Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

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Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 3,594 ratings · 596 reviews

For nearly two decades, Scott Jurek has been a dominant force—and darling—in the grueling and growing sport of ultrarunning. In 1999, as a complete unknown, he took the lead of the Western States Endurance Run, a 100-mile traverse over the old Gold Rush trails of the California Sierra Nevada. He won that race seven years in a row, setting a course record along the way. Twi...more

Hardcover, 260 pages

Published June 5th 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (first published January 1st 2012)

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Jul 04, 2012 Christopher Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm a longtime admirer of Scott Jurek, both for his athleticism and veganism, and was really looking forward to this book.

Within two pages, however, I was shocked at its simplistic, childish tone and oddly terse sentences. EAT AND RUN is, at times, more difficult to read than a sophisticated piece of literature. It isn't condescending, but comes across as naive and underwritten. I'm not sure if this was his voice or the ghost-writer's, but it was an odd decision. (While I don't know Scott, I on...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Scott Bischke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read this book shortly after completing BORN TO RUN, being inspired by the latter and intrigued with ultra-marathoning, the ultra-marathoning life, and Scott Jurcek. Loved reading about his exploits in any of a hundred races, the crazy pain these folks put themselves through. And also greatly enjoyed the way the book talked of nutrition as the basis of his incredible physical feats. Only a tiny downgrade for some self aggrandizing, though given the premise of the book being reviewing his stellar...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Wesley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: solo_favorites, 2012-reading-challenge

This was great, sure if you liked “Born To Run” odds are you will greatly like this, but that aside I’m a Jurek Fan. He’s one of the few athletes in the world, real athletes and it was only a matter of time before the popularity of “Born To Run” would enable him a real opportunity to write his own story/biography.

He didn’t have it exactly rough but life sure as shit wasn’t diamonds and pearls for this guy, even through his career and I guess up until now. Seems like whenever he accomplished som...more This was great, sure if you liked “Born To Run” odds are you will greatly like this, but that aside I’m a Jurek Fan. He’s one of the few athletes in the world, real athletes and it was only a matter of time before the popularity of “Born To Run” would enable him a real opportunity to write his own story/biography.

He didn’t have it exactly rough but life sure as shit wasn’t diamonds and pearls for this guy, even through his career and I guess up until now. Seems like whenever he accomplished something somewhere his life slapped his face. With the kind of work of doing ultra-marathons things like that can derail you. When you’re out and about for over 24 hours non-stop running the smallest of things can trip you up or get you killed.

One day in a million years it would be great to attempt even a 50 mile race, the high that one gets from running a marathon I guess gets it’s own high beyond that. Being by the time you’re at 90 miles on the downhill of a 100 mile race you have to be floating on a cloud via light speed.

If life is about how you live it and experience is the dead to rights solemn nature of that statement, then the greatest sweat of all time must directly attain to it.

I did however not like the last 2 chapters, it’s like it just needed, chopped off. The 2nd to last chapter talked about his best friend and that relationship deteriorating so-to-speak, but it happened within a paragraph after he spent majority of the book praising his friend, wtf is that about, some sort of follow-up would be nice. The last chapter just ended the book as well, no closure or wrap up of the overall story, just “world is flat, fall over the edge” ended.

To make up for that though, the running advice and recipe’s was extremely practical and efficient, I enjoyed that a lot. Not to mention many of the recipes really came form a story, excellent stuff. Many books include things like this but the recipes almost seem like they were just thrown in for “just cause.” Not these, good stuff.

IF you think you might like this, you probably will, it’s good non-fiction and that’s not common now-a-days.

Format: .mobi
Rating; 5 stars ( I really enjoyed this book)
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Jul 21, 2012 Sharon Roy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: running, sports, buddhism, vegan

I am all about running these days, and this book, written by an amazing and successful ultra marathoner who is also a vegan who does yoga and practices Tao Buddhism, is pure inspiration. The book is structured by a series of vignettes about Scott's early life and from is running career. Each story provides a glimpse into the physical, psychological, and spiritual elements of Scott's development as a runner and as a person. Each story is followed up with a bit of sage advice for inspiring runners...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

A good audiobook to listen to while... well... running, this memoir of vegan ultrarunner Scott Jurek was about what I expected. As the self-described "one of the greatest ultrarunners" (ego, much?) Jurek details his history of running and ultrarunning, going back to his boyhood in Minnesota.

There's a lot of what I thought was excessive complaining about chores as a boy (I know he had to pitch in extra because his mom had M.S.--and I truly sympathized with him for that--but he made it sound almo...more

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May 27, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Parts of this book I really liked. Jurek is a vegan ultramarathoner, and a lot of this book explores the relationship between what he eats -- whole, plant-based foods, with no meat, dairy, or animal products of any kind -- and his athletic performance. The book contains vegan recipes that look delicious, and as a vegetarian and a runner, I loved reading about his gradual discovery that -- in contrast to the many people who insisted that athletes need lots of meat-based protein in order to perfor...more Parts of this book I really liked. Jurek is a vegan ultramarathoner, and a lot of this book explores the relationship between what he eats -- whole, plant-based foods, with no meat, dairy, or animal products of any kind -- and his athletic performance. The book contains vegan recipes that look delicious, and as a vegetarian and a runner, I loved reading about his gradual discovery that -- in contrast to the many people who insisted that athletes need lots of meat-based protein in order to perform at their peak -- a plant-based diet actually improved and enhanced his athletic performance, enabling him not only to run, but to win, 50-mile, 100-mile, and even 150-mile races. I do not have Jurek's all-consuming drive, the need to push my body past its limits, his desire (as he puts it) for pain. But, I am a runner, and I found much of this book inspiring.

However.

There are several things which bump this book down a couple of stars, not the least being the fact that it's not written all that well. It's very choppy and scattered. He'll mention people and races in passing that he never mentions again; I found myself repeatedly searching the index for names that he brings up, wondering, "Am I supposed to know who this person is?" At one point, he builds up an entire chapter talking about his desire to set a course record for a particular 100-mile race, and when he achieves that goal he glosses over it in half a sentence. The book also gets a bit repetitive: he has many crises of faith in this book, and after a while I got tired of his hypothetical questions: "Have I hit a wall? Have my detractors been right? Why do I run? What am I searching for? What is my path?"

But another thing that bothered me about this book is that it made me suspect that he's not such a great guy after all. He talks about meeting and marrying his wife, Leah, midway through the book, but then he barely mentions her. He talks about how he and Leah were in credit card debt because he kept traveling to all of these races; how they moved back to Minnesota and lived with her parents (while he worked a $5 an hour job) because "He needed the pain of training in the snow"; how they then moved to the Pacific Northwest because "He needed to experience training in the mountains." He talks about his great buddies who run for hours with him on the weekends and support him as he jaunts all over the country for race after race -- and never ONCE does he even MENTION the effect all of this has on his wife. THEN, when she tells him she wants to divorce him, he makes it sound like he's a martyr: "She told me I wasn't interesting, that I wasn't funny. Then she told me she was in love with another man." Hmmm... perhaps there's another side to this that we're not hearing! Then he goes off and hangs out with some runner friends, running and partying, and he says, "THIS is what I was missing; I wanted just the pure joy of running -- I didn't want responsibilities, or a job -- all I wanted was to camp out whenever I wanted and hang with my friends and run." He sounds like a whiny teenager, and I found myself getting a little disgusted with him. Later in the book he has a similar experience with his best friend since middle school -- "all of a sudden" this friend stops returning Jurek's calls and refuses to help pace him during races anymore. Jurek chalks this up to his own growing fame; he suspects his friend is jealous of him and doesn't want to play second fiddle any more. But after reading about the dissolution of Jurek's marriage (and how self-centered Jurek appears), I suspect that perhaps his friend would tell a different story about why he decided to distance himself from Jurek.

So, 3 stars for the running inspiration, and the recipes. But I'm not sure I'd actually want to hang out with Scott Jurek, and I ended the book with somewhat less respect for him as a person -- which I don't think is what he was intending!(less)

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Apr 28, 2013 David Ball rated it 5 of 5 stars

While this wasn't quite as strong as Born to Run, it still deserves five stars (as BtR is probably worthy of six). Obviously any story built around the inspirational suffering and drama associated with ultra marathons and the oddballs drawn to them should be a sure fire winner. But where BrR veered off in the physiology of running and evolution - with a dose of anthropology thrown in for good measure - Jurek informs us of his back life and his gradual conversion to vegan ism; as someone who eats...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

20130327 ◊ I've been a fan of Scott Jurek for many years, so I was pretty excited when this book came out. It's a great story: well-written, courageous, very inspiring. My only issues with it were the descriptions of overt sexism present during some of his competitive runs. Honestly, that's the only reason why I didn't give this book five stars. As a female runner, listening to this book while out running, it was a huge slap in the face to hear some of the degrading insults offered up as "encour...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Corey rated it 3 of 5 stars

The writing is very subpar, but the recipes have been really good so far. The lentil burgers are time-intensive but fantastic and you can make a ton of them at once and freeze them forever. They taste good not even cooked, just eat them raw or whatever.
The book itself is really strange, you can tell that there is a whole lot of information missing (like how we only hear about all of the "amaaaazing" runs he has where he wins the race, but we never hear about the races he doesn't finish). I remem...more The writing is very subpar, but the recipes have been really good so far. The lentil burgers are time-intensive but fantastic and you can make a ton of them at once and freeze them forever. They taste good not even cooked, just eat them raw or whatever.
The book itself is really strange, you can tell that there is a whole lot of information missing (like how we only hear about all of the "amaaaazing" runs he has where he wins the race, but we never hear about the races he doesn't finish). I remember my dad (himself an obsessive ultrarunner, although one who, despite his MANY MANY MANY unforgiveable faults as a person and human being, never dropped out of a race even when his hands would swell up to twice their size at mile 150 of a 200 mile race) complaining once about this guy (I never paid attention when he talked about runners because it was really annoying and I didn't care at all) who everybody thought was like god or something but that this guy would drop out of races where it didn't look like he was going to win...and now I'm pretty sure that this guy is Scott Jurek. I mean, he runs a lot of races, and he does win a lot and he is a fucking unreal runner (not being a runner myself, but spending my entire life up until college being immersed in the ultra world I have an awareness of the whole bizarre thing) but he seems to quit a lot, or at least not finish a lot. My thing, again, is that if he is such a mental hard ass and he does it for the pure joy of running and "sometimes you just have to do things" as he says ad nauseum throughout the book, why doesn't he finish all these races? But, you know, that's his choice and he must have his reasons. It's just weird to mold yourself as this ultimate competitor and then apparently not compete a lot if you aren't going to win. I don't know, though, maybe he's got other stuff going on and this is entirely inaccurate.
But you know who needs a book? Dusty Olson. That guy is interesting and doesn't seem to be hiding behind some persona that doesn't quite fit, which is how I feel about Scott Jurek after reading this.(less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Sheila DeChantal rated it 5 of 5 stars

1a3

When you think of this worlds “super runners” Scott Jurek’s name has a good chance of being on that list. He came on the radar in 1999 when he took first place in a 100 mile run over the old Gold Rush Trails in California and continued to take first in that run for the next seven years. Scott had broke records, twice won the Badwater 135 mile Ultramarathon, and set an American record of 165.7 miles in 24 hours.

So who is Scott and what makes him run?

Scott grew up in a “meat and potatoes famil...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Kris Madaus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Scott Jurek is obviously not human, but it was interesting and inspiring to read his story. I am not vegan like he is, but I am vegetarian, so some of the recipes he offers were useful to me. What I found while I read this book is that I very much prefer running on trails rather than the road. There is something very satisfying to climb a ridgeline to the top of a peak, seeing wildlife, watching your footing, dealing with rain or wind during a run that can't compare to a road run. Hearing about...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was very disappointed in this book though maybe it is my own fault. I wanted to learn about ultras and was very curious about his diet but the book felt flat to me. Jurek seems very invested in this dual narrative that he is just an ordinary person who has a stronger will than everyone else and that he achieves because he lives so outside the mainstream.

He was awfully sneery about the modern lifestyle considering this lifestyle is what allows his to exist.

I enjoyed hearing about Dusty and th...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Donald rated it 4 of 5 stars

I didn't know Jurek's story before this book, and I do enjoy stories of emergence. What Jurek adds to this genre is his connection to food--a theme that I haven't encountered in a running autobiography.

As for the story, I was engaged most of the way, particularly throughout his high school days as he recalled his transition from cross-country skiing to long distance running. Jurek really captures the innocence of taking up a new endurance sport without knowing what you're getting yourself into....more

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Nov 05, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't read many autobiographies, so I have no comparison point for this book. The language is workmanlike and a little repetitive, probably to be expected in the genre and likely beside the point.

The biggest criticism I spotted in reviews before reading Eat & Run was that the recipes were arcane and difficult. Not so. I've made a couple of them and they were tasty additions to the usual fare. Perhaps some of the ingredients are a bit odd, but veganism is quite widespread these days. I can...more

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Oct 08, 2012 J.R. Newell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Before I read this book, I had never heard of Scott Jurek. I checked it out of the library based on an article I had read in a running magazine and thought the premise sounded interesting. And it was -- but the writing was not. The book did not flow well at all. While what Scott Jurek as accomplished as an ultramarathon runner is AMAZING, he doesn't know how to craft his rather rough childhood into an interesting and compelling story that could inspire others. He didn't touch on how he balanced...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Akshata rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: running

Ultra marathons. Long desolate foot races where solitude reigns and moments of clarity unfold like a spiritual experience. What makes people who run these races tick? Physical endurance? Mental strength? Something else other-worldly? Scott Jurek, one of the greatest ultra marathoners in recent history, takes you along in his journey of self discovery. Starting from his humble beginnings in Minnesota, he tells a gripping tale of his climb to ultra marathon stardom and discoveries on the way. From...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

A continuation of my fascination with super-runners brings me to Scott Jurek. He is another runner who has competed in, ( and in many cases won) dozens of Ultramarathons all over the world. These incredible feats of human endurance involve races of 100 miles through places like Death Valley. I am not a runner, but the story is mesmerizing to me. It's like watching the Olympics, and marveling over the heights to which human beings can reach based on sheer dedication and the intense desire to comp...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Kym Chapple rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Racing ultras requires absolute confidence tempered with intense humility. To be a champion, you have to believe that you can destroy your competition." location 104

"Easier, not Harder Coming from the flatlands, I had to learn to run uphill. Sharpening that skill, I improved all my running. You can, too, with or without hills. Next time you’re running, count the times your right foot strikes the ground in 20 seconds. Multiply by three and you’ll have your stride rate per minute. (One stride equ...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars

I couldn't decide at first whether to give this book a 2 for its self-absorbed, sticky-sweet, are-you-for-real passages or a 5 for the moments of comedy and enjoyment my kids and I had in reading those same passages to each other. I settled on a 3.

This guy can run. He can run long distances (100 miles, anyone?) and he can win at those distances. And I totally respect him for that. I just wish he could consistently describe those races without the grand-standing and self-congratulatory tone.

Other...more I couldn't decide at first whether to give this book a 2 for its self-absorbed, sticky-sweet, are-you-for-real passages or a 5 for the moments of comedy and enjoyment my kids and I had in reading those same passages to each other. I settled on a 3.

This guy can run. He can run long distances (100 miles, anyone?) and he can win at those distances. And I totally respect him for that. I just wish he could consistently describe those races without the grand-standing and self-congratulatory tone.

Other than some of the early chapters about Scott's life growing up with the extra responsibilities of the oldest son of a hard-nosed dad and a loving mother who develops MS and becomes more and more incapacitated, the book wasn't interesting or inspiring. I hate to say it, but I think Jurek thinks a lot more of himself than most people would, and that includes runners. His life just isn't that interesting and his victories seem a bit hollow because he just doesn't seem like a very likable person.

Scott obsesses about his diet endlessly and while I don't have many qualms about the diet itself, his obsession with eating seems extreme and bizarre, particularly as he cringes as he tells us about times when he accidentally consumed something as horrifying to his body as lard but then turns around in other passages and talks about all the beer he downs with friends. His comment on page 225 that eating has brought him "unmitigated joy" just seems weird. I can see finding enjoyment or even being proud of eating healthy, but unmitigated joy from eating?

He doesn't seem to have much balance in his life or very many strong human relationships other than the one he has with his mother. His wife gets barely a mention until she leaves him and he has no children, yet he gripes constantly about all the responsibility he's always taken upon himself as an adult, never allowing himself the freedom to be a hippie like all his friends. He fills his book full of platitudes about transcendence and joy, yet he doesn't seem to be doing anything meaningful other than testing his physical limits. It makes me wonder what he will do in the next twenty years as his body begins to age.

Some of the passages that I found particularly, um, interesting:

p. 74 "I'm a serious vegan. (I usually avoid that word; to many people it connotes a certain crabby, self-righteous zealousness.) And I'm a serious athlete. But I won't starve for my principles. Although I always have protein powder with me, there were a few times in Europe that I ate cheese out of desperation, and there were occasions in remote villages in Mexico when I consumed beans that I knew had been cooked in lard. I once took a snorkeling trip in Costa Rica and was assured that there would be a vegetarian option, but that turned out to be vegetables that had been grilled inside a giant fish! I was hungry and I had a race coming up, so I ate them. On the extremely rare occasions I've diverged from plant-based foods, it's always been a matter of survival, not because I craved animal products or felt incomplete without them."

p. 108-109 "I made smoothies, searched the farmer's markets and my local co-op for more fruits and vegetables. Even though I bought grains, beans and seeds in bulk and attended member appreciation night once a month at Madison Market Co-op so I could save an additional 10 percent, I was spending more than I ever had on food. And I was fairly deep in credit card debt . . . There are a lot of ways to live frugally. I know that better than anyone. But the fuel and medicine -- the food -- I put in my body was not the place to scrimp. My never-better vigor and well-being made the extra investment a no-brainer."

p. 195 "I wanted to be a dirt bag. I wanted to camp out, to drive where I wanted. I wanted to not worry about Leah, to not worry about making a living as a physical therapist and coach while building a career as an ultrarunner. I had been working since I was a kid. I wished I had taken some time for myself. I wanted to keep running, to live in the moment, to explore my limits -- but I wanted to do so with no obligations."
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Jul 31, 2012 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

I first learned of the great Scott Jurek while reading the amazing book Born to Run. I'm a runner and was intrigued when I read about Scott's intense competitiveness, his ultramarathon wins, and the fact that he waits at the finish line of each race for hours on end greeting his competition at the finish line. His ultramarathon successes coupled with great sportsmanship interested me a lot; so I was very happy to see that he had written Eat & Run about his life's journey! This autobiography...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had heard of Scott Jurek before I picked up his book. Many people had. He was a legend in ultramarathons--races in which the distance is greater than 26.2 miles. Jurek won the Western States 100, the oldest and most prestigious 100 mile race in the country--seven years in a row. In 2005, the last year he won Western States, he also won the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race through the desert of southeastern California--two weeks later. That he's done all this is an accomplishment in and...more I had heard of Scott Jurek before I picked up his book. Many people had. He was a legend in ultramarathons--races in which the distance is greater than 26.2 miles. Jurek won the Western States 100, the oldest and most prestigious 100 mile race in the country--seven years in a row. In 2005, the last year he won Western States, he also won the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race through the desert of southeastern California--two weeks later. That he's done all this is an accomplishment in and of itself. That he's done it all on a basically vegan diet is, to most of us, astounding.

In his memoir, Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness, Jurek recounts his childhood, growing up in Minnesota to working class parents. His mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was young and he spent much of his youth helping his father take care of his mother and running the house. He learned to cook during these crucial early years. At the time it was all meat all the time. He was an avid hunter from a young age, gutted and cleaned his own fish. They guy was raised as most Americans are: a carnivore. Somewhere along the way, though, all that began to change for Jurek. His memoir recounts that tale.

Jurek's arguments about food are compelling. I'm a runner and always looking for more energy, more natural reserves. I enjoy the idea of eating real food when I run. I eschew gels and goos and energy bars in favor of my own granola bars or just a plain PB&J sandwich. Jurek's recipes, and his explanation behind them, have inspired me to focus more on the food I put in my body. I'm not saying I'm prepared to become a vegetarian, much less a vegan, but understand more about the food I eat, and learning more about what I can get out of the foods I consume, is something I greatly enjoyed about this book and about Jurek's story.

Jurek's running accomplishements are too numerous to name here. Over a decade he won more ultramarathons than probably any other ultrarunner (except maybe Yiannis Kourous). In the book he recounts some of his more famous victories: seven Western States 100 wins, two Badwater victories, and many others. During the time that Jurek was cruising to so many victories, ultrarunning was a quiet, tight-knit sport. People who ran these races didn't do it for fame or money. A runner lucky enough to get sponsorship usually got the entry fee to a race paid for and maybe a pair of shoes. There were no professional ultrarunners, no one who made a living running ultra distances. While Jurek is rightly proud of his accomplishments, his memoir talks only about those. He tells his story in a grandiose tone. Hey, look at me! I won my third Western States on busted ankle ligaments! While Jurek has in the past been critical of ultrarunners who shamelessly self-promote, he himself seems to have jumped on that bandwagon. He glosses over failures as though they were petty annoyances. One running failure stands out in the book, the 2006 Western States 100 in which he didn't even compete but paced a man who was disqualified in part because of Jurek's decision to help him across the finish line. His ultramarathon race history, noted in the book as a partial list, includes only those races he finished, most of them in the top 3 or 4, a few in the top 10. A couple of DNFs (Did Not Finish) in his racing history are casually mentioned in the text in the context of other victories. Jurek is seemingly not a man who learns from failure because, in running anyway, he doesn't fail.

Contrast this with Dean Karnazes, who Jurek was publicily critical of back in 2007 when Karnazes was on the cover of Outside Magazine as "America's Greatest Runner." Karnazes doesn't have the victories under his belt that Jurek does, that's for sure. Karnazes, though, in his first book, Ultramarathon Man, demonstrates something that Jurek doesn't seem to: a humble sense of the everyman. Jurek is almost superhuman in his feats and while I feel I can admire his running from afar, the way one can admire Superman as he flies over the city, it is Karnazes who stands next to me and marvels at the guy flying high overhead. And then Karnazes and I go for a run.

Jurek's book is well worth the read. His discussion of the benefits of a healthy diet are remarkable alone. To top it off you get some of his best recipes. Those alone are worth the price of the book.(less)

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Jul 26, 2012 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent, excellent book. I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone.

While looking for something else on Amazon, I stumbled upon this. It wasn't out yet, but the preview reviews raved about it & Scott Jurek is a pretty awesome guy (I learned in this book he stepped on a rattlesnake & kept going during Western States once!), so I picked it up.

It could almost be considered a sequel to Born to Run - it shares some of the same characters & is just (if not more) invigorating, really ma...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Mandy Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This week’s headline? Ultramarathoner Eats Vegan

Why this book? social media saturation

Which book format? BookPeople sold out

Primary reading environment? my vegan week

Any preconceived notions? “his creative keyboard”

Identify most with? “beats per minute”

Three little words? “‘because he could’”

Goes well with? vegan Promise Pizza

Recommend this to? oddly, Bobby Bones

This book presented itself to me in an extremely organic fashion this week, which also happened to be the week of my bi-annual vegan di...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Martin Rowe rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm a marathon runner and I'm a vegan, so I've a soft spot for Scott Jurek. I've seen him speak twice in person and he seems like a nice guy, and his memoir hasn't changed my opinion of him. He's made an enormous contribution to distance running, and shown that you can be a world champion on a vegan diet! He doesn't shy away from the "v" word, but he doesn't talk much about animal welfare (he initially became a vegan for health and environmental reasons).

I hadn't realized that Scott had grown up...more I'm a marathon runner and I'm a vegan, so I've a soft spot for Scott Jurek. I've seen him speak twice in person and he seems like a nice guy, and his memoir hasn't changed my opinion of him. He's made an enormous contribution to distance running, and shown that you can be a world champion on a vegan diet! He doesn't shy away from the "v" word, but he doesn't talk much about animal welfare (he initially became a vegan for health and environmental reasons).

I hadn't realized that Scott had grown up in such difficult circumstances. His family was not wealthy, his mother got multiple sclerosis very young, and his father was obviously not able to cope with it and lashed out at everyone. I would have liked to have heard more about the father, but the relationship has obviously broken down completely. Scott was a good boy, got great grades, and took to skiing and then running well. The book describes his runs and the challenges he faced in training and accomplishing his record-breaking feats. He's clearly very competitive and tough (it's clear that you have to be to weather the physical challenges of running 100+ mile races over forbidding terrain), but he's also a quester, humbled by the natural world, and in love with the brother- (and sisterhood) of ultramarathoners.

Thankfully, the book is free of the dudish, macho tone that marred Born to Run for me—a function of the fact that Scott clearly doesn't feel the need to puff his chest out over his achievements. Born to Run had more science than Eat and Run; Eat and Run has more recipes, and thankfully less of the tough-guy posturing that unfortunately seems to dominate the language of ultrarunning, in spite of the oft-stated quests for transcendence! Yes, Scott has an assholish friend called Dusty who seems to act as his alter ego and shadow side and spurs Scott onto greatness, but he doesn't overwhelm the book. I, for one, could have used less of the puking and bodily malfunctions (why are readers interested in this?) and more attempts to answer the rhetorical questions that litter Eat and Run: particularly, what these runners are trying to prove and what drives them on. (less)

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Jan 02, 2013 Ricardo Salvador rated it 3 of 5 stars

Scott Jurek the runner is beyond critique. Scott Jurek the writer is disappointing, or at least his ghost writer, the concept and many other aspects of this book are so. It is clearly an unfinished work, not just because it is the autobiography of someone yet in the prime of his life, but because the narrative leads nowhere. The book just ends, and you have no idea what is next for Jurek, what he has learned about life so far, nor what his primal drive(s) might be. For someone so unique (a vegan...more Scott Jurek the runner is beyond critique. Scott Jurek the writer is disappointing, or at least his ghost writer, the concept and many other aspects of this book are so. It is clearly an unfinished work, not just because it is the autobiography of someone yet in the prime of his life, but because the narrative leads nowhere. The book just ends, and you have no idea what is next for Jurek, what he has learned about life so far, nor what his primal drive(s) might be. For someone so unique (a vegan ultramarthoner, an accomplished cook, a sports therapist who took tender care of his disabled mother until her death) and with so many accomplishments (he owned the Western States race for years, as just one instance), this account does little to provide the insights other runners are most likely to want to know and understand.

For the longest time Jurek clearly belonged in the camp of ultra runners who believed in a certain "purity" of the sport, which meant deliberate obscurity, non-commercialism and no self-promotion. He famously derided Dean Karnazes for these things in a passage of McDougall's "Born to Run." Jurek is free to depart from such principles, as is any person, but why did he decide to do so? In fact, the sport of ultrarunning is undergoing a transformation, wherein it is moving as a whole away from such principles. What is driving this? And what (if any) role did Jurek play in that dynamic? The book provides no clue. Externally, my guess is that the timing of the book has to do with the fact that Jurek's fame as a dominant figure in his sport is waning, and therefore this is the optimal time to capitalize on that (well-earned) fame. The single thing I was most curious to know about Jurek was what drove him to his most legendary feats. He describes most of these (finishing, and winning, major races while seriously injured and biomechanically impaired), but doesn't unravel how he was able to will himself to do so. In general, the feel of the book is that Jurek is unable to either understand, or to share, his inner self. This is a major critique of someone who from the outside seems to be above all thoughtful and introspective.

The only thing that Jurek consistently hints at in reference to overcoming the obstacles and hardships of his life (and there have been plenty, beginning with his upbringing in absolute material poverty on the outskirts of Duluth) is a thoroughly unsatisfying explanation given to him by his abusive father: "sometimes you just do things." So, you're left to try to read between the lines for the key insights. On this count, I conclude that Jurek is quite tortured internally and still has major personal issues to work out. I think the major dynamic in his life was the unsolvable misery of growing up in a home with a doting mother and a father who abused her and all their children. I'm guessing that the fury he felt over the daily injustices he experienced at home was the fuel that propelled him to excel at something that would provide his ticket away from that miserable lot, but that he couldn't bring himself to abandon his blameless mother or give up completely on his father (who eventually threw him out of the home.) Such a tension between compassion, individual ambitions, family obligations, and injustice might have been rich fodder for self-examination, but there is noting of depth on any of this, only description. Jurek's first marriage failed, and a reader who didn't know this prior to reading the book would suspect it from the fact that the recounting of that period of his life is all about Jurek's discovering and establishing his dominance in ultrarunning, with scarcely a mention of her. Whatever the story there, it has relevance for learning from life. Does this reflect that Jurek is careful about breaking confidences with important people in his life? We have to guess. But if so, though admirable, it is further reason to conclude that the book is premature (if the time isn't right to deal fully with the major topics Jurek himself raises.)

The book is not a complete waste of time. It is good to read about the chronology of Jurek's milestones and his own recounting of these events. But as biography, this is deeply unsatisfying. There is a better book inside Jurek still.(less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Gillian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Before reading Scott Jurek's memoir, I thought that anyone that participated in 100 mile foot races were absolutely crazy. After reading about his experiences and mindset as a highly successfully ultramarathoner, I still believe you have to be somewhat nuts to do this kind of thing! I really enjoyed going inside of his mind and seeing just what it takes to succeed in winning the Western States 100 mile race in 7 consecutive years. I found his experiences and mental fortitude inspiring as I am tr...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars

I feel like my expectation of books written by runners might be too high.

I enjoyed this book, but didn't love it. I think the format threw me. This type of book seems like a trend in sports writing. A brief chapter on a moment or a race supplanted with recipes and running tips. I think this is more self-help than true memoir/autobiography.

I felt like there were huge gaps in the narrative. I expected a narrative. This was like a series of vignettes.

Sadly, the series of vignettes made me crave...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: extreme-sports, nonfiction, memoir-biography

I am not a runner. Not that I haven’t tried or haven’t felt compelled to run, it’s that I’m just not built for it. Whether I like it or not, I have inherited the stout, muscular build of my viking ancestors. My body was made for much burlier activities; hauling hay, for instance. Or olympic weightlifting. Or anything involving a good, strong kick-and-punch combo.

That said, I was surprised and intrigued that many of Scott Jurek’s insights were applicable to almost everything I do as a human being...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Brendan O'Meara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Scott Jurek is a plant-based eater and ultramarathon legend. I looked forward to this book as someone who eats primarily plant-based meals and enjoys a good run.

As I read this book I realized what separates mediocre memoir from great memoir. Scenes. The best ones build on scenes with dialogue and expound on the conflicts both external and internal. "Eat&Run" had few scenes. It was a treatise on running and recapping Jurek's big races.

There are moments in prose that separate the truly gifte...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Max rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall a mediocre book; the actual content was fantastically interesting (at least for those fantastically interested in ultrarunning culture), but I got frustrated at the brash, self-promoting tone at times; along with the product placement it fragments what narrative arc there is. Obviously self-promotion is the premise of the book, so I can't really complain, but it does seem to come up a little more than really necessary, even for an athlete as accomplished as Jurek.
Given that he had a gho...more

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About Scott Jurek

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 moti...more

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Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness. by Scott Jurek, Steve Friedman

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“I'm convinced that a lot of people run ultramarathons for the same reason they take mood-altering drugs. I don't mean to minimize the gifts of friendship, achievement, and closeness to nature that I've received in my running carer. But the longer and farther I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind - a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.” — 6 people liked it

“Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn't sure he can accomplish. It can be running a mile, or a 10K race, or 100 miles. It can be changing a career, losing 5 pounds, or telling someone you love her (or him).” — 4 people liked it

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