Arthur The King and Mikael Lindnord
Arthur and Mikael Lindnord during the 2014 ARWS World Championship. A feature film starring Mark Wahlberg is set to be released in March 2024.
When Lionsgate dropped the trailer for Arthur the King, adventure racers salivated over seeing their sport on the big screen. Arthur, a once stray dog, is famous for joining team Peak Performance during the 2014 ARWS World Championship in Ecuador and later being adopted by Mikael Lindnord, who wrote a book about the experience titled Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home.
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast recently featured Lindnord. Since host Brian Gatens is so fond of lists, it seems only appropriate to review the podcast with a list of our own:
1. “Adventure Racers never give up”
Lindnord has a wealth of adventure race knowledge from his over 25 years of racing. The first 50 minutes of this marathon podcast is pure AR. A key to Lindnord’s success and that of the top adventure race teams is, in his opinion, mental toughness. The ability to fight through adversity not only helped him adopt a stray, diseased dog, it also is a character trait of Arthur himself and will surely show itself in the film.
2. “This is what we do”
Lindnord is sure that any other racer would have done exactly what he and his team did to treat Arthur as a member of their team. He recounts a story a first place team giving him the last of his water despite the tight competition. This act typifies the adventure race community and is part of what makes the sport so special. As Lindnord tells Gatens, “With all the teams I have raced against … I knew that is I was in trouble, they would help me. And I would help them.”
3. “Getting it right”
Despite being a Hollywood film, Lindnor is an executive producer for Arthur the King and went to great pains to ensure that the technical details were right. From the paddle strokes, to running with a pack, to ARWS bibs, to markings on individual packs to tell them apart, Lindnor’s experience and eye for detail attempts to add authenticity to the film. He also says that Mark Wahlberg, who portrays Lindnord, has equal the mental toughness, physical ability, and desire to get it right as any adventure racer.
The takeaway from the podcast is that Lindnor is a true adventure race legend. Rookie to experienced racers can learn from his vast knowledge. And he is certainly the right person for the task to take AR to Hollywood.
