Scott Jurek

Young Man of the Mountains

A  Duluth, Minnesota native, Jurek has recently settled in Seattle, WA, finding a career in the health care field for which he had been searching, as the Director of Physical Therapy at the Institute for Preventive Solutions. Sharing this with part-time work at a Seattle based running store, Jurek has been able to enjoy positions that focus on preventative medicine and individualized care. Seattle’s geography and culture also appealed to Jurek. “I’ve always been attracted to the west—where else can you be so close to the coast and the mountains?” Jurek comments, adding, “I really relate to the progressive values and attitudes that people hold here.”

It may seem a very lonely and individualized sport, but many ultrarunners welcome the assistance of others to help them through the long races and time consuming training. Jurek has found his biggest fan and support system in his wife, Leah, 25, whom he married in 1996. Their relationship cultivates an atmosphere that encourages success. Jurek explains, “We respect each other’s goals, allow each other’s differences, and help each other grow.” Leah, who is going to school for massage, adds, “We help the other stay focused, keep each other in the right mental frame of mind and share each other’s fire, whether it be for my schooling or Scott’s running.” Living in a small downstairs apartment near the shores of Seattle’s Lake Washington, distractions are few for the couple. They do not watch television and spend the time they are not working or training in the garden, reading or cooking. 

Ultrarunning is a way of life for those who take it seriously. Training regimens and optimum diets are always under scrutiny. While subsisting as a vegan for the last three years and a vegetarian two years before that, Jurek puts to rest the notion that distance runners, even extreme ones like him, can’t perform well and remain healthy on such diets. Jurek initially became a vegetarian for health reasons, but after learning more he became a strict vegan due to animal mistreatment and environmental damage caused by the meat industry. He spends hours every week preparing food, a logistical challenge that he has mastered and enjoys.

Jurek has also mastered many of the aspects of ultrarunning’s training. “Back-to-back training runs of six hours each, and hill repeats with long climbs, are the corner stone of my workouts.” He cross-trains by commuting to work on his bike, practicing yoga, skiing and backpacking. He focuses on getting a lot of sleep, food, stretching and massage when recovering from hard races and intense workouts. 

Even when doing everything required, Jurek’s racing hasn’t always been filled with victories. Two weeks after winning the 2000 Western States, Jurek had to drop out of The Hardrock 100 in Silverton, Colorado, a race dubbed as one of the most difficult 100 milers in the world. Then, in September, Jurek traveled to southern California for the Angeles Crest 100 Miler. Having won Western States earlier in the year, he was put in contention for the opportunity to win both California 100 milers; a special feat that no runner has ever accomplished. Going into the event Jurek had his doubts because of training he considered “too low-key.” He dropped out at the 75M mark. “I wasn’t focused. I was very tired and the heat really drained me. I was fighting a lagging illness and it had been such a long racing season,” he said, “I was mentally having trouble getting out to do the long runs needed.”

Back at the foot of Rainier, refueled by a lunch courtesy of the vegan gourmet, Jurek and I begin our 2,500-foot climb out of the valley cut by the Carbon Glacier. As we start the ascent Jurek turns back to make sure I am behind him. It is then that I see the look, the same look he had as he crossed the Western States finish line first for a second year in a row. Even before he began celebrating his current win, he was already planning his return for the third. “Western States is the big one,” he says. “This race has so much history and prestige in the ultrarunning community. I know I can improve as a runner and I’m excited to return again and overcome the challenges that lie ahead. A three-peat is my goal.”