Eat & Run Review

Scott Jurek is perhaps the most prominent figure in an otherwise obscure pantheon of ultramarathoners.  What makes Scott unlike any other ultrarunner (or any other professional athlete, for that matter) is that he has ascended to the top of his sport while maintaining a purely vegan diet.  This is a major centerpiece in his new book, Eat & Run, which follows his journey from a poor, lanky kid from rural Minnesota to world-renowned runner who frequently pushes his mind and body to the extreme –and claims world records in the process.

At the heart of Eat & Run is Scott Jurek’s experience with food and its relation to his performance in athletics.  His story encompasses his dietary transition from omnivore with a penchant for milk, butter, and McDonalds to vegan superstar.  At a certain point in his young career, Scott realized that he not only felt better when he ate better, but his performance increased drastically as a result.  This may not seem like a major epiphany, as I think most of us understand that the less processed junk we put in our bodies, the better we will feel.  But it’s unfortunate that there aren’t more people who put this into practice.  When Scott had this revelation with food, he didn’t make excuses like, “it’s too expensive to eat whole, organic foods” or “it’s way to hard to set aside that much time to cook food this good.”  He dedicated himself to making whole, nutritious, vegan food a focal point of his life.

The strength of Eat & Run is Scott’s narrative voice as he rises from disrespected underdog to perennial powerhouse in some of the world’s most difficult races.  In a balancing act of bravado and supreme confidence, Scott quickly ascends to the heights of ultrarunning greatness.  Not everything trends upwards in Scott’s life, though, and the chapter where he describes the point in his life where he felt so thoroughly lost is revelatory and powerful.  Throughout the book, we get a glimpse into how he was able to develop the perseverance required to be the best in a tremendously difficult sport.

I really enjoyed Eat & Run.  Scott describes many of his races in great detail (both triumphs and failures alike), and tries to give some insight into the ultrarunner mindset.  Each chapter ends with some words of wisdom and a recipe that in some way characterizes the theme of the preceding chapter (examples include 8-grain strawberry pancakes, Western States trail “Cheese” spread, Tamari-lime tempeh and brown rice, and Xocolatl energy balls).  The recipes sound really delicious, and I look forward to trying a few of them, especially those where I will get to try ingredients or flavors that I’ve never experienced.

I strongly recommend Eat & Run for both runners and non-runners alike.  I think runners will appreciate the sheer will and dedication that Scott has for his craft, and non-runners will find lots of life lessons tucked into the pages amidst descriptions of Scott’s running achievements.