North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail

Summary:

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 athlete: 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. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

This book was fantastic.  Scott Jurek is an incredible athlete, but I only knew him from his accomplishments.   It was much more interesting to get to know him as a person who has strong ethics and morals for both the sport and the people around him.  I know he has the reputation for being an extremely private person so while I would love to understand more about his transformation into the person he is now, it was great to get what insight we could.  But this book is very much not just about Jurek.  Co-written from the perspective of Jenny, it was incredible to see their partnership and the true trials an event like this put them through.  In fact, I would absolutely adore to read a book just about Jenny and/or meet her because she seems like an absolutely amazing human that I want to know much more about.

Scott and Jenny’s network of friends and strangers throughout their experience on the Appalachian Trail epitomizes why I love reading stories about through hikes.  Of course, there are a few sour individuals, but for the most part people are good.  These books always fuel my interest for big adventures, testing myself and seeing how far I can go.

Rating: 5 stars!

Who should read it? Folks interested in reading an adventure  book that discusses a lot about the strength of a relationship.