Book Review: Finding Ultra by Rich Roll

As a plant-based endurance athlete, I identify a lot with this book and its message. I’m not going to summarize this book, but rather talk about what I learned and how it can help you.

The book’s storytelling is fantastic. It keeps you hooked on every page. But more importantly, this storytelling is very effective at translating the message of ultra triathlons and the plant-based diet. I think it makes the story of a fat alcoholic very relatable. And it also gives meaning to the hardworking athletes “suffering for nothing.”

Now, let’s take a look at some messages this book uncovers.

The junk food, alcohol, and high comfort life is not happiness. It’s a blind pursuit of an entitled version of success. It goes to show that this type of impulsive pleasure is temporary happiness. The real long-term happiness is chasing after YOUR goals and YOUR version of success.

You will face many failures in life. But it doesn’t matter how many or what failures you face. Rich Roll went down to the greatest rut imaginable: from being a top ivy league swimmer to a miserable alcohol addict. But the difference is that instead of labeling himself as helpless, Rich decided to take slow steps to fix his life.

Big goals are king. After finding some love for moderate exercise, Rich set the goal of completing an ironman. It was monstrous given his current fitness. But the constant struggle of striving for a near impossible goal was what kept him motivated. I agree with this idea because I think the only way to reach success is work harder than hard. It’s the idea of challenging yourself to the point that limits become perceptions. And the only way to do so is to set goals that scare you.

Limits are perceptions. During the 5 days, 5 ironmans challenge, Rich Roll felt like giving up on the 3rd day. He felt that he reached his bottom. But he remembered the quote from David Goggins: that when we reach our absolute bottom, when we say we are done, we have only reached 40% of what we are truly capable of. So he persisted. And eventually, Rich completed the 5th ironman. To himself it was unbelievable. That initial perceived limit is only an obstacle in our minds.

It is never too late and age is just a number. Many would say the opposite if they were like Rich when 40: fat, depressed, and reliant on caffeine and alcohol. But beyond his health situation and age, Rich would go on to do what some would deem impossible: racing ironmans. It just goes to prove that if Rich Roll was able to make such a transformation, then so can we. And never should we ever, limit ourselves because of our age or current situation.

The plant-based diet works, and excellently. If you read this memoir, you would know that all of the training and races were done on a fully plant-based diet. Yes, there is enough protein. And yes, you do get enough calories. The book proves that diet doesn’t reach the minimum nutrition requirements, it maximizes them. And so really what you find is that whole foods plant-based diet gives you the right nutrients the best way. You get more energy, better sleep, faster recovery, and maximum performance. On the other hand, conventional diets involving animal products are a no go. And for the sake of simplicity, I will just leave it with the fact that the book does an exceptional job of voicing the advantages of a plant-based diet and the unknown disadvantages of a diet based on meat, dairy, other animal products, and most of all, highly processed foods.

All in all, the book tells an incredible story. It gives unbiased credit to the plant-based diet and offers a different perspective on ultra endurance sports. I would recommend reading this book if you are looking for a motivational story or a glimpse of what it is like to unlock life’s full potential.