The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion's 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life

Travis Macy summited glacial peaks in the French Alps, rappelled into vast limestone caves in China, and ran through parched deserts in Utah. Most famously, he won one of the country's marquee ultra-distance events: Leadman, a high-altitude series of super-long-distance races, culminating with a 100-mile mountain biking race and a 100-mile trail run. Macy accomplished it without exceptional strength, speed, or flexibility, and without high-tech performance labs or performance-enhancing drugs.

His secret? A precise and particular outlook he calls the "Ultra Mindset," principles for daily life that are neither mysterious nor the sole province of ascetics or elite athletes: embrace fear, rewrite stories we tell ourselves, and master the art of seeking help, among others. By applying the principles such as "It's All Good Mental Training," "When you have no choice, anything is possible," and "Never quit...except when you should quit" to other areas of life, anyone can find success that otherwise would have seemed impossible.

Coauthored with award-winning running writer and journalist John Hanc, The Ultra Mindset blends exciting personal memoir with actionable, research-based advice. Dramatic stories of Macy's far-flung experiences in the professional endurance-racing world lead into relevant mindset principles, reflective self-assessments, mind- and body-enhancing workouts and activities, and compelling case studies. Macy's stories keep the pages turning as you forge your own winning outlook for success in business, sports, and life.

Travis Macy has snowshoed across Canada's desolate plains, run across Mexican deserts, and trekked, kayaked, climbed, and swum through horizontal freezing rain in the Scottish Highlands. In 2013, he won the Leadman marathon/bike race in the Rockies. He is a sought-after speaker, endurance coach, and writes for Ultra Running Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, and Trail Runner Magazine. He is also a stay-at-home dad and remote high school teacher. travismacy.com On Facebook (Travis Macy and Macy Endurance Coaching) Twitter (@travismacy) Instagram (@travismacy) John Hanc is the author of thirteen books, including the award-winning memoirs The Coolest Race on Earth and Not Dead Yet (with Phil Southerland). Hanc is also a contributing editor for Runner's World magazine, a contributing writer for Newsday, and a frequent contributor to The New York Times and Smithsonian.com. His writing covers a wide range of topics, but it usually has this in common: It's about people, past and present, who do extraordinary things.