If you’ve ever read Christopher McDougall’s best-selling page turner ‘Born to Run’, then you’ve probably heard of world class ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek. And if you have read ‘Born to Run’ but haven’t read ‘Eat and Run’, Scott’s personal account of his adventure to long distance running success on a vegan diet, what are you waiting for? If both of these books are news to you, then you’re in for a treat. I’d suggest immediately moving both of them right to the top of your list if you’re at all interested in healthy eating, running and fitness, or even just an enthralling read!
Scott Jurek: a running hero!
As a budding health and fitness nut in grad school, I stumbled upon these gems and to this day no other author (except maybe one) has influenced my life more than Jurek. The book is a seamless blend of tales of the countless 100+ mile ultras he’s run (and won), delicious vegan recipes, general advice on how to cope with life’s ups and downs, and tips on everything from proper form and breathing while running, to how to exercise on a busy schedule.
Scott is one of the most successful endurance athletes the world has ever seen, beginning his career by winning the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in the Sierra Nevada’s seven years in a row! Since then he has run with the extraordinary Tarahumara Indians in Mexico, broken numerous course records on ultra-marathons around the world, and even set a US record for running 165.7 miles in 24 hours! Despite all this he still comes across as one of the nicest and most humble guys you could meet.
After trying out some of Scott’s Recipes such as quinoa porridge, spirulina smoothies, lentil-mushroom burgers, and vegan chili, I was hooked. At the time I was training with my University’s triathlon club, and with the Jurek diet plus regular, intense exercise I felt better and stronger than ever. Scott is a ready advocate for the notion that you don’t have to eat meat to be a strong, successful athlete. In fact, the vegan chili recipe found in his book is the meal that made him believe he never had to eat meat again.
Trying my first spirulina smoothie using Jurek’s Recipe in ‘Eat and Run’
Scott Jurek is now going for another record – the fastest completion time of the Appalachian Trail which is currently set at 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes by Jennifer Phaff Davis. As it turns out, the other author who I mentioned may have influenced my life more than Jurek is travel writer Bill Bryson who I was introduced to through the laugh out loud hit ‘A Walk in the Woods‘ which accounts a tale hiking the very trail Scott is now tackling. But that is beside the point. The sheer difficulty of taking on on a 2,189 mile journey with the full intention to break the record on a 50 mile per day pace is just another sign of his determination and will. I fully believe he can meet his goal of setting a new record. GO SCOTT!!
You can track Scott’s progress in real time here: https://share.delorme.com/scottjurek
Scott’s website: http://scottjurek.com/
About the Author
Dave graduated from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Sciences. He currently works as Kuli Kuli’s blog editor. As a fitness and sustainability enthusiast, he is always excited to learn more about healthy, nutritional foods which can have a positive impact on both human health and our planet. His journey into eating superfoods began after reading vegan ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek’s book, ‘Eat and Run’. For more posts by Dave, click here!
