Rich Roll has been a familiar face to me for many years. I first came across him about 7 years ago when I made my first explorations into plant based nutrition. I believe the documentary “Forks over Knives” was the first time I saw him. I recently read “Finding Ultra” by Rich Roll, which documents the journey from being an overweight and unhappy lawyer to becoming one of the world’s fittest men and a vegan ultra-endurance athlete. I’ve always appreciated his podcasts and his way of presenting himself, so it was great to learn about his journey.

In this book, Rich shares his story of how he overcame alcoholism, depression, and poor health by adopting a plant-based diet and a rigorous training regimen. He also describes his amazing feats of endurance, such as completing five Ironman-distance triathlons on five Hawaiian islands in under a week.

As someone who is already eating a plant-based diet, I still found this book very inspiring. It affirmed to me that you can be a high-performance athlete as a vegan. I have started running early this year and I have made a lot of progress. I recently ran 12 kilometres for the first time. This book has inspired me to clean up my diet even more and train harder and to search out my limits.

Here are some of the quotes from the book that I highlighted, which resonated with me:

“The solution is spiritual.”

“Safety isn’t just an illusion, it’s a cop-out.”

“When you believe you’ve reached your absolute limit, you’ve only tapped into about 40 percent of what you’re truly capable of.”

“Bliss in depletion. I finally got it. It’s that beautiful place of ascetic purity that is permitted to bloom only when the mind is stopped dead in its tracks and everything else is stripped away, leaving your soul—or who you really are—to forge a connection with the truth.”

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that my EPIC5 experience had been fueled in large part by avocados, grapeseed oil–based Vegenaise, and coconut water.”

Some of the key takeaways that I learned from this book are:

  • Change is possible at any age, but it requires commitment, discipline, and faith.
  • Plant-based nutrition can enhance health, performance, and recovery.
  • Endurance sports are not only physical, but also mental and spiritual challenges.
  • Finding your purpose and passion can give you the motivation and courage to overcome any obstacle.
  • Living authentically and gratefully is the ultimate reward.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in personal growth, veganism, or endurance sports. It is a captivating and uplifting story that will make you rethink what you are capable of.

202307240707