484: Lessons for Competing in the Endurance Sport of Life, with Rich Roll

If you’re completely unaware of who Rich Roll is - let me bring you up to speed.

A star of the Stanford University Swim Team, eventually alcohol and addiction played havoc with his life and career, a path that lead him to jails, institutions and ultimately rehab at the age of 31.

He got sober, and got his career back on track - however on the eve of his 40th birthday Rich found himself 20kg overweight and breathless and doubled over in pain by a simple flight of stairs - his level of fitness a long way from his competitive swimming days.

What happens next is straight out of a Rocky montage.

He went vegan, got back in the pool and started running regularly. In less than two years, Rich was accepted into the invite-only endurance epic “Ultraman”. A double-distance Hawaiian Ironman, 515km of running, swimming and cycling completed over three days where he not only finished in the top 10, but recorded the 2nd fastest swim split of the contest.

It was the first, but not the last time he’d compete in Ultraman, and his success there lead him to be named one of the 25 fittest men on the planet.

At 51, he was names “the fittest vegan alive” right after competing in the extraordinary Swedish Swimrun race ötillö. 75 km swimming between then running across a total of 26 islands, tethered to your team mate - all in the brisk September waters of the Stockholm archipelago.

Physical feats aside - Rich is a beacon of inspiration on so many levels. For me, his sobriety journey is one I use as a catalyst to push myself to be better, to do better, to get better every day at the business of being in recovery.

His family is remarkable, he’s married, he and Julie raise four kids together and all that comes with blending families is something they navigate with grace and poise.

He’s an incredible innovator. Behind the scenes he’s literally reinventing what it means to be a broadcaster in this modern world.

He’s brave - when he changed careers, he deliberately chose to not pursue his law career - even though it offered a lifeline of funds when times were tight, because that would have taken him too far off the path he was forging for himself.

He’s curious, his podcast is game-changing.

He’s a bloody great human.

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