Olson later served as Jurek's pacer in many races. On a challenge from training partner Dusty Olson, Jurek ran the Minnesota Voyageur 50 Mile in 1994, placing second in his first attempt at an ultramarathon, without even having run a marathon in training. Although he hated running at first, after spending summers running on trails with ski poles, he found a new passion for trail running. Jurek began trail running as a child but did not run long distances until his sophomore year in high school when he started cross training with running to prepare for Nordic skiing. His childhood involved a strong connection with nature developed through hunting, fishing, and camping with his family. He is the son of Lynn (Swapinski) and Gordon Jurek. Raised in Proctor, Minnesota, Jurek is of part Polish descent. Jurek has followed a vegetarian diet since 1997, and a vegan diet since 1999. In 2010, at the 24-Hour World Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, Jurek won a silver medal behind Shingo Inoue and set a new US record for distance run in 24 hours with 165.7 miles (an average pace of 8 minutes and 42 seconds per mile).

Throughout his running career, Jurek was one of the most dominant ultramarathon runners in the world, winning the Hardrock Hundred (2007), the Badwater Ultramarathon (2005, 2006), the Spartathlon (2006, 2007, 2008), and the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (1999–2005). Scott Gordon Jurek (born October 26, 1973) is an American ultramarathoner, author, and public speaker. And in a way, I think that particular goal - one that I really wasn’t ready for, one that overwhelmed me, and one that I now realize was only an attempt to keep my flame of motivation burning - is the thing that actually snuffed that flame out for a while.Jurek in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado (2014) In case you weren’t reading 18 months ago, I actually signed up for one back then, but never did it. And some ultrarunners say you haven’t really “run” a hundred until you’ve done one in 24 hours.īut why, out of the blue, am I talking about a 100-miler? Many runners take longer than that to finish, but some races won’t award you a precious belt buckle if you do. Although simply to finish is the main goal, 24 hours would be the number to gun for. That’s when it hit me just how long a 100-mile race is. I must have forgotten to press “stop” after my run the day before. A few days ago, I stepped outside for my run and looked down to start my watch, just like any other day.

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