Scott Jurek

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Seattle, WA

Bio
Scott is certainly one of the best ultramarathoners in the world, not to mention one of the best vegan athletes as well. Scott began trail running as a child, running through the woods of his home state of Minnesota. He ran track in junior high and eventually developed a passion for trail running while logging serious miles training for Nordic ski racing in high school. Scott ran his first ultra in 1994, the Minnesota Voyager 50 Mile, on a challenge from a good friend. At age 20, Scott placed second and discovered his potential for ultra running distances.

In 1999 Scott won the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. At age 25, this made him the youngest runner ever to win this race. Scott then went on to win for the next six consecutive years and currently holds the record for his time in 2004. Scott's other noteworthy performances include winning the Badwater Ultramarthon twice (2005, 2006), winning the Hardrock Hundred (2007), winning the Miwok 100K three times (2002-2004), and being the first American to win the 152-mile Spartathlon (a race from Athens to Sparta, Greece) in 2006 and 2007.

Scott typically trains in the 110-120 miles per week range in the peak portion of his training. The majority of his training occurs on the weekends and on trails. Scott is very interested in holistic health and nutrition and began moving towards a vegetarian diet in 1997. By 1999, he had adopted a vegan, whole foods diet. It is interesting to note that all of Scott's Western States and Badwater wins were fueled by a 100% vegan diet. Tuning into the body, rest, and proper nutrition are as important to Scott and as actual physical preparation for a race.

Scott graduated with his Master's Degree in Physical Therapy at the College of St. Scholastica in 1998 and has been working with runners ever since. Scott currently resides in Seattle, WA where he works as a physical therapist in his own private practice and runs Beyond Running, his coaching and consulting service. Beyond Running offers trail running camps, day clinics, stride analysis, and coaching to runners of all ability levels. Please see www.beyond-running.com and his blog at www.scottjurek.com for more information.

Career Highlights

Hardrock Hundred � 1st place and course record (2007)

Spartathlon � 1st place (2006-2007)

Badwater Ultramarathon � 1st place (2006) 1st place and course record (2005)

Western States 100 Miler � 1st place (1999-2005)

Runner of the Year � UltraRunning Magazine (2003, 2004, 2005, & 2007)

Other Ultramarathon Runner Profiles
Karl Meltzer | Scott Jurek | Anton Krupicka | Tim Twietmeyer | Darcy Africa | Nikki Kimball | Kami Semick | Krissy Moehl