Finding Ultra by Rich Roll

Subtitled “Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself”, Finding Ultra is the autobiographical story of Rich Roll. I came into this book blindly after it was recommended by a coworker. I’d never heard of the author nor his notoriety as an endurance athlete, podcast host, or vegan advocate (that description alone would be enough to turn away a fair amount of people). Rich’s story is fascinating. He was an elite high school and collegiate swimmer who later became an attorney. He also acquired a nasty drinking problem along the way. Rich gives a confessional account of his addictions, insecurities, divorce, and eventual recovery and progression as a world class endurance athlete. It’s an amazing story on multiple fronts and well worth the read.

At 400 pages or nearly 10 hours, its a medium length book that is inspiring and easy to absorb.