Eat&Run - Scott Jurek

⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Beans)

This is an autobiography about one of the best runners in the world. He spends a brief time talking about his childhood and upbringing in Minnesota but the bulk of the book talks about his running career which I find so fascinating.

He truly is an incredible specimen. He has set numerous records for marathons for all kinds. His specialty is ultramarathons - which is classified as anything above a full marathon, usually ultras are 50k and up. He was so incredibly dedicated to running and I respect it so much. He set a world record for a 100 mile run when he was 25, which is my age!

He talks about food a lot too. He has been a vegetarian since 1999, before it was cool! And now he’s fully vegan. Pretty cool to hear about how one of the best athletes in the world lives, thrives and performs on a plant based diet.

I struggle a bit with making him one of my idols because to be this good you have to be obsessive. He mentions him getting married early on in the book but doesn’t mention her once until three quarters of the way through when he says they got divorced. He would talk about how he would get up at 3 am, run for 10+ miles, run to work for 8 hours, then come home and run another 20+ miles. I just refuse to be that dedicated to anything.

This really was an incredibly motivating book. As a novice runner I was super pumped to hear about his running adventures and what makes him go. He also had some really good advice that I appreciated.

Running took him all over the world, and he’s basically a god in the ultra world. Would love to meet him one day, and after my full marathon this year I’m hoping to do an ultra, because of him! It’s seriously so inspiring and I love the community and clarity he talks about in the running community - both things I’ve experienced as well. If you’re interested in running or even just reading about a resilient, extreme athlete you would love this.