Scott Jurek is a legend, here is a synopsis:
“You need to experience the low points to appreciate the high points” as Scott says. You need to get in that moment, something clicks and suddenly you become able to put one foot after the other. Inner strength, we all have it. Running for Scott is a way to express this.
Scott practices yoga and is a vegan. He says he is not flexible but he has often expressed his love for meditation and says that running also puts him in that state.
Did he loving running from an early age? No! He actually says he hated running. He ran in high school to get ready for Nordic Skiing.
Why become Vegan? He says that he has seen how food choices have affected other peoples lives. He therefore chose to become as simple as possible with his food choices. He has studied food and he makes significant diet changes to help performance and recovery. He is a spokes person for Vegan and plant based diets. He is extremely ecological and has no car. So his choices are life changing.
He featured prominently in the book ‘Born to Run’. The Copper Canyon is the backdrop to a story of Scott pitting himself against an indigenous tribe of ‘natural’ runners. Ever the human and ever the modest person, Scott raced and came second. It’s a book of fact, myth and legend. Read about Cabello Blanco and the story that has become very much a modern day bible for ‘runners’. The book has become certainly a vehicle for running ‘barefoot’ even though Scott does not run that way.
Scott talks of training and racing as a journey of exploration. Questioned on fame and publicity he responds “I run because I love it, it’s not about self promotion, it’s because I love it”. Quite simply he is a modest guy. “I do what I do, I follow my passions and I go for it. I grab onto life and I go for it”. Great words to run and train by.
Strip away the running and you are left with one ‘neat’ guy.
His mother had ‘MS’ and the passing away of his mother has had a major effect on his life. Running has not been a way to escape big questions but to find big answers. You have to continue learning and exploring. The moment you stop, you stop living.
He acknowledges that he is hypocritical. He has no car, he cycles, walks or uses public transport. However when travelling to races etc he needs to fly in many cases. This causes internal problems for him as he tries to balance his own ‘personal’ life balance.
He wants to inspire, he is connected to the sport, he will man a feed station at a race, he gives of his time generously.
Talking of the future he possibly plans to compete for another 3-4 years. He is currently writing a book and he has great ideas and plans for his future.
How does he take care of the people around him? He admits that the balance is difficult. He is crtical saying that he possibly gives too much. Sometimes he has to force himself to ‘unplug’. We only have one life, he has seen people leave life at a young age, so, don’t live life in the past, seize the moment and nurture relationships. He is proud that he hasn’t taken an easy path. Proud that he has survived the difficult moments. He takes experiences and he is proud that he has taken the path less travelled.
Palmares:
PB’s:
100m Trail – 15:36
100k road – 7:28
50 mile trail – 6:21
50 mile road – 5:50
50k Trail – 3:04
Road Marathon – 2:38
Half Marathon – 1:16:39
Career Highlights:
Western Sates 100 – legendary race. He holds the course record in 15:36!!! Yes – 15:36 for 100 very very difficult trail miles. He has won the race 7 times.
Badwater winner - 135 miles through Death Valley
Spartathlon – 153 miles from Athens to Sparta. 2006, 2007 and 2008 winner. Second fastest runner on the course behind the legendary Yannis Kouros.
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