North

By: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek

Narrated by: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek

From the author of the best seller Eat and Run, a thrilling new memoir about his grueling, exhilarating, and immensely inspiring 46 day run to break the speed record for the Appalachian Trail.

Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners. Renowned for his remarkable endurance and speed, accomplished on a vegan diet, he's finished first in nearly all of ultrarunning's elite events over the course of his career. But after two decades of racing, training, speaking, and touring, Jurek felt an urgent need to discover something new about himself. He embarked on a wholly unique challenge, one that would force him to grow as a person and as an athlete: breaking the speed record for the Appalachian Trail. North is the story of the 2,189-mile journey that nearly shattered him.

When he set out in the spring of 2015, Jurek anticipated punishing terrain, forbidding weather, and inevitable injuries. He would have to run nearly 50 miles a day, every day, for almost seven weeks. He knew he would be pushing himself to the limit, that comfort and rest would be in short supply—but he couldn't have imagined the physical and emotional toll the trip would exact, nor the rewards it would offer.

With his wife, Jenny, friends, and the kindness of strangers supporting him, Jurek ran, hiked, and stumbled his way north, one white blaze at a time. A stunning narrative of perseverance and personal transformation, North is a portrait of a man stripped bare on the most demanding and transcendent effort of his life. It will inspire runners and non-runners alike to keep striving for their personal best.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"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 grueling 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, adventurer and author of 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

"When Scott first shared with me that the AT would be his next record setting challenge, I was in awe at the stamina it would require and the precision in planning and preparation that it would ultimately entail. Scott, and Jenny, are both living proof that what you dream you can also make manifest. Read this book and redefine your own personal limits."—Christy Turlington Burns, Founder & CEO Every Mother Counts

A Vulnerable Account of More Than A Guy Hiking

I told my friend about the book and she asked "Why would you read something like that? It sounds so BORING!" And truth be told, I kind of expected it to be. But there were so many moments that this book touched me in unexpected ways. I expected to hear about the grit and determination, but not what was happening internally to Scott, and not what was happening with the people around him. I loved that Jenny was a major voice, and I loved how open she was about her needs and their relationship. Her perspective probably made the book twice as enjoyable for me, and emphasized one of the major themes of the book, community.

I'd say more, but I don't want to give much up. Scott's wholehearted narration and perspective makes listening to his earlier book more difficult.

North

Great to hear both sides of an ultra running event. A great read about the AT with the opposite approach of A Walk in the Woods.

Another great book from Scott

this book was inspiring, entertaining, and brutally honest. at first I thought I was not going to like listening to Scott and Jenny read this book but they grew on me quick and I ended up loving hearing them tell this epic adventure. hearing the story from 2 different perspectives was unique and fun. this story brings one on an emotional rollercoaster and just builds in suspense and excitement throughout.

Excellent!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Excellent storytelling and great production. Thanks for taking us along for the trip!

terrific telling of an epic tale

the story of the Jurek’s adventure North up the Appalachian Trail in 2015 is both inspiring and harrowing.
they share the highs and lows with honesty and candor you rarely find in “running” books.
great book.

love, love, LOVE this book!

Better than Eat and Run (which I also really enjoyed), this rivals Born to Run as a riveting adventure (although it's a very different kind of story). I love that it was read by the authors - whose delivery is so real and clear they could well read audiobooks as a side business(and I dare say quite a bit better than some of the readers out there). I could not put this book down - started listening while on a 2 1/2 hour run and had to keep my ipod on through chores and errands for most of the rest of the day. Unlike other ultra running books, this one gives equal time to Jurek's wife who was his chief crew member, and she also rasies issues that most women ultra runners and hikers know only too well and most men can be blissfully ignorant of - the need to be always on guard and dealing with the dangers of creeps in the woods. She also shows just how much work it is to crew, and the adventure in that role as well. Scott Jurek is honest and open about his mental journey; it was refreshing to find out that an elite of his stature has some of the same thoughts I do late in a race, although his undertaking is exponentially so much bigger.

Compelling story of an FKT on Appalachian Trail

One of the things I enjoyed most about this story is that it was narrated by both authors which gave it much more character and helped the listener really understand the authors’ very different perspectives. They also imitate the voices of other characters in the book which I thought was pretty funny.
Although we all know the ending when starting the book, I think the authors do a good job of setting up the challenges Scott faced and leave you with a sense of wonder that he was able to overcome such bad injuries and other issues to keep going. They also open up and discuss their personal lives and the issues that plagued them personally (such as fertility challenges, fears of being “washed-up”). I thought that added to the depth of the story and helped create empathy for them as well.
Although I have not read the print version, I think this story is probably better as an audiobook because listening to the authors and their funny imitations of the other characters was quite entertaining. It’s a good story.

Let’s go for a run.

This was a very enjoyable listen not exactly what I was expecting but definitely worth the credit. I have read/listen to a dozen or so books on or about the AT so to hear a competitive book of someone running to beat the record was interesting. I always have a difficult time keeping pace with the narrative flow when they switch back-and-forth between narrators. Once I found my pace I was able to enjoy the book much more. My one disappointment was the singular sentence that he attributed to his accomplishment I actually had to relisten to that chapter because I missed rather or not he beat the record, it was so overlooked. Also be warned If you was not aware he is a vegan and he talks about it more than just about anything else in the book. I was a vegan for a year and a half and the amount others talk about being vegan at nauseam almost like it’s a cult is what caused me to give it up amongst other health concerns. I admire and respect vegans but don’t shove it down my throat like some religion or politics. Just like a hiker needs to hike there own hike one also needs to find what eating works best for them.
Thanks so much for the book it inspires and challenges me to be better in hopes that one day I too can step foot on the AT.

Great story, narration issues

Fantastic and inspirational story. Scott's narration is great. Jenny's is very slow in cadence for my taste, and compared to Scott's. Found myself having to kick her chapters up to 1.25x to make them tolerable, then dropping it back down to 1x for his chapters. Not a huge problem but distracting and inconvenient when running or driving while listening. Also got the print version to read by the pool, and I expect I'll enjoy it more because I'll be less distracted?

A “what kind of adventure should I do next?” book

I loved the adventure, history of the trail and love story between Jenny and Scott. What a great team and great storytelling. I listened to this while training for a marathon (Scott if you see this— it was Grandmas! Woo Duluth!) and it provided great companionship on those long run mornings.