Rob Hutchings reached out to me a while ago. He told me he wrote a book about his triathlon adventures and his most recent 256K Clutha River experience. I immediately agreed to read the book.
Rob’s story is similar to many triathletes. He comes from a broken family with an alcoholic father who is abusive. At a young age, he learned to swim and that became his outlet.
Throughout the book, you will experience Rob’s experiences.
Downriver Nomad is captivating and thrilling. Rob takes you through his life as a boy, teen, and adult. The reader experiences his accomplishments and his heartaches. If you are an endurance athlete, the book will resonate with you.
It resonated with me. Although Rob and I have a different story, the thrill of triathlon and endurance sports is something we have in common.
Like me, Rob is a marathon swimmer. He writes, “since you can’t talk to anyone when you’re swimming, it’s a great way to leave the world behind.” How true is that?
Emotional book
The book is emotional. Rob is married to Tansy. He’s a chiropractor in New Zealand. At one point, the two find out they can’t get pregnant. So they seek adoption. That long road unfortunately leaves them childless. During this section of the book, I found that I couldn’t put the book down. I had to read on.
Swimming in Different Parts of the World
The other part of the book that I couldn’t put the book down was when Rob swims in different parts of the world and interestingly completes a 256K swim through the New Zealand Clutha River.
While reading this book, you will feel like you are on the journey with him. And, boy, I thought the Cross Bay Swim was rough, Rob’s swim in the Clutha was more than challenging. This swim was certainly not for the faint at heart.
What I also loved about the book, during the Clutha River journey, Rob talks about his mental state. It was so spot-on as to how we all feel when we do long races or long events.
The book ends with a high note and it’s extremely motivating. It’s a must-read for any endurance athlete.
My only complaint about the book was that I did not know the places in which he was talking about. Not being from Australia or New Zealand put me at a slight disadvantage. I found myself Googling the areas in which Rob was talking about, which lead me to think that there’s a whole world out there to swim!
After reading this book, I decided that I want to up my game in the 2022 season! I think you will feel the same.
To order the book, go to www.adventuresoutsidethelanes.com/downriver-nomad/. To view a home-made video of Rob swimming the Clutha River, check out this: