From losing weight to one of the world’s fittest

Rich Roll is considered one of the world’s fittest people.

Rich Roll says he “unlocked a more authentic version of” himself by training for and competing in endurance events. It started with trying to get in shape by paying attention to his diet and his weight, and morphed into a love of the endurance world. He’s a top ironman triathlete, competes in ultraman events, and is the author of several books, including Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age. You can hear a brief interview he did with NPR’s Weekend Edition by clicking here.

He describes his journey as a spiritual one, but are the incredibly long hours of training the best way to achieve internal transformation? Critics of endurance events and training claim that the activities are self-centered and potentially damaging. It’s not uncommon for ultra endurance athletes to be told by some friends and families that they’ve lost their  minds. Yet, the athletes themselves feel fulfilled in a way that they never have before.

I’ve competed in some endurance events (not ultras) and spoken to many, many athletes who are totally committed to the endeavor. There’s not a single, unifying reason why they do it. However, increasingly, people are looking for ways to distinguish themselves from the “average” person – as Roll says in his interview, to line-up next to some of the top elite athletes in the world.

Ironman

The Start at Tempe Lake

GUEST POST
There’ll be 2000 starters at the November 22 Ironman Arizona in Tempe Town Lake, but I’m really just interested in how Pat O’Neill will fare.
I’ve known Pat since we were little kids. He was once an excellent skate boarder, has always been a good swimmer, and continues to be an excellent skier; but until recently that was the extent of his interest in sports. So it was with a measure of surprise that I learned he was going to tackle an ultra distance triathlon.
Pat works in the banking industry and lives with his family in Montclair, New Jersey. He was working across the plaza from the twin towers when the planes struck 9/11. He’s had a front row seat for many of the dramatic changes taking place in the United States since that day.
This week he finds himself on the cusp of his own transformation. Read on for Pat’s Guest Post.