The Race Within by Jim Gourley

Author:Jim Gourley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2015-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

12. Chasing the Dragon

“I can’t believe that having said what I said was interpreted as having been what I said when I said it, because I said it where I said it, when I said it, and who I said it to.”

—Don King

“In summary you can call it a shit show.” That’s how Steve Brown describes Ultraman United Kingdom 2013. He remarks on several administrative failures, lost athletes, inadvertent rules infractions, a shortage of course officials to keep athletes and crews in check, and two competitors hit by a car during the run. In his estimation, it is a disaster in race organization and a black eye for Ultraman’s reputation as a whole. Tony Horton accompanied him as part of his initiative to get better acquainted with the race series, and left making the comment, “Now I know how not to run one of these things.”

But Steve King, who also traveled to Wales to work as the race announcer, has a much different view. He recounts the selflessness of two race volunteers who were commended by the local police chief for stopping to help with a motorbike accident not associated with the race. Teams that got lost blamed themselves for being unfamiliar with how to use the route books. He wrote, “The ecstatic feelings and joy at the final finish line were expressed by all and again at the awards. Simon [Smith] was flexible and got the awards and meal put on early to make sure all could be present and again the athletes were delighted...it was another awesome Ultraman event in my opinion and Simon [and his] team deserve a lot of praise.”

It’s all a matter of how you see things, and an existential challenge of ultra endurance races is that no one can ever see everything. Even from halfway around the world, Jane and Sheryl have anxieties about what they see in photos, but more so because of what they haven’t seen. In their exuberance to make this event memorable, a couple of relay teams have made custom race jerseys for themselves, complete with the Ultraman logo on it. Rules state that you have to pay a royalty fee to Ohana Loa if you intend to do that. They weren’t aware of that condition because Simon failed to specify as much in his race information packet. Each team agrees to pay £500 for the rights; the money will be given to local charities.

Worse, Simon never sent Jane the paperwork showing that the event is insured. When pressed about the forms, Simon writes back to Sheryl that he’s given hard copies to Steve to carry back. He tells her that his Internet connection isn’t fast enough to scan and email them to her. But Steve Brown sends her another message saying that the forms have been filled out incorrectly. The coverage is only provided for Racing Quests, the company Simon set up to run Ultraman UK (commonly called UMUK). It does not cover Ohana Loa, LLC. Jane is displeased. Sheryl is furious.

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