Zack Hugh is the titular "Running Man," the undefeated champion of the "Death Circus" racing circuit and has raced for 10 years. Competitors race in high-speed Formula One-like craft, and spectators bet on the lives of these people for huge winnings. A reporter is sent to interview the mysterious Zack outside of the track and watches one of his races. He soon discovers Hugh has telekinetic abilities which he uses to destroy the other racers. As the race ends in his favor, the monitors in the pit display "LIFE FUNCTIONS TERMINATED." Mysteriously, though seemingly dead, Hugh continues around the track and is overtaken by a spectral racer. He attempts to employ the same strategy, straining to destroy the opponent, but in truth it is against his own mind. The force of the telekinesis is directed inward which rapidly tears both Hugh and his car apart. The Death Circus is permanently shut down afterwards; the reporter believing the event's true draw was the spectators' need to see how long Hugh could beat death.