Jenny Jurek | Running, Writing, and Adapting to Life Along the Appalachian Trail

When seven time Western States champion Scott Jurek decided to take a crack at the 2,189 mile Appalachian Trail in 2015, he knew it would be a team effort with his wife Jenny. This interview is with Jenny Jurek and gets her perspective on the 46:08:07 FKT.

After the six weeks on the road and trail, Jenny and Scott decided to sit down and chronicle the adventure. In their new book North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail, Scott and Jenny take turns sharing their experience from the run. Scott writes about the run, while Jenny writes about the challenges of managing his run, from finding the trail heads to fending off well-meaning fans to accommodating a colorful cast of characters who were there to help Scott.

There are a lot of running books out there. From memoirs to extended reports to guides, and this one is special. From the characters to the drama, North is reminiscent of Chris McDougall’s best seller Born to Run and will likely have a huge impact on our sport. I get a ton of books and don’t often make it past the first few chapters…this one’s different. And hey, if you’re interested in purchasing either the book or audio book, please consider using the Amazon link below. It’ll drop a few bucks into the URP bucket and help offset costs. Thank You!

This all took place at a time when Jenny and Scott were trying to start a family, had suffered through miscarriages and medical procedures, and were mourning the loss of a rock climbing friend. There’s a lot here: Running, family, friends, despair, strength, redemption, and rebirth.

This book and interview by Jenny Jurek will appeal to you if you:

• Have crewed or paced a mountain hundred miler and wondered what it would be like to do that for six weeks straight.

• Have or are experiencing a mid-career crisis. Scott and Jenny are sharply honest about Scott’s place in the sport and whether “the flame has burned out.”

• Enjoy reading about a colorful cast of characters. If you’ve been listening to URP for more than a few years, you’ll recognize:

  • David Horton

  • Scott Jurek

  • Jenn Shelton

  • Speedgoat Karl Meltzer

  • Krissy Moehl

  • Kim Gaylord

  • Luis Escobar

Jenny Jurek Episode Sponsor: North Face Endurance Challenge Massachusetts

Wachusett Mountain plays host to an incredible weekend  of NE trails with distances from 5k to 50 mile. Click the image (left) and use URP20 in the checkout for a nice discount. Thanks!

 

 

Gear chat with URP Gear Editor Ben Zuehlsdorf

Ben shared his knowledge and experience with a few different pairs of running sunglasses. For ophthalmic lenses, I prefer Rudy Project. (I wear the Intuition to see and to run.) They’re well made, the lenses transition well, and as my wife says “don’t look too sporty.”

Below are the glasses discussed. If you’re interested in purchasing them and your local independently owned run specialty store doesn’t carry them, please use the affiliate link. Amazon has great prices and a superb return policy. Thanks!

 

One Year Anniversary of Sarah’s Book!

To celebrate the anniversary of her book release, The Trail Runner’s Companion: A Step-by-Step Guide to Trail Running and Racing, from 5Ks to Ultras, Sarah is doing a drawing to give away a coaching consultation. Buy the book here  and fill out this form to enter.  

Jenny Jurek Episode Outro Music by David Rosales. More music and tour info in the link.

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