Running High, Running Low, Running Long by Ben Rolfe
We first mentioned Monaco-based Ben Rolfe in the summer of 2014 (On a Rolfe. Fundraising for Diabetes), after his daughter Alice had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes from a finger prick test. Ben was about to embark on a 230-kilometre fund-raising run for his daughter's cause.
Now Ben comes to us promoting his motivational book Running High, Running Low, Running Long (UK: New Generation Publishing), an autobiographical account of his journey from "fatty to fitty and the power of the mind".
It starts with a routine medical in 2004, when Ben was told he wouldn't see 40 unless he changed his lifestyle. An overweight, sedentary smoker, Ben had a young family and busy career with little time for anything else. Fast forward a decade, transforming himself from couch potato to a man on the move, losing 35 kilos along the way, and you'll see pictures of Ben crossing the Finish Line of the world's toughest ultra-marathons, including the Western States 100, the Ultra Trail of Mont Blanc and the Marathon Des Sables.
However, in 2013, hit with life-changing news that his 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Ben decided to undertake his toughest challenge yet: to prove to her that anything was possible. One evening, departing from the bright lights of Monte-Carlo he headed towards the mountainous terrain behind the Côte d'Azur to run an unsupported 100-km trail run. For most hardened ultra-marathon runners this would be a feat in itself, but for Ben he had something else to prove: choosing to descend the rugged terrain he had already climbed and run the Cro Magnon Trail – the 130-km mountain trail ultra-race. "I wanted to prove to my daughter, that even though she had a life-changing – and potentially life-threatening – condition, that she could do anything she wanted if she put her mind to it.
"I had previously chronicled my running adventures on my blog www.pussyfootingaround.net, and I was encouraged after my "double ultra" to put my musings down in a book. Having changed my own lifestyle, I hope my experience will encourage and inspire others to get off the couch and get outside."
For a down to earth story, detailing Ben's journey to fitness and his love of nature and travel, pick up Running High, Running Low, Running Long.
Available from www.amazon.fr, www.waterstones.co.uk and local bookstores.
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