Man lights fire for cause

EAST COUNTY — Hunter Norton wanted to spend more time his with father.

And to do it, he took a tour of the Midwest in a race to raise awareness for missing children.

Norton, a father of two, returned Oct. 6 after competing in season eight of “Fireball Run,” an online television series in which two- or three-person teams chase clues and navigate maps from city to city in hopes of finishing with the most points and fastest time.

“The theme of this year’s race was the American frontier, and that’s exactly what it was,” said Norton, a Sarasota attorney and a resident of Mill Creek. “The scenery was amazing, especially as we got into the Ozark Mountains.”

Norton and his wife, Aimee, were attending 40 Carrots’ Firefly Gala when he saw an opportunity to bid on a spot on the show.

“I pointed it out to my wife and I said, ‘I’d love to do that with my dad some day,’” Norton said.
Aimee didn’t let the comment slide.

She looked at the package more carefully, and after learning the race started two days after her father-in-law’s birthday and ended in his hometown in Missouri, she persuaded Hunter Norton to bid on the item — even though he’d have to leave on their ninth wedding anniversary if he won.

“She pretty much insisted,” Norton said.

Within weeks of winning the package, Norton and his father began their prerequisites — defensive driving lessons, notes from the doctors saying they were in appropriate mental and physical health to drive prolonged periods of time, and other items.

Roger Norton, Hunter’s father, secured a car sponsorship from Cable-Dahmler Chevrolet in his hometown, so the pair drove a Camaro for the race.

And, on Sept. 25, Hunter Norton flew out, arrived in Kansas to meet his dad, and the two arrived in Frisco, Texas, that night to compete in their cross-state American frontier-themed adventure against 38 other teams.

Each day, the teams started out with breakfast and meet-and-greets with the town’s mayor before setting off with their first “mission.” The missions included sets of clues for tasks to earn extra points during their 250-plus-mile daily drive.

The Nortons took photos with a 20-foot-tall dinosaur at Jesse James’ grave site, with a President Harry Truman-signed document recognizing the state of Israel and with Annie Oakley’s rifle.

Participants used each stop on their journey to raise awareness of missing children. The Nortons featured pictures of several different children on their car as they traveled.

Hunter Norton says he’s still recuperating from the adventure, but he enjoyed the experience, although physically and mentally exhausting, and time with his dad.

But will he do it again? Maybe.

But next year, he’s encouraging his brother, Dustin, to compete with their father. Hunter Norton plans to spend that time with his wife, as the pair celebrates their 10th wedding anniversary.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].