North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail

An ultramarathon legend.

Men’s Health

An ultramarathon legend . . . An extraordinary athlete.

Gizmodo

An ultramarathon running god . . . Is he crazy? Or is he superhuman?

Slate

One of the greatest runners of all time.

Runner's World

Scott Jurek is Exhibit A in the argument that man was meant to run.

Complex

Widely regarded as one of the best ultrarunners of all-time.

Men’s Journal

[Jurek has] accomplished feats that boggle the mind, showing the amazing things that can be accomplished by a determined athlete.

Business Insider

Scott Jurek is a veritable demigod in the sport of ultrarunning.

Independent

The greatest ultrarunner of them all.

New York Times

Probably America’s greatest ever ultrarunner.

Guardian

One of the world’s most dominant ultramarathon runners.

Daily Telegraph

One of the greatest runners of all time.

Evening Standard

Undoubtedly the greatest ultrarunner of his generation.

Independent

Pure suspense, adventure, and inspiration. When Scott Jurek went into the woods to create his masterpiece, no one knew if he would make it back out again. He was America’s greatest ultra-athlete, a runner whose brains and singular intensity led him to years of extraordinary victories. But this time, Jurek was pushing himself into realms more dangerous than Death Valley, more treacherous than Mexican canyons, and only slightly less crazy than the time he chased after a wild bear. His story of plunging into the wilderness in pursuit of a dream is both heartwrenching and spellbinding.

Christopher McDougall, author of BORN TO RUN and NATURAL BORN HEROES

Scott Jurek’s record-setting journey on the Appalachian Trail was the most punishing, most demanding, most gruelling feat I’ve ever personally witnessed. By mile 2,000, he was a hollowed-out, broken-down carapace of a person. And unless he found something, some way not just to keep going but to speed up, he was going to miss the record. Over those final 200 miles, I watched him dig deeper than I thought humanly possible: he not only claimed the fastest known time, but – most impressively – never failed to greet a fellow blaze-hiker with a smile and a cheery, "How far ya’ going?" Now, reading his immersive and engaging book, where he asks and pushes himself to find the answers to all of the ‘whys’, I almost don’t want his suffering to end, just so I can enjoy another chapter.

Aron Ralston, author of 127 HOURS

I’m a huge fan . . . North is tremendous.

Vassos Alexander, BBC Radio 2

Jurek’s victories in punishing 100-mile races since the late 1990s – plus a starring role in the writer Christopher McDougall’s best seller, Born to Run – have made him a distance-running celebrity. But tackling the Appalachian Trail forced him to dig deeper than he ever had before . . . To hear Jurek tell it, forcing himself to the limit is purifying and transformational.

The Atlantic

Ultrarunning legend Scott Jurek has a great tale of conquering the Appalachian Trail . . . If testing yourself to the max is your thing, you’ll love this story.

Trail Running Magazine