Tales from The Ultra Endurance Sports Industry

Happy Aloha Friday, everyone!

While I debate on my next writing topics/publishing, I reflect on the many industries I've been hands dirty/ground zero on and here's one of my favorites: ultra endurance sports.

A few months ago, when I had begun to experience full clarity on many long-time relationships in my life, I felt a lot of anger surface... here's an example of one scenario, which understandably set me off. 

Summer, 2024 - Saying Au Revoir to my Beloved Cervelo

Without going into all the details (it would take a while!), here is the relevant background info to provide you context.

By the end of April 2024, I was living full-time in my car in the Silver Strand Beach area in Oxnard, CA. Thanks to my intelligence, skills, resourcefulness and adaptability, I worked out a daily system which kept me steadily going (for almost 3 1/2 months until I decided I would not sleep in my car one more night.) The first month was the hardest, for sure, enduring Mother's Day without my son. There was one long-time contact in the Bay Area that would send me a grocery delivery every week or so and I managed.

This same person offered to go into my Redwood City, CA apartment and gather all the things I had given up on, including my 2021 Blue-Green Chameleon race bike. By May of 2024, I barely cared about those possessions. I figured I'd survive with what was packed in my 2019 Alfa Romeo. However, I mustered up the will to say sure, please clear out what you can. She reported back to me a lot was taken, to which I replied "I bet.” I gave John (someone who acted a liked a friend, but who ultimately used and betrayed me) an apartment keycard. Everyone knew where I lived." But still - my glorious blue bike was there.

I asked her to sell it for me - I could use the money. I also said she could sell everything else and take a share, for helping me out. 

Months passed with only one offer on the bike, she reported. This shocked me, given our extensive shared network, but I was too busy surviving/living in my car to care that deeply. I had food and water available to me and it was warm enough by mid-June that I wasn't freezing at night. 

The bike offer she received was an odd installment sale, and despite a shared contact who owned a bike shop on the East Coast, valuing the bike at $2,500-$3,000, at the end of the day, it was sold through a friend on the streets for a mere $900. 

Rather than go after this person for what they did, here's what I ultimately decided: let karma handle it. By the way, on the subject of karma, Alan Watts has great theories on it (check out YouTube!). If you're thinking to yourself 'Wow, this is a positive woman.’ Yes, I suppose I am. I've had to be. I've had no other option on my path other than to give up completely. And if you've known me for a long time, it may seem unlike me to be so intense/OK with people losing everything, but I am. And here's why. These people used me so much (including this person I am referring to..) and were okay watching me suffer, knowing my entire story - many more details than I've publicly shared. Ultimately, they were/are OK with my son growing up without his mother. And that does not sit well with me at all. I would never treat people the way they have treated me over the past 16 months, especially - manipulation, deceit and self-serving interest above all. And all the meanwhile, I was promoting their causes, offering advice and help when they asked me for it.

On a positive closing note, let me tell you what that $900 bought me - temporary peace of mind and good food. Because after I decided I would not sleep another night in my car, I never did again. I enjoyed six nights of cheap accommodation in Mexico, some fresh food and when I ran out of money, I returned to my home in Redwood City, on faith, thinking things would finally be worked out in my favor. (Spoiler alert: they didn't! But here we are. New year ahead, more of my team built.. And although my faith and hope wavers at times, it's still there.)

If I choose to directly call these folks out by name (and oh, with zero physical dollars in my pocket for a week or so.. I have no problem selling their names for their cheap behavior), this is is how I look at it (and Taylor Swift would heartily agree!): they shouldn't have done what they did and not been willing to face the consequences. Dirty behavior deserves call outs - in my opinion. Do you agree? Drop me a comment! 

May you have a blessed day!

Heidi