The Ultraman Triathlon, one of the most remarkable endurance races in the world, is a three-day, 320-mile race that circumnavigates the Big Island of Hawaii. With only 40 competitors allowed in each year, this invitation-only event hosts some of the most superlative athletes on the planet. The Race Within discusses the 30-year history of the sport and race director Jane Bockus, former Pan Am flight attendant who has never done a triathlon, yet has dedicated herself to keeping the event true to its founding spirit for decades. This book follows Jane, her assistants, and a small cast of athletes through an entire year—from the end of the 2012 Ultraman to the 2013 event—and shows how they faced new challenges to the growth and well-being of the event, and were forced to question if old traditions could survive in a world of constantly-evolving sports entertainment. Granted full access to the race and the athletes, author Jim Gourley presents a look at this unique event and examines what it means to truly love sports.

Jim Gourley is an endurance sports journalist whose work appears in various publications and is regularly featured on the website of Foreign Policy Magazine. He is the author of Faster: Demystifying the Science of Triathlon Speed. He lives in El Paso, Texas. Hillary Biscay is the Ultraman World Champion and one of the most prolific iron-distance competitors in the professional women’s racing circuit, having completed over 60 Ironman triathlons. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.