttocks from the UTV incident at the New Jersey HH12HR, hopefully I can find a way to heal fully, otherwise I’ll just keep pushing until I can’t any longer. In 2018, I’ll be racing for the Team SISU Pro Team, and I am currently signed up for the Georgia Death Race and plan to sign up for the Orcas 100, and the Mojave Death Race.
Now for some housekeeping, in order to keep this site and these endeavors alive, it has come time for me to make a request and I don’t think it’s much to ask. All I’m asking for is that if you enjoy the content I produce and you enjoy following this journey that you please consider clicking on an advertisement or a product description link (I use Amazon affiliate links often in my articles), or if you’re feeling very generous you can even donate. I’m also starting an online shop with “Legend of the Death Race” merch, so if you love the story and like what I create that will be another way to support this life experiment. As part of the new website update and redesign, I will be inserting ad placements in select spots throughout the website, I promise to keep it minimal, and hope you understand the need to depart from the clean ad-free aesthetic you are used to.
In return for your support, I pledge to continue to explore the impossible, I will continue my experiment with the world of endurance, I will continue to seek out the challenges that others fear, I will document these journeys, I will discover the formulas to conquer them, and ultimately, I will challenge YOU to be courageous, to be powerful, and to gather the wisdom to find YOUR challenge(s) to overcome. That’s what this is all about, I’m not saying everyone has to go out and do a Death Race, my Death Race may be different than your Death Race, your Death Race might be a 10K, it might be a Marathon, it might be climbing a 5.12, or summiting a mountain, it might be finishing the SISU Iron, or some other seemingly impossible challenge. What I want to provide you is with the knowledge that anyone can conquer anything they set their mind to.
It’s up to you to: Find your challenge. Make your plan. Execute.
Together we’ll learn how to make a life worth living and we’ll share our “Legends”.
I sincerely thank you for continuing to follow The Legend of the Death Race and for supporting me as a person who loves to suffer for the fun of it, and loves to share the personal journey through “the suck” and what is learned from going through it with all of you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for following. I have so much love for all of you, it warms my heart to know you read what I write. Thank you.
Website goes down at midnight tonight, September 24, 2017. See ya soon.
-Tony