Duct Tape and Determination: A True Story of Turning Devastation into Grit

by Jacky Hunt-Broersma, Cindy Kuzma (Primary Contributor), Mirna Valerio (Foreword)

Struggle. Overcome. Inspire.

For Jacky Hunt-Broersma, a cancer diagnosis in her mid-twenties brought a life-changing a below-the-knee amputation. Navigating her new reality, Jacky first kept her difference hidden as she learned to walk and do daily activities using a prosthesis. Years later, inspired by her husband's passion for races, Jacky started to run—and hasn't stopped since. Two decades after losing her leg, she ran 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days, setting a world record for amputees.

Duct Tape and Determination is more than a running memoir—it's a story of turning pain into purpose. With honesty and humor, Jacky shares the highs and lows of her the blisters and breakdowns, the finish lines and triumphs, and the duct tape fixes that kept her moving forward.

Her story proves that persistence, positivity, and grit can take you farther than you ever imagined—wherever it is you're hoping your life will take you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

Published August 4, 2026

Reviews

[Kate]

I was happy to read Duct Tape and Determination. I am a very amateur runner and reading Jacky's story to how she beat cancer and started running was really fascinating.

She also isn't afraid to go into depth about the specificities of running with a blade too, which I'm sure helps a variety of athletes and providers. She also made it interesting enough for the general/average reader.

Running 100+ marathons? INSANE. Memoir worthy and then some. Go Jacky Go!

[Fiona Donohue]

Fair warning, this book will make you want to sign up for a marathon.

Jacky Hunt-Broersma is a force to be reckoned with. Her story details the struggles she underwent from her cancer diagnosis, learning how to experience life post amputation, and the wins that she fought for to compete at a high level. Each chapter contains a lesson that came from her runs and detailed the journey of running a marathon for 104 days straight.

My favorite part of this book is that it’s not just for runners. Hunt-Broersma’s writing challenges the reader to think about whatever brings them joy and purpose. Then she urges you to question what is holding you back from going after it. I highly recommend that everyone reads this novel for a resurgence of inspiration in whatever you want in your life.

[Danna]

Duct Tape and Determination is Jacky’s remarkable story of perseverance and the indomitable human spirit. In her early 20s, Jackie was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma that necessitated amputating her leg. Despite not being much of a runner pre-amputation, Jacky falls head over heels for distance running (more specifically, super ultra distance running) post-amputation.

In her memoir that also imparts a lot of advice, Jacky tells the story of her journey from initial diagnosis to conquering incredible feats including, but not limited to: running 104 marathons on 104 consecutive days, running 250 half marathons on 250 consecutive days, and running multiple 100+ mile races—all with one leg and one prosthetic limb.

What I liked: the memoir parts. I enjoyed Jackie’s stories, the ups and downs of her emotional life and running life, and how she learned skills on and off the roads that have built her resilience and joy.

What I didn’t like: the pieces that felt more like a self-help book where Jacky liberally shares advice on what to do and not do, with some of her own experience mixed in. I wish she had stuck to just her own experience.

What was neutral for me, but I suspect incredibly helpful for other amputees: personal experience / advice / guidance on how to navigate prosthetic professionals, navigating the absurd healthcare system that makes you confirm you’re an amputee every year or time you need a replacement prosthesis, and troubleshooting the unique injuries that result from having a prosthesis.

Overall, I thought about quitting this more than once, but I liked the story and Jackie enough to keep going. I’m glad I finished, but I would only recommend this to a reader who cares a lot about ultra running or disability, and not a broader audience.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Megy Karydes]

No matter what you're working on, whether it's a project at work or home, trying to run a 5K or marathon, raising small humans, we often focus on the big picture that we forget to celebrate the small wins that help keep us motivated. What I loved about Duct Tape and Determination was how accessible Jacky's story was, even if I never plan to run an ultramarathon. The writing feels like she's sharing her stories and learnings with us, but not in a preachy way. The stories and chapters are written to help us notice that we're capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit. We can see ourselves in her struggles and appreciate what she went through to complete her goals. I usually read these kinds of books before I go to bed but I found myself carrying it around the house so I could sneak a chapter throughout the day because I wanted to see how she'd work through the next marathon challenge.

If you're looking for a book about how to train for a marathon (or ultra), this book isn't for you. It's not a training guide. But if you're looking for a book to inspire you and help you better see what we're all capable of, I'd highly recommend it. I plan to order more books to give as gifts to people I think will appreciate the messages throughout the book.

[Amy]

I don’t often read memoirs (and I’m definitely not an ultramarathoner!), but I really enjoyed this book. You’d think it’s not easy to make yourself relatable when you’re a person who enjoys running 104 marathons in a row, but Jacky does it. Her story of losing her leg to cancer and going on to become a professional athlete is inspiring, of course, but I was also fascinated getting to peek behind the curtain of “extreme” long-distance running—what crewing entails, what it’s like to run through the night, how she fuels herself, etc. Not to mention the challenges she’s faced as an amputee and the effects of running on her stump. Her messages about resilience and pushing yourself (“Forward is a pace”) are shared in a non-preachy way, with personality and humor, which I also appreciated. Glad I read this one!

[Lee]

Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is an amazing book for any reader of adventure stories, inspirational memoirs, or self-help books. Jacky's story is told through a narrative woven through the struggles of the past and one of her most well-known accomplishments in the present.

In the past, we are taken through the steps of her cancer diagnosis and journey into running. Each story is told very deliberately, highlighting not only an important milestone in Jacky's life, but also describing the lessons she learned from them and how they helped her grow. These lessons are told in a manner that can be applied to anyone's life, without coming across in the overly peppy or weirdly robotic tone of many modern self-help books. Instead, Jacky's voice comes through the pages clearly, sounding almost as if she is speaking to each and every reader individually.

In the present, we follow Jacky's viral attempt to break the world record for running 104 marathons in 104 days. Interspersed with the flashes back to her diagnosis and gradual introduction to the world of ultrarunning, we see her putting many of the things she learned in the past to good use on this adventure. The days narrated from this world record attempt showcase the highs and lows of such a feat, and make the monotony of running 26.2 miles day after day into an incredible adventure that left me constantly wanting to know what would happen next.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It reads like an adventure, it is filled with valuable life lessons, and has enough humor and wit to balance out the difficult times with a bit of levity. Jacky is an incredible role model for us all.

[Amie Mak]

I recall watching Jacky’s goal of 104 marathons in 104 days attempt on instagram and being blown away by what she achieved. Duct tape and determination provides the behind the scenes look at her running journey from her first ever 5k to the relentless miles she logged after.

Her memoir is undeniably inspiring, and I appreciated her consistently positive, grounded outlook on endurance and adversity. It's a great peek into the mindset required to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

The Verdict:
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Read if you like: running memoirs, grit and perseverance, and inspiring athletic journeys

[Meg T]

What an inspiration! While my running pales in comparison to that of an ultra-marathoner, I found that the stories Jacky told were inspiring not only in terms of fitness goals but also just everyday life. To think of the mountains she had to climb just to recover from her surgery and then everything she accomplished to get to where she is today. I don’t love getting up for early morning work outs, but this book has made me think twice before hitting that snooze button.

[Ashley Tovar]

I am, without a doubt, the target audience for this book. Nonetheless, I have to say, I absolutely loved it. The perfect blend of inspirational, relatable, entertaining & personal. I am so grateful this incredible story is being put into the world.

Big thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for allowing me to enjoy this.

[Carol Lynn Bayazitoglu]

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and really enjoyed it. As a huge fan of memoirs and an athlete myself I found the story inspiring. At some points it got a little too self-help for my taste, but those sections were easily skimmed over and the rest of the book was worth it.

[Rebekah Metts-Childers]

I loved this book. It made me think a lot about running as a sport, what grit means and the discipline we all bring to our passions.

[Niceli Benevento]

Jacky your book is amazing, so inspiring and encouraging.
I love that Eliza run with you for a while.