As part of the first Ultimate Florida Challenge, Warren Richey kayaked 1,200 miles around Florida in 30 days. He described it in Without a Paddle (St. Martin’s Press, $25), a heartfelt, inspiring memoir about a 50-year-old dad also emerging from divorce.

A reporter who once worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Richey was caught off guard by the divorce and the direction his life was headed. So he plopped into a kayak and started paddling, with plenty of time to think about life.

The race became less of a challenge than a dare or a threat. With only 30 days to complete it, Richey sometimes paddled 24 hours a day through shark- and alligator-infested waters.

“When you have to travel at least forty miles a day,” he wrote, “every day, you cannot afford to wait on shore for a storm to pass or to rest up for a few days before attempting a difficult, wide crossing. You can’t afford the luxury of camping for eight hours or ten hours or twelve hours. There isn’t enough sunlight in a day to avoid nighttime travel. That ticking clock keeps you on the water, pressing forward, forcing you to do the best you can to endure whatever is thrown your way.”