Jurek, Scott

Early years

Born in Proctor , Minnesota , Jurek is a descendant of Polish immigrants. ^[2] Parents - Lynn (girlhood - Swapinski) and Gordon Jurek. ^[4] Scott spent his childhood in contact with nature, hunting, fishing and hiking with his family. Scott began trail running as a child, but did not run long distances to high school when he began to practice cross-training in preparation for skiing . At first he hated running ^[3] , but after several summer seasons of trail running with ski poles, he became interested in this discipline. Competing with training partner Dusty Olsen, Scott takes part in the 1994 Minnesota Voyager 50 Mile super marathon, where he is second only to having never run a marathon before. Olsen later participated in many races of Jurek as a pacer. ^[2]

Education

Scott graduated from Proctor High School. After that, he studied at St. Scholastic College in Duluth , Minnesota, in which he received a bachelor's degree in health sciences in 1996, and a master's degree in physiotherapy in 1998.

Running career

While studying at college, Jurek continues to participate in the Minnesota Voyager 50 Mile, re-finishing second in 1994 and 1995. In 1996, 1997 and 1998, he wins the race, setting a record for track 6: 41.16. After graduating, he moves to Seattle, where he begins to compete at the national level. In 1998, he wins the and McKenzie River Trail Run 50K super marathons and takes second place in the stylish Angeles Cross 100 super marathon. ^[five]

In 1999, Scott wins the Western States ultramarathon on his first try, defeating five-time champion Tim Tweetmayer . Subsequently, for another six years in a row, he participates in Western States and wins. In 2004, Jurek breaks the previous record set in 1997 on this track by Mike Morton , completing the race in 15 hours and 36 minutes. ^[6]

In addition to Western States, Jurek participates in super marathons such as McDonald Forest 50K (1999), Bull Run Run 50 Mile (1999), Divide 50 Mile (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004), Diez Vista 50K (2000; track record, and 2003), Silvertip 50K (2002) and Mivoki 100 (2002, 2003, 2004). In 2004, he completed the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning , finishing in one season in four super marathons: Western States, Ledville 100 (in which he finished second), Vermont 100, and Wasatch Front 100 . ^[7] In 2001 and 2002 in Hong Kong, he participated in the Team Montrail team, which won the super marathons, setting track records for both years. In 2001, in addition to Jurek, Dave Terry, Ian Torrens and Nate McDowell also joined the team. ^[8] In 2002, he again runs with McDowell, as well as Brandon Sibrowski and . ^[9] In 2003, in Japan, Jurek and his team won the .

In 2005, just a few weeks after winning the Western States , Jurek set a new record for the Badwater super marathon , considered one of the most difficult tracks in the world. Jurek runs Badwater at an air temperature of 49 ° C ^[10] , periodically stopping and climbing into the freezer, which the accompanying team carries to cope with a terrible overheating. ^[one]

In 2006, Jurek won again in Badwater, and after that Spartatlon , 246 km between Athens and Sparta in Greece , went on in the same season and won his first of three victories in this race. For 2016, Jurek is the only American ever to win this race, and holds two speed records after another titled “Spartatlet,” Greek Janis Kuros . In 2007, Scott wins the Hardrock 100 mountain super marathon, setting a new track record.

Also in 2006, Jurek travels to Mexico with a group of enthusiastic runners led by Christopher McDougall. They get to the remote , in which they are going to take part in a race with the locals - the Indians of Taraumar . Jurek loses the race to the fastest of the taraumaras, Arnulfo Kimare, but returns a year later to win the race. Competitions in the Copper Canyon formed the basis of book “ Born to Run ”, which became a bestseller and added popularity to Jurek. ^{[2] [3]}

On May 14, 2010, in Brive-la-Gaillarde , France , Jurek set another record - this time in the daily run among Americans, running 165.7 miles (266 km) in 24 hours. This result brings him a silver medal and helps the American team take bronze in the team event.

On April 14, 2014, Jurek and Ricky Gates became the first North Americans to complete the mountain super marathon in the UK in less than 24 hours.

In May 2015, Jurek makes an attempt to break the record for passing the Appalachian Trail , a tourist route in the eastern part of the United States with a length of about 3,500 km. He succeeds, and he breaks the old record for three hours, having covered the route in 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. ^[11] The celebration of the victory was overshadowed by three accusations from the leadership of , which was the finish line. The fact is that in honor of the completion of the route, Jurek and the support team opened champagne . Rangers of the park accused Jurek of the fact that his support team was too large, that the athletes illegally carried and consumed alcohol in the park, and that champagne spilled on the ground can be considered “littering” the territory, which is prohibited. Jurek answered all the charges publicly ^[12] , and claims about the size of the group and litter were dropped. Jurek had to pay a fine of $ 500 for drinking alcohol that violates the park’s policies. ^[13]

Worldview

Jurek is committed to the health benefits of plant-based nutrition, and often mentions that his vegan diet is the key to his excellent physical condition and quick recovery. He stopped eating meat in 1997 and switched completely to plant-based nutrition in 1999, motivated by the belief that heavy, unhealthy foods contributed to the occurrence of chronic illnesses that he observed with his family members and patients with whom he worked as a physiotherapist. ^{[2] [3]} When Jurek was young, his mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis . Her struggle with the disease taught him to persevere in difficult conditions ^[1] , and Scott calls the memory of his mother the main source of strength in the 24-hour race in France. ^[14]

Jurek is known for his carefree relationship with racing. He often screams loudly at the start, rolls over the finish line, depicts kung fu techniques at first-aid stations in the middle of the distance and the like. At the end of the race, Jurek, as a rule, remains at the finish line to support other finishing athletes.

In an interview with The New Yourk Times , Jurek said: “Although I want to win, running for me is a means of knowing myself.” ^[3] He believes that running over marathons is more difficult psychologically than physically. ^[1] In 2012, Scott Jurek, co-authored with writer Steve Friedman, published an autobiographical book, “ Eat Right, Run Fast, ” in which he told his story and gave some tips on running training and vegetarian nutrition. The book instantly became a bestseller, debuting in seventh place on the non-fiction books of The New York Times, and was subsequently translated into twenty languages.

Ultrarunning Magazine awarded Jurek the title of North American Supermarathon of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

Jurek lives in Boulder , Colorado with his second wife, Jenny. In addition to jogging, he is interested in yoga , skiing and hiking. Jurek is also an experienced cook and loves to cook vegetarian dishes, the recipes of which he brings from his travels.

• He kept the US record in daily run (266.677 km) from 2010 to 2012.
• Spartatlon won, running a distance of 246 km from Athens to Sparta (Greece) three times in a row (2006-2008).
• Hardrock won 100 (2007), and held the record for a year, until in 2008 he was surpassed by Kyle Scaggs.
• Won Western States seven times in a row, and kept the record in time (15:36:27 in 2004) until 2010
• Badwater won twice (2005, 2006), and held the record for two years.
• Finished three times first (2002-2004) and three times second (2001, 2005, 2006) in Mivoki 100 .
• Won the four times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004).
• Wiigel Diez Vista 50K Trail Run twice (2000, 2003).
• Won the Montrail Ultra Cup series twice (2002, 2003).
• UltraRunning Magazine's announced Jurek the super marathon of the year (among North American male athletes) in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007.
• Set a speed record for the passage of the Appalachian trail (about 3,500 km) in 46 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes in 2015. ^{[15] [16]}

• 100 Cross Country Miles (Trail): 15:36, Western States 2004
• 100 km on the highway: 7:28, GNC 100K 2001
• 50 Mile Trail: 6:21, Ice Age 50 Mile 1999
• 50 miles on the highway: 5:50, GNC 2001
• 50 km trail: 3:04, Bendistillery 50K 1999
• Marathon: 2:38, 2006

• Personal site
• Scott Jurek at statistik.duv.org
• Interview with Scott Jurek