Finding Ultra
Rich Roll's Finding Ultra is a memoir of two transformations, the first away from alcohol and the second away from the conventional American life he had built around it. Roll begins as an Ivy League swimmer turned Los Angeles entertainment lawyer, secretly drinking himself toward an early death, and walks the reader through hitting bottom, getting sober, and discovering that sobriety alone could not save him from the despair of an unlived life. In his late thirties, badly out of shape and climbing his own staircase out of breath, he overhauls his diet to a plant based regimen and begins a training regimen that culminates in finishing the Ultraman World Championship, a three day, three hundred and twenty mile swim, bike, and run around the Big Island of Hawaii. The book mixes addiction recovery with practical guidance on nutrition, training, and sleep, and frames endurance sport as a vehicle for spiritual reinvention rather than mere physical achievement.
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At forty, an out-of-shape former addict has a breakdown on the stairs of his own house. The book follows his pivot to a plant-based diet and the slow, almost accidental path he takes into ultraman racing.
Yes. Finding Ultra is Rich Roll's 2012 memoir about going from out-of-shape addict in his 40s to one of the world's top ultra-endurance athletes. Roll completed an Ultraman triathlon and EPIC5, five iron-distance triathlons in under a week.
Yes. Rich Roll discusses his transition to a plant-based diet during his ultra-endurance career. The diet became central to his subsequent podcasting career. The book includes recipes and dietary guidance.
Finding Ultra was written by Rich Roll, published in 2011 by Random House.
Finding Ultra is 288 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Finding Ultra takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Finding Ultra is a standalone novel by Rich Roll, not part of a series.
Finding Ultra is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
