LUCKY LEGS
By Steve Gurney
$39.99
Random House
It seems incomprehensible that behind multisport legend Steve Gurney's public exterior of confidence, quirkiness and cockiness, lies a man who twice battled depression and who inwardly grappled with a lack of confidence and a continual search for happiness.
Perhaps it is a sign of his control and drive that he was able to push those issues into a corner and become arguably one of New Zealand's greatest modern day athletes.
Gurney speaks openly about his private battles in his autobiography Lucky Legs, the title itself a play on an aspect of his life that has caused him grief, his lack of size and his skinny legs.
A hint of the torment the nine-time winner of the Coast to Coast multisport race is revealed in the first paragraph when he describes himself as the bull rush runt, the small, skinny boy who was always the last to be picked.
Later, he reveals he was sexually molested, but does not provide details, and finishes by saying how unfulfilled his life had been until he discovered the true art of having fun, of seeing and helping others succeed, of removing the focus off him and how to win the next event.
The book is a bit autobiography, a bit stories about events (unfortunately too few for my liking) and a bit confession.
Gurney dwells at length of the shame he now feels about how arrogant he became while competing, but surely that was the nature of his job?
You don't win nine Coast to Coasts, three Southern Traverses and a host of other national and international multiple-day multisport races by being a nice guy. He had to be focused, he had to be driven and he was successful.
You get the feeling he is being as tough on himself as he reflects on his sporting career as he was racing to head off competitors on the final leg of the Coast to Coast.
Lucky Legs is a great read, albeit a bit emotionally deep at times.
While Gurney's amazing career spanned 18 years, I would have liked to see greater recollection about exceptional races. Those details tend to be briefly touched on.
Gurney was known for being quirky - inventing an envelope which encased his bicycle to reduce drag, for being pedantic - only allowing one toothbrush to be carried among a four-person multisport team to reduce weight and for being quirky.
It should come as no surprise then that in a section on strategies for success, he devotes two pages on how to urinate while running, riding and kayaking.
He concludes that pooing is too difficult to do on the move.
Whether you are an aspiring multisport athlete, someone who appreciates success that comes from hard work or you want an insight into an exceptional New Zealander, Lucky Legs is a great read.
