North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail

by Scott Jurek

From the author of the bestseller Eat and Run, a thrilling memoir about his grueling, exhilarating, and immensely inspiring 46-day run to break the speed record for the Appalachian Trail. Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners. Renowned for his remarkable endurance and speed, accomplished on a vegan diet, he's finished first in nearly all of ultrarunning's elite events over the course of his career. But after two decades of racing, training, speaking, and touring, Jurek felt an urgent need to discover something new about himself. He embarked on a wholly unique challenge, one that would force him to grow as a person and as an breaking the speed record for the Appalachian Trail. North is the story of the 2,189-mile journey that nearly shattered him. When he set out in the spring of 2015, Jurek anticipated punishing terrain, forbidding weather, and inevitable injuries. He would have to run nearly 50 miles a day, every day, for almost seven weeks. He knew he would be pushing himself to the limit, that comfort and rest would be in short supply -- but he couldn't have imagined the physical and emotional toll the trip would exact, nor the rewards it would offer. With his wife, Jenny, friends, and the kindness of strangers supporting him, Jurek ran, hiked, and stumbled his way north, one white blaze at a time. A stunning narrative of perseverance and personal transformation, North is a portrait of a man stripped bare on the most demanding and transcendent effort of his life. It will inspire runners and non-runners alike to keep striving for their personal best.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Sports, Audiobook, Adventure, Travel, Biography

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2018

About the author

SCOTT JUREK is a world-renowned ultramarathon champion who trains and races on a vegan diet. He has prominently appeared in two New York Times bestsellers, Born to Run and The 4-Hour Body, and has been featured on CNN and in the New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous other media. Known and admired for his earth-conscious lifestyle, Scott is also a highly sought after motivational speaker, physical therapist, coach, and chef. He has delivered talks to numerous organizations, including Microsoft, Starbucks, and the esteemed Entertainment Gathering. He lives in Boulder.

Reviews

[Kendall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I'm not ultra runner material. A new version of an old joke . . .

Question: So you go to a party, how do you find the vegan ultra runner dude at the party?

Answer: Oh, don't worry. He'll find you.

Scott Jurek's book copy bills him as "one of the greatest runners of all time" and "a PASSIONATE vegan" (as if there were some other kind). While I enjoyed his tale of breaking the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Appalachian Trial, I could not for a minute imagine enjoying his company on the trail.

Although the book has a nice voice and is well-written, Jurek approached this feat as if he was "one of the greatest runners of all time," which is to say with insufficient humility, insufficient trail knowledge, and insufficient planning. This hubris combined with an illiberal liberal chauvinism against anything southern or rural made Scott an uninviting trail companion from my point of view.

Anyone who can't get out of their own driveway until 0200 because they can't get their sh*t together is off to a bad start. The bad start culminated in much unnecessary suffering and physical risk. The original plan was to break the FKT by 4 days. Jurek risked his life (and the lives of his friends) while wasting away to nothing and barely beating the mark by 3 hours.

Jurek gamely treats this struggle as some kind of heroism, but he's lucky he didn't die or seriously injure one of his crew through this folly. First responders must regularly place their lives at risk or forever live with the images of unprepared fools whose bodies were plucked from the wilderness. Lack of preparation or insufficient respect for the risks of wilderness travel is not entertaining.

Some of the better portions of the book were written by Scott Jurek's wife, Jenny. Late in the book, she observes, "Looking back, I could see we were underprepared and naive." Uhm, YEAH. And given the number of ultra-runners and AT through hikers who were their personal friends there was no excuse for it.

My problem with this book was roughly similar to my dislike for "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, an author I usually adore. If one is going to enter a world like the AT (or any sport or profession), become a student of that world FIRST. Using a lifeline to call a friend after you're already en route and injured is not how this is supposed to work.

Be hungry. But be humble first.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a longtime fan of armchair travel, and one of my favorite sub-genres of travelogues are hiking memoirs. I've lost track of how many trail books I've read, and "North" was a pleasant addition to the collection.

I've been trying to improve my running stamina lately, so I did a search for running memoirs in an effort to keep me motivated. My search turned up Scott Jurek's name, who will be familiar to those who read the also-inspiring "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.

Scott Jurek is an ultramarathoner, meaning he competed in (and won) 50-mile and even 100-mile races. But after turning 40 and experiencing a bit of a mid-life crisis, he decided to attempt breaking the speed record of running the Appalachian Trail, which is a 2,200-mile route from Georgia all the way up to Maine. (Even this decision to run the trail is a bit controversial -- a number of thru-hikers, as they are called, think the trail should be walked and appreciated at a slower pace, rather than trying to speed race it.)

Considering that there were a lot of news articles about Scott's attempt back in 2015, I don't think it's a huge spoiler alert to say he did set a new speed record for a north-bound AT hike, although it was only by a few hours. (A new record has since been set.) But knowing the outcome isn't the point -- the point is hearing about his journey along the trail. This brings me to one of the aspects of "North" that I especially enjoyed, which is that Scott wrote the book with his wife, Jenny, who was his "crew" for the race, meaning she helped manage his meals, organize supplies, and plan the schedule. They also had some running buddies help out, with folks taking turns running with Scott up the trail and keeping him motivated.

So the book alternates perspectives, we'll hear from Scott about his experiences (mostly in chronological order, with a few flashbacks to previous outdoor adventures), and we also get to hear Jenny's side of things, and I got a true appreciation of how difficult it is to crew for someone during a race, especially one as long as 2,200 miles. Sure, the athlete who is out there running is putting their physical limitations to the test, but the patience and skill and endurance of the people behind the scenes is also tested!

Overall, I really enjoyed "North," which I listened to on audio. I also downloaded a copy of the ebook to see the photos included in the book, which was worth it. (The physical contrast between Scott on Day 1 and Scott on Day 46 was just as jarring as Jenny described.) I would recommend "North" to anyone who likes running memoirs or books about the Appalachian Trail.

On a personal note, "North" helped me break out of months-long reading rut, and for that I'm grateful.

[Sabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very raw look behind the curtain of how much a body can and has to endure on these attempts of a Fastest Known Time on the long distance trails.

This book made me drop my rose tinted glasses that made me think what a wonderful but challenging effort this was. Judging by what a trained and experienced athlete he is and how many ultras he has done already I would have never assumed how hard this actually was on Scott Jurek and his wife.

A very inspiring journey.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book because I liked Scott Jurek's first book and I remembered following his attempt to break a speed record on the Applachian Trail a couple of years ago. Unfortunately this book is not very good and I was disappointed by it. It's actually by both Jurek and his wife (although I notice Goodreads lists only him as the author) as she was his support crew for his attempt at Fastest Known Time for northbound on the AT. Most of the chapters have a section by him about what was happening on the trail and a section by her about what was happening behind the scenes. There were a couple of problems with that though-first was that it wasn't always clear when the narrators were changing, they needed a symbol or something before her sections and second was that although his wife is a good writer, there wasn't really much more for her to say beyond I was reorganizing the van and making vegan smoothies while waiting for Scott to finish running. I also didn't like how much they both complained about other runners and fans who came out to cheer Scott on or wanted to run with him. If he didn't want people to know about it, then he shouldn't have posted his tracking on social media! Jurek also had this annoying fake humble way of talking about himself and how his friends told him how much they admired him for how he handles all of his fans. There was also a lot of anti-local, anti-Southerner stuff at the beginning that wasn't necessary. Another problem was that Jurek didn't do a good job of explaining how he was able to accomplish this really impressive feat or sharing with us how hard it really was so I didn't feel like I learned anything from reading about what he did. As a reader I got kind of immune to reading about his mileage and how many thousands of feet he was climbing a day because it just repeated over and over. This book is a good example of someone who achieved an amazing feat but isn't so good at writing about it. I don't recommend it.

[Matt (Fully supports developing sentient AGI) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intersection of 2 beloved tribes - Appalachian Trail thru-hikers and Ultra-runners. Both groups extremely distant on the long-tail. Put them together and you get a special animal. Then, there is Scott Jurek and a handful of other humans trying to run difficult, long trails faster than anyone else. That tribe is a small family.

Scott Jurek is a human... gazelle/ostrich/sled dog/horse. It's a struggle to make a comparison, because there is no other land animal on the planet which can persistently cover long distances in the broadest possible conditions. There are specialists, but humans can run any place, any time mostly only limited by the willpower of the runner (Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen if you just want to geek out about one of our greatest strengths).

North reads like a travelogue about trail life and the experience of running 20 hours every day, no breaks. Not for everybody, but I find the people, lifestyle, and logistics fascinating.

BTW - How long is the Appalachian Trail? Springer Mountain, Georgia to the summit of Mt. Katahdin, Maine is the same distance as Maine to Iceland.

[Chris Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I believe it is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown.” – Ernest Shackleton.

I’ve always seen hiking as a transformative experience. It can help you appreciate the world around you, warm your soul, test your physical (and mental) limits, and sear the most incredible sights onto your mind forever. But what if you were attempting to take on the fastest known time on one of the most famed trails in the world? That’s what this book is about. Scott Jurek will need to set an average pace of 45+ miles a day in order to beat the standing record at that point in time. What takes most people 6 to 7 months to complete, he has to finish in under 50 days.

The book follows the record-breaking attempt from start to finish, and at the time, it was fairly big news in the sports and recreation world. Scott’s wife, Jenny, accompanies him on the hike and helps provide moral support, food, confidence boosts, and more. I won’t spoil the outcome, but even if you know what happens, the story is always in the journey, not the destination.

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── 🏔️ ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

// Here is a 'hiking outline guide-esque' book review. \\

1. Gear
a.) Shoes.
b.) Loads of energy gels and Clif bars.
c.) The camper van, aptly named Castle Black, was stocked with food and supplies.

2. Location
a.) Appalachian Trail: around 2,190 miles.
b.) Longest hiking-only footpath in the world.

3. Essentials
a.) Navigation - Scott had a GPS tracker, so anyone could follow his attempt.
b.) Illumination – They ran the trail at night with headlamps to make up lost time.
c.) First Aid – Used for some scary moments involving ticks and other injuries.

4. Planning
a.) They did not plan all that well, and it must have been difficult for Scott’s wife to keep up with him at checkpoints to resupply him with food and water.
b.) When available, running buddies from Scott’s past would show up on the trail and help run alongside him for multiple miles.

5. Hiking Etiquette
a.) Scott’s trail name is Webwalker because he makes a point to clear away cobwebs as he makes his way along the trail.
b.) Scott always seems happy to run along with folks showing up along the trail.

6. Troubleshooting
a.) Respecting animals along the way.
b.) Navigating the 100-Mile Wilderness portion.
c.) Dealing with shady fans that show up and follow their van.
d.) Falling asleep while running.
e.) Hallucinating while running.
f.) What taking no zero-days does to the body both physically and mentally.

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── Quotes ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

//"I was overcome with a mix of joy and sadness, that could only be explained by nature's hard and soft edges."//

//“What matters most is how you walk through the fire.”//

//”We often think we can’t go any farther and feel like we have nothing left to give, yet there is a hidden potential and strength in all of us, begging us to find it.”//

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── Extra 📝’s ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

●○ It was exciting to follow along with the journey. Scott has a keen way of internalizing and explaining the joy of hiking.
●○ The inclination to add tiny bits of danger here and there felt very “written” to me. The end was sort of hammy as well.
●○ There was a constant need to remind the reader of his accomplishments.
●○ All of the cheery characters and trail angles seem to make the attempt much more satisfying and memorable.

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── 🎵 Music queues 🎵 ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

●○ Circa Survive – I Felt Free.
●○ The Beatles – Here Comes The Sun.
●○ Starset – Monster.

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── 4 ★'s ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

[Nate Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. I remember tracking Scott when he made this attempt. It is a great view behind the curtain to see what inspired the trip. You know you are not in the same league when he talks about running through injury and still clocking 30 plus miles a day. Fun to get a glimpse inside the mind of an elite athlete.

[Kaspars Koo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott, thank you for bringing us with you to this adventure and those places. Sometimes happy places, but mostly dark places.
I loved that the book was written from 2 perspectives - Scott's and his wife's who was crewing for him. It was interesting not only because it gave 2 perspectives of the event, but also because crewing for such an event comes with its own set of challenges. And they both saw the Appalachian Trail from their own perspective.
I also loved how true was the book. I had an opportunity to see the book's opening presentation by Scott and Jenny and it was clear to me that they don't know how to be fake and that is true also for their writing.
However, I would have liked Scott to dive deeper and reveal more of his mental struggles and thoughts during the run. He started this adventure to deal with his problems - mainly, being an aging athlete who also struggles with motivation. The book does not fully reveal how he managed that. Then again it seemed like his mind was not functioning properly for a big part of the journey. Maybe he did not get all of the answers. Or maybe there were things he did not want to share - that is his right and that is understandable. For any other book might have given 4 stars because of this, but this one is just too unique and I am too grateful the author for sharing his experience to do that.
Overall, a great book which I highly recommend all runners and outdoorsy persons. The cast that appears in the book is also badass.

Last side note - during the book presentation I asked Scott "What was that helped him get through the lowest points?". Before he answered there was a little hesitation and a look. I think I saw his soul in his eyes. It felt like just for a second he went back to those lowest points and emotions he had. I instantly felt sorry for asking the question and after reading the book I understand what I saw there.
By the way, the answer, of course, was "other people". It will be clear why when you read it.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Little, Brown for sending me a copy to review!

The Appalachian Trail is some 2200 miles (favorite fun fact from this book: that's half the circumferance of Pluto), and this is the story of how Scott Jurek ran the whole darn thing in 46 days - breaking the fastest known record. That means an average of 50 miles of trail every day, a mentally and physically punishing challenge for even the strongest ultra-athlete.

I've hiked sections of the AT, so I really enjoyed being able to follow his journey through parts of the trail I've loved! At its best, this story gives fascinating insight to what goes into a long distance challenge like this: the large team that rotated through to support and keep Scott going, the planning of mileage and logistics, the large amounts of Clif bars consumed. Interspersed with Scott's perspective are his wife Jenny's thoughts, which rounded the narrative out nicely.

Overall, I wanted more. Jurek dips into his reasons for taking this on, and I wish he'd gone deeper into what it meant to be an aging athlete and where this journey took him emotionally. Scott and Jenny include plenty from their personal lives, but it felt like they were toeing the line when it came to really telling the whole story - and I completely understand that it's their right to choose what they want to divulge. At the same time, I think the book would have been stronger if they had either gone all the way into the personal or just stuck with the athleticism.

[Francis Tapon · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Imagine running 84 marathons. Consecutively.”

That’s what running legend Scott Jurek asks you to do in his newest book, North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail.

It comes out April 10, 2018.

Warning: if you know nothing about Jurek and Appalachian Trail records, then there are spoilers in this review.

In 2011, Jennifer Pharr Davis thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes. That’s an average of 76 km (47 miles) per day.

North is about how (and why) Scott Jurek beat that record on July 12, 2015.

Scott Jurek finished 3 hours and 12 minutes faster than Davis.
Jurek’s wife, Jenny Jurek, likes to call her husband Jurker. Meanwhile, he likes to call her Jlu (pronounced “jay-loo”). Jenny supported Scott throughout his race.

Other running legends, such as David Horton and Karl Meltzer (aka Speedgoat), also encourage Scott in key parts of his attempt.

Jurek’s literary agent, Richard Pine, pushed Jurek to write another book. Jurek doesn’t drag his feet when he’s running but he sure did when it came to writing this book. It’s now three years since he set the record—it’s
already ancient history.

A year after Jurek’s record, Karl Meltzer (aka Speedgoat) ran the Appalachian Trail southbound in 45 days, 22 hours, and 38 minutes—that’s 10 hours faster than Jurek. He was 48 years old when he pulled that off.

Just like Speedgoat helped Jurek set the record, Jurek returned the favor, thereby showing great sportsmanship.

In 2017, a year after Speedgoat’s record, a 26-year-old named Joe McConaughy (aka Stringbean) raised the bar even further by finishing in 45 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes—that’s 10 hours faster than Meltzer and 20 hours faster than Jurek.

What’s remarkable is that McConaughy wasn’t just his 48-mile-per-day average but that he did it unsupported, unlike Jurek and Meltzer. He beat the previous unsupported recorded by nine days.

In short, McConaughy has the story most thru-hikers want to hear. Nearly all thru-hikers are unsupported and proud of it. Ultra-runners are a different species.

Although Jurek’s Appalachian Trail run is old news, it’s still a fascinating tale for those who are either into ultra-running or thru-hiking.

Indeed, if you’re not into ultra-running or thru-hiking, you will probably find North boring. It’s a blow-by-blow account of his many challenges. For those who are familiar with the Appalachian Trail, thru-hiking, or ultra-running, you’ll identify with what he’s saying. Others will not.

Therefore, for the Appalachian Trail fan, thru-hiker, or ultra-runner, it’s 9/10 stars.
For others, wait for McConaughy’s book (if it ever comes). Or wait until the next speed freak sets a new record.

Disclosure: The publisher gave me an advanced copy with the hope that I would write an honest review.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose fans of Scott rated this higher, but I couldn't get past his self-aggrandizement and criticisms of others (sometimes by using their real names!). I do admire his perseverance ... what an accomplishment, but the book was uneven. The first half wasn't much a travelogue (I guess he had to distinguish it from "A Walk in the Woods") as he let us in on his mid-life crisis. Then the second half was about all his aches and pains ... so we never found out if he figured out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. I couldn't understand he and his wife "wanting to do this by themselves" if he was advertising his journey along the way. What did they expect? The couple let us in on their private thoughts... perhaps they should have kept them private.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a painful journey (literally for the authors and vicariously for the reader). For myself although I do wish to take a long trail at some point in my life I definitely do not want to go anywhere close to this fast, but it was a valiant goal and a rather astonishing achievement considering the problems he encountered near the beginning and the toll the trip was taking on his body by the end. I understand better now why a woman held the record previous to this attempt.
Popsugar 2018: a book by two authors

[cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Evidence of the reality that I will read *anything* that is about thru hiking the AT or the PCT. In reality this one was about thru running the trail and it was that fact (and the fact that Scott and party didn't actually sleep on the trail) that made this book a blah read for me. Not enough trail magic and enjoyment! Oh well.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf'd after finishing chapter 4 (28%).

Jurek was just too annoying all the way through the chapters I read.
I really wanted to read an epic tale of adventure and/or running, but all the way from claiming that "people sometimes can't believe we call each other by those casual nicknames" (Americans, please chime in: is a relationship not a relationship in the US unless you only call your partner "dear"?) to weird pseudo-deep shit like "my roots are the calculus of who I am", to calling the surrounding rocks "unknowably ancient geology" (dating is a thing), this book made me roll my eyes so hard with such high frequency that I almost feared they'd get stuck permanently looking up and back.

The book could probably have been really good, had Jurek had a professional writer help him out. As it is, the writing seems desperate to be flowery and deep, and comes off as a mediocre middle school kid's essay.

A small thing that didn't sit right with me is to name two out of three Barkley winners. I don't know if this is the case, but that seems like a non-accidental slight. It probably would've been easier to name them all, but for some reason Jurek chose not to.

A big thing that didn't sit right with me is Jurek's complete lack of preparation and respect for his surroundings. Embarking on a big trip in nature like this can be dangerous, and it seems he only succeeded through a combination of luck, pure talent, and pigheadedness.

I am happy to put this book away unfinished, and hopefully will never follow an impulse to pick it back up.

[Perttu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story of Scott Jurek running almost consecutive 2200 miles. The journey is filled with ups and downs; introspection and retrospection; injuries and desperation.

I highly recommend this book to anybody who takes any interest in running - even of the regular kind, not of the superhuman, ultrarunning variety which Scott does. An additional recommendation goes to the audiobook edition which is read by Scott and Jenny themselves. The story really comes alive. I listened to most of the book while running myself, and several times I laughed out loud when Scott did his Karl "Speedgoat" Meltzer impression.

[Ivo Stoyanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Пътеката на Апалачите е едно от най-големите предизвикателства за всички любители на преходите , тя е нещо повече от маршрут, тя е нещо свещено, много бегачи , планинари, любители и професионалисти, бегачи откриват себе си по пътя , търсят отоговори за себе си , за живота , търсят спасение ,а мнозина намират и смъртта си .
Скот Юрек , гони рекорд в тази надпревара. Дали рекорда е най-важното в живота му или всички отговори ще намери по пътят на север към Катадин?
Някой ден ще измина част от този път с любимият човек до мен .Вярвам, че когато това се случи , ще има нещо магическо в този миг, какъвто е всеки миг на този свят .

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Scott Jurek's first book and gave it an enthusiastic 5 stars. I loved his story. He had such a strong determination. He was led to something he truly loved and shared that in a great first book. So when he came out with this second book, I was so excited to read it.

I'm disappointed that I'm disappointed. This one didn't work for me. I listened to the audio and I think therein lies the problem. I usually like when authors narrate their own memoirs, but it did NOT work for me here. His wife's voice was grating and he sounded so clinical. I really wanted to like this one, but it wasn't meant to be. I admittedly skimmed parts of this.

I liked his journey, but the audio execution wasn't for me. So 2 stars.

[David Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are goals, there are audacious goals … and then there are the “OMG, you’ve got to be kidding me!” kind of goals.

“North”, by Scott and Jenny Jurek, is a fantastic account of the adventurous achievement of one of those third-level (OMG) goals.

Scott Jurek, a phenomenal distance runner, could well be called the Michael Phelps of the ultramarathon world. He has had many notable victories, and records, in most all the well-known ultramarathons. These are races, by the way, that typically cover a 100 mile or greater distance.

That’s right, one hundred miles. To most ultra runners, a marathon (26.2 miles) is a training run. As an avid runner myself (planning my next marathon this November), I am in awe of the ultramarathon community.

Needing a new challenge, Scott decided in 2015 to attempt breaking the existing speed record for running (yes, running) the Appalachian Trail, which at that time was 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes.

Let that sink in – the Appalachian Trail, extending 2,189 miles from Georgia to Maine, covers every imaginable type of terrain and weather. Runners on it don’t just run – they climb mountains, slog through mud, deal with roots, rocks, animals, forests, storms, ticks, rivers --- you name it. And, to break the record, Scott would have to cover an average of 50 miles or more a day. Running, wherever possible. Every day. For 46 days.

This book is the fascinating, first-person, day by day account, of how Scott broke that record, wonderfully assisted by his wife Jenny. She led his “crew” – a rotating team of volunteers, mostly from the ultra running community (a unique and very interesting culture all its own) who came from all over the country to pitch in along the way. They ran sections of the trail with Scott, and also helped Jenny manage meals, sleeping arrangements, pep talks, first aid, schedules, timetables, and so much more. Kind of a “mobile pit crew”. Overnight accommodations for the Jureks (and sometimes team members) were usually in the Jurek’s well stocked van, nicknamed Castle Black. Or sometimes in a shelter or lean-to along the trail. Motels and hot showers were an occasional luxury.

Oh, and spoiler alert – Scott faced some knee and leg problems in the early days of the race, which impacted his overall schedule. This made the race to the finish, on Mt. Katahdin in Maine, even more dramatic and nail-biting, as Scott broke the previous record by a mere 3 hour margin!

This was an enjoyable and fast-paced read, and a very inspiring look at what the human spirit, and body, and teamwork, can achieve – especially when pushed unimaginably far beyond any previous challenges. Even if you’re not a runner, or an athlete, this story will make you want to go out and achieve a big goal you’ve maybe always dreamed of, and will remind you of the valuable lessons about yourself that you will learn along the way.

[Olivia Law]

I had the pleasure of running with Scott Jurek yesterday, and from the hour we spent together, I have to say he is one of the nicest, kindest, chillest people I have ever met!

This book was such an incredible read. Both Scott and Jenny are great writers, full of emotion, great descriptions, and humour. I'd 100% recommend reading this book if you want to feel humbled and inspired!

[Deana · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a lot of my life, I've thought it would be awesome to take the summer off and walk the Appalachian trail. But I have to admit, I've never even walked on part of it, to the best of my knowledge. I've had acquaintances who have done it, and my cousin attempted but had to call it quits because he bought new boots for the adventure, which turned out to be a mistake. It just sounds like such an amazing way to see our country.

But, as I've learned more and more about the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, from reading both books and articles online, I have begun to think that the PCT is more my style--friendlier people, fewer horrible mishaps (or malicious activities) and the trail just seems to be overall friendlier to n00bs.

Scott Jurek of course made waves in the running community for being an amazing distance runner, and vocally promoting a fully vegan diet. He was in a running slump and decided to tackle the Appalachian Trail speed record, going northbound (which is backwards from typical). Despite a rough start in which he became seriously injured on something like day 2, he continued to push through the pain, horrible rainy weather, creepy people showing up on the trail uninvited to run with him or harass his wife (actually SHE put up with a lot more of the creepers at the waiting points than he did on the trail)... and successfully got the FKT (fastest known time). Just imagine how fast he could have done it if he'd been able to walk properly! And yet, it's pretty clear that he's incredibly miserable the entire time. By the end of the trail he's mostly on autopilot, sick, lost a lot of weight, and doesn't seem to be 100% aware of what is going on around him.

Don't get me wrong... I totally understand this. I feel this way at a much smaller scale when I run a marathon (and sometimes even much shorter races when I'm not trained properly) and yet I still call it "fun!" and I'm glad I did it and I'll continue to do it. But despite a lot of criticism of books like this for encouraging people to attempt these trails and increasing the amount of foot traffic ("contributing to the commercialization of natural areas" or somesuch), I feel like this book had the opposite effect on me. It said "uhhh yeah, no, you could not handle this." Then again, I would definitely not be attempting any speed record... and I do still want to day hike bits and pieces.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The bulk of this book focused on the people Scott and Jenny Jurek met during his attempt to break the speed record for the Appalachian trail. One of the dominant themes of the book is clearly meant to be “if we focus on accomplishing momentous things together, we can overcome our differences.” However this theme was eclipsed by the fact that the Jureks introduce friends and strangers alike by stating how flawed/annoying/dangerous/unwelcome they are on this attempt at the FKT, only to then uncritically change tack and note how helpful/benign they were. Multiple parts of the book mention being “creeped out” by locals, particularly in the south, with Scott and Jenny alike feeling stalked. These sections seem to show a lot of bias against poor southerners, mocking misspellings (“hickers” for “hikers,” for example), ridiculing their push back against the chaos through-hikers might wreak on their towns, insinuating that it was reasonable to have “Deliverance” paranoia, and suggesting they were scared to take food from people because it might be tampered with (it never was). Not once does any of this distrust appear to be justified. The prejudice against the people living their lives around the AT is made more infuriating because the Jureks are so quick to forgive nearly anything of member’s of the elite endurance running community. Jenny notes that some of her anxiety out on the trail comes from being female, Asian, and exposed when she waits alone at trail crossings — all of which are logical anxieties — but her willingness to glance at tensions along racial and gender lines seems undermined by her unwillingness to critique the people in her social orbit who help underwrite the social structures that exacerbate those tensions. For example, one recurring character, David “Horty” Horton, is a professor at the infamous Liberty University who also mocks everyone he meets. Does Jenny make much of how much she disliked him when he first did a sexist and racist impression of her? Absolutely. Does she get over it once she’s in the fold? Totally. Scott Jurek makes this same turn throughout the book as well — a person has problematic politics but once you get to know them they sure are great. Their willingness to welcome people who are nice to them — regardless of how they treat others — makes it very hard to swallow the theoretically inclusive messaging that pervades the rest of this memoir.

[Sam Marks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never heard someone stereotype the south so intensely. They both assume that everyone in the south is a bad person and out to get them. They make the south look bad and Boulder county look bad. Increasing the stereotype that the south is full of bad people and that Boulder is full of out of touch yuppies.

[Connie Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occasionally I have dreams of challenging myself by hiking the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trails. And then I read a book like this and I’m just inspired, while also realizing that maybe its not for me. Enjoyed the epilogue, too.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raw, honest, and sometimes as wandering as the trail.

[Alyssa Killingsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was inspired by Dillon to read something set in the Appalachians, whom I miss so dearly. Typed “Appalachia” into Libby and it pulled up Scott Jurek’s book about attempting to set the AT FKT. It was a very enjoyable book and I loved getting Jenny’s perspective. It was well integrated and both POVs melded well. There is definitely less from Jenny, which makes sense but I would have loved one or two more stories from her! Either way, it was fun to read about sections I know and how the geography changes between the southeast and northeast during his travels and all the beauty that they discovered along that ridge of the country that I love so. Definitely an inspiring book and I can confidently say I would have stopped, but he survived and recovered and that’s super impressive. I loved hearing about the colorful characters he met as well!
Overall, very fun and quick read. The pictures in the back really added a lot to the experience as well. Would recommend for anyone outdoorsy, running inclined, and/or interested in the gnar of the AT. 🤙🏻

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished it! Time to read has been a rarity this summer, but this morning I spent a solid hour finishing this. Very "off the beaten path" of my usual reads, I took me a while to get into. But once I did, I appreciated the lengths the author went to to achieve his goal and, more so, the emphasis on his team, especially his wife, who were all critical to his success. I still can't fathom why anyone would do this, lol, but I am grateful that Scott shared his story so all of us readers could experience it vicariously through him.
Biggest take-away -- life is a journey, we all have our own AT to finish, with our own unique roadblocks, mountains, valleys, and Vermuds. Rain storms, sleepless days, struggles. Sunrises, starry nights, vegan chocolate cakes left by trail angels. And a supportive team that is always right there to help us get to the finish line.

[Wesley Lebakken · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have wanted to read this one for a while, and once i started i was a bit disappointed with the whole foreshadowing of doom written. but i persevered through (though much less than scott jurek) and thoroughly enjoyed the regaling of his AT hike. i appreciated the dual perspectives and the group effort of it all. it’s a good tale!

i’ve been fascinated by the trail for years and reading books like this helps me keep that excitement and acknowledge just how grueling it will actually be

[Ingalill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepping for Biosirkel 32.

[Morgan Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! Very different from what I typically read but it was really inspirational and super interesting

[Grace Reins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t wait to hike again