When I set out to write The Legend of the Death Race, I wasn’t just telling the story of an insane endurance challenge—I was crafting a legend. One that, at its core, mirrors a legend that has shaped my life in a different way: The Legend of Zelda.
At first glance, the Spartan Death Race and Zelda’s world of Hyrule might not seem to have much in common. One is a brutal endurance event designed to break even the toughest competitors; the other, a fantastical adventure where a hero wields a sword against the forces of darkness. But beneath the surface, both journeys test the same three fundamental virtues: Courage, Power, and Wisdom—the very essence of the Triforce.
These aren’t just traits that define an endurance athlete or a video game hero. They’re the keys to pushing past any obstacle in life. Once you understand how to harness them, you realize you’re capable of so much more than you ever thought possible.
Courage: Facing the Unknown
In Zelda, courage is embodied by Link, the hero who sets off on a perilous quest armed with little more than his will to push forward. In the Death Race, courage is what gets you to the starting line.
You don’t know what’s coming. There’s no official course map, no set finish line, and the challenges are designed to crush you mentally as much as physically. But you sign up anyway, stepping into the unknown with the same blind faith as a hero venturing into the wild.
In life, courage is what pushes you beyond your comfort zone.
It’s what makes you take that leap—starting a new job, speaking up for yourself, pursuing a dream, or standing up when life knocks you down. Fear is a constant, but courage is the choice to move forward anyway.
Think about the things you’ve avoided because they felt uncertain or uncomfortable. That’s exactly where growth happens. The moment you step into the unknown is the moment you start becoming the person you were meant to be.
Power: Strength in Body and Spirit
Ganon, the embodiment of Power in Zelda lore, wields raw strength to dominate. In the Death Race, power isn’t just about muscle—it’s about endurance, resilience, and the ability to suffer without breaking.
You carry loads that seem impossible, endure sleep deprivation that messes with your mind, and push your body beyond limits you once thought unbreakable. But real power in the Death Race doesn’t just come from brute force—it comes from mastering your suffering.
In life, power is resilience—the ability to keep going when things get hard.
It’s easy to show up when everything is going well. But when life throws setbacks at you—when you lose a job, face rejection, struggle with failure—power is what keeps you from quitting.
You build power by enduring, by strengthening your mind as much as your body, and by realizing that pain is temporary but giving up lasts forever. Every time you push through difficulty, you grow stronger. Every time you refuse to quit, you become more unstoppable.
Wisdom: The Mental Game
Wisdom in Zelda is personified by Princess Zelda herself—insightful, strategic, and always seeing the bigger picture. In the Death Race, wisdom is what separates those who survive from those who crumble.
It’s about knowing when to conserve energy, how to navigate the mind games thrown at you by the race directors, and how to read the hidden rules in a challenge designed to confuse and mislead. You learn to embrace uncertainty, outthink obstacles, and adapt on the fly.
In life, wisdom is the ability to see the long game.
It’s knowing that failure is a lesson, not an endpoint. It’s recognizing patterns, learning from mistakes, and developing the patience to keep moving forward when success isn’t immediate.
Wisdom is what helps you pivot when a plan doesn’t work. It’s what allows you to work smarter, not just harder. And most importantly, it’s what keeps you from making the same mistakes over and over again.
Wisdom is realizing that no single challenge defines you—but how you respond to it does.
Becoming the Legend
The Death Race, like Zelda, is a journey of transformation. It strips you down, tests your courage, demands your power, and forces you to sharpen your wisdom. Those who finish don’t just walk away with a medal or a title—they walk away changed, having faced their own fears and weaknesses and conquered them.
But you don’t have to run an ultra-endurance event to apply these lessons.
Every challenge you face in life is a test of the Triforce.
- Courage gets you started.
- Power keeps you going.
- Wisdom helps you find the way forward.
Once you embrace this mindset, nothing feels impossible anymore. Obstacles become opportunities. Pain becomes growth. And every step outside your comfort zone makes you stronger.
In Hyrule, the hero who possesses all three pieces of the Triforce is unstoppable. In the Death Race—and in life—the same is true.
If you cultivate Courage, Power, and Wisdom, you become more than just someone struggling through life’s challenges—you become a legend.
And legends never die.