Scott Jurek is a runner who dominated the ultramarathon scene in the early 2000s. He won the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run an astounding seven times in a row.
In May of 2015, at age 41, in response to feelings of aimlessness and challenged by his wife, Jenny, Jurek sets off on his last major endurance adventure, an attempt to break the supported Appalachian Trail speed record (FKT). His book North tells the story. It is a unique and valuable effort on several levels:
First, it tells the compelling tale of an aging champion returning to the ring for one last fight, setting the speed record on the oldest and most iconic long distance trail in the United States. Jurek hopes to rekindle a flame that has been dying out of his life.
Second it’s one of only two books I know about “supported” attempts on the major trails. (The other is Called Again by Jennifer Pharr Davis, whose record Jurek broke.) “Supported” means Jurek gets copious help from family, friends, and bystanders with navigating, getting fed, and finding shelter. For example, rather than camping out on the trail, Jurek spends most nights in his van, driven to trail crossings by his wife, Jenny.
A supported hike, especially a run, is controversial in some circles as violating the spirit of a thru-hike. This book gives readers the opportunity to decide for themselves. This style of hike is a radically different trail experience, and so it’s valuable to have a book documenting one.
Thirdly, this is a highly social book, more about human connections than natural ones. Nearly half the text is written by Jenny, giving her perspective on the hike as partner and crew chief. Her sympathetic but realistic voice humanizes the book and rounds out the story. A substantial part of the tale concerns their relationship and love story. Another social dimension is that, especially later in the hike, Jurek hardly takes a step on the trail without the company of a team of companion runners.
The run gets off to a halting start. Jurek’s preparation for the trail is lackadaisical. The couple leaves for the east behind schedule in a new van that is only partly converted for living on the road. Jurek has barely seen the AT, let alone hiked the length of it before. He does little advance planning and seems out of touch with the pace he’ll need to set the record. He decides to hike south to north despite most of the speed records being set in the opposite direction to get through the difficult Maine and New Hampshire sections while fresh. Jurek wants to walk north with the spring, a prospect he finds more aesthetic.
Beset with severe knee and leg pain in his first week, we begin to wonder if Jurek will fail in his attempt. Social media critics write that he is already washed up. Should he let go of his glory days and quit? He persists, deciding to put the FKT out of his mind for a while and run with no goals, just making his best effort. His ultramarathoning career had taught him about different kinds of pain, and different reactions to it. After hobbling through the first few hundred miles of the AT, eventually Jurek realizes he is healing.
Wife Jenny is an asset on the trail, off the trail, and in the book. In the early stages she runs with Jurek most mornings, then returns to their van to manage logistics for the day. In the book her voice retains a sense of wonder at the experience while the seasoned Jurek obsesses about his physical state. Their different personalities complement each other well on and off the page. Jenny shares her own substantial challenges. Only months before leaving on the trip she suffered a dangerous miscarriage. Then there are the crewing difficulties: navigating to remote trailheads in the dark and rain, restocking supplies for Jurek’s vegan diet, and coordinating a steady stream of visitors, helpers, and hangers on.
We are often reminded that a supported attempt at running the AT is more like a multi-day endurance race than a backpacking trip. Jurek is an outsider, with little connection to other hikers. Not camping out most nights is a barrier to the typical trail experience. There is lots of detail about logistics off trail, and not much about the trail itself. We hear more about his internal state than the natural landmarks he’s passing.
In another departure from typical trail memoirs, Jurek begins attracting support from running groups in each state he passes through. Everybody wants to run with him, and generally this brings a positive energy. The other runners make him feel part of something bigger. The ensuing team effort pays dividends both in Jurek’s progress and the richness of the story.
But by New England Jurek feels the physical and mental weight of his ambitious quest. A period of horrid weather with ensuing deep mud on the trail through Vermont doesn’t help. Feeling the record is out of reach, Jurek again focuses on being present for the experience, not achieving a goal. On reaching the White Mountains in New Hampshire the record seems humanly impossible, but more help shows up in the form of an endless supply of supportive running friends. The book is a who’s who of personalities in the trail running world turning out to assist Jurek. His companions make decisions and troubleshoot when he’s too exhausted to think. They also carry food and gear. At one point Jurek runs 24 hours straight, then nearly does so again after a few hours’ sleep.
He fights a continual mental battle between trying to stay on schedule versus allocating time to recovery. This part of the book describes his physical breakdown in vivid terms, making for a depressing few chapters as we watch the champion deteriorate physically and mentally. Jenny fears permanent damage, never having seen her husband “go so dark and so deep.” But she won’t let him give up.
Just as all seems lost, Jurek realizes he’s been making a basic math error. Turns out he has an extra day he hadn’t been counting. The record is back in his sights.
North is generally light on philosophy but ends with an exploration of purpose. Is Jurek running the trail as a personal wisdom quest or so his ego can “win”? He concludes that he is ultimately searching for heightened awareness and connection. His purpose is to rekindle the fire of transformation.
Given the successful conclusion of Jurek’s decorated running career on Mount Katahdin, and the young family that he and Jenny find themselves raising a year later, the reader learns that transformation takes many forms.
Trail Memoir 