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Death Notes

Lessons written in scar tissue. Truths forged in failure.
This is where the hard-earned wisdom lives.

This is where I keep the pages from a life shaped by suffering—some chosen, some not.

What started as a goal to finish a race became something else. A practice. A way to sharpen the mind through pain, to test ideas in real-time. The posts here aren’t written from the safety of hindsight, they’re forged in the middle of it all: broken gear, broken plans, and moments that broke me open.

You’ll find reflections grounded in Stoicism, endurance, failure, and whatever clarity I could scrape together along the way. It’s not about heroics. It’s about showing up, again and again, until the lessons stick.

If you’re looking for inspiration, you might find some. But mostly, you’ll find truth.

The human who races with this blog shall neither be the same… nor sane.

Tony Matesi at the Death Race – a lesson in chosen suffering and resilience Photo Credit: Marion Abrams - Madmotion

The Privilege of Chosen Suffering: Lessons from the Death Race and Beyond

Photo Credit: Marion Abrams – Madmotion I was standing at the edge of the Chittenden Reservoir, shivering, panicking, and crying.

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No Finish Line: How Building a Startup Feels a Hell of a Lot Like the Death Race

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s no glory in comfort.The Death Race taught me that. The

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pittsfield vermont, soulslike, spartan death race

The Soulsborne of Suffering: How the Death Race and Soulslike Games Test the Same Spirit

There’s something intoxicating about a challenge so ruthless, so unrelenting, that it forces you to confront your limits. For some,

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Surviving Political Chaos: Endurance, Activism, and the Power of Persistence

If there’s one thing the Death Race taught me, it’s how to endure. How to push forward when everything inside

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Beyond the Battle: Why Therapy is the Ultimate Finish Line

The Unseen Burdens of Endurance Athletes When I started recording The Legend of the Death Race podcast, I expected to

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The Triforce of Life: How Courage, Power, and Wisdom Help You Conquer Any Challenge

When I set out to write The Legend of the Death Race, I wasn’t just telling the story of an

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Discovering the Joy of Endurance with Ronald Tortola | LotDR Episode 050

Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old.

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The Power of Sobriety and Single Motherhood with Tera Spencer | LotDR Episode 049

Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old.

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‘Family Reach’ Ambassador Mynet Velez | LotDR Episode 048

Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old.

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International Death Racer Alex Terrazas | LotDR Episode 047

Welcome to the Legend of the Death Race Podcast, where you’ll hear the legends of past Death Racers, new and old.

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You've endured all I've wrote

🎮 DEATH NOTES BONUS ROUND

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