Against The Odds

Latest Episodes:

Shipwreck on the Sahara | The Storm | 1 Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

In August 1815, a ship called The Commerce runs aground off the coast of Northwest Africa. Onboard are eleven crew members who are merchant traders who have no choice but to row to shore. They will soon find themselves at the edge of the Sahara, one of the most inhospitable places on earth where oasis settlements are controlled by tribes who also run the trans-Saharan slave trade. With no way to escape and dwindling supplies, they will need to cross the largest hot desert in the world. If captured by desert tribes, they face enslavement or death, but without help from locals, they will die of hunger and thirst.

This is the true story of the men who survived the journey based on the journals they wrote. It’s about sacrifice and human endurance and the fight to get home. But their odyssey will have a much greater impact than on just their own lives – it will influence a future president and impact a nation in ways that are still felt even today.

We recommend Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival by Dean King for more reading.

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K2: The Savage Mountain | Fredrik Sträng, Pt. 2: On Surviving K2 | 5 Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

On August 1, 2008 Mountaineer Fredrik Sträng was on K2, the second highest mountain on Earth. He’d reached Camp 4 at 26,000 feet and was ready for the final push up to the summit. But Sträng and another member of his team decided to call off their summit bid when they saw climbers backed up on the rope line. It wasn’t an easy decision, but one that may have saved their lives. In Part 2 of our interview, Sträng shares his memories of climbing K2 in 2008 and those harrowing days when disaster struck in the Death Zone.

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K2: The Savage Mountain |Fredrik Sträng, Pt. 1: On Climbing the World’s Highest Peaks | 4 Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Mountaineer Fredrik Sträng survived the deadly turn of events on K2 in 2008. In part 1 of this 2-part interview, Sträng talks about the challenges of climbing the world’s highest peaks and what it's like to train for these incredible feats.

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K2: The Savage Mountain | The Final Descent | 3 Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Unforeseen conditions have put the world's strongest climbers to the test as they battle their way down the mountain. Before it’s over, the savage mountain will bring on more avalanches and below-zero temperatures. It’s a race against the clock for the remaining climbers to get off the mountain before it’s too late.

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K2: The Savage Mountain | The Death Zone | 2 Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

An international group of climbers are close to summiting one of the world’s tallest, and most dangerous, mountains. Their goal was to reach the peak by mid-afternoon and get down before dark when temperatures drop to 40 below and the thin air and darkness can leave climbers confused and lost. But problems with the rope line have put them behind and they are using all of their strength to push past the traverse. The summit is so close… but so is nightfall, and not all of them will make it back.

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K2: The Savage Mountain | Summit Fever | 1 May 25, 2021

Show notes

In the summer of 2008, mountaineers from eight different countries gather at the foot of the world’s second tallest mountain, K2. All of them have a single goal: reach the summit. But to do that they will need to undertake one most difficult, and dangerous, climbs on earth. Sunny mornings can suddenly transform into white out conditions. Avalanches drop from overhead without warning. The technical challenge is so great, one in four who attempt it won’t come down. But in early August, this doesn’t stop more than two dozen climbers from attempting the feat.

Through a series of unpredictable events, it will become one of the worst climbing disasters in modern times. It will also lead to extraordinary acts of bravery and an epic journey of the human will to survive.

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John McCain: Prisoner of War | Greater than Himself | 4 May 18, 2021

Show notes

After five years in captivity, John McCain and his fellow POWs try to keep their spirits up by finding new ways to hold on. When news comes that the war will soon be over, he must figure out what learnings he wants to bring back to his future life.

For more reading, we recommend Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teamsby Taylor Baldwin Kiland.

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John McCain: Prisoner of War | Interview with Doug McCain and Everett Alvarez | 5 May 18, 2021

Show notes

John McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years. John's son, Doug McCain, and the longest-held prisoner of war in Hanoi Hilton, Everett Alvarez, discuss the Vietnam War's effects on their lives and those they loved.

For more reading, we recommend Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teamsby Taylor Baldwin Kiland.

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John McCain: Prisoner of War | Regrets | 3 May 11, 2021

Show notes

John McCain’s body and mind are starting to deteriorate after months of imprisonment. To survive, he’ll need to make a tough choice. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a crisis threatens to destroy John's family.

For more reading, we recommend Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teamsby Taylor Baldwin Kiland.

Listen early and ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/againsttheodds.

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John McCain: Prisoner of War | The Crown Prince | 2 May 04, 2021

Show notes

Lieutenant Commander John McCain’s plane was shot down on a bombing mission and he survived the crash. He was taken in as a prisoner of war and housed at the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Now, John must face the ultimate test of will when his captors torture him, and then make him an offer that seems too good to be true…

For more reading, we recommend Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teamsby Taylor Baldwin Kiland.

Listen early and ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/againsttheodds.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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