Book info

• Title Eat and Run
• Author Scott Jurel
• Year 2012
• Genre Sports

In Eat and Run, Jurek opens up about his life and career as an elite athlete, and about the vegan diet that is key to his success. From his Midwestern childhood of hunting and fishing to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, to his epic, record-breaking races, Jurek's story shows the power of an iron will and the importance of thinking of food as fuel. Full of stories of endurance and competition as well as practical advice and some of his original recipes, Eat and Run will motivate people to go the distance, whether that means getting out for a first run, expanding your food horizons, or simply exploring the limits of human potential.

Thoughts

I’ve been making my way through several running books and, even those about running marathons, have something to them that an unfit jogger like me can understand. This one, however, it wasn’t at all relatable. This is all about ultramarathons and running for 100 miles at a time, up mountains and across deserts. It’s about pushing the body to its very limit, to try and find the breaking point, and step back just before you go too far. That’s not really my thing at all.

Scott shares his thoughts well, and the writing is good and engaging, but it still felt like there was a huge distance between me and the story unfolding. I was a bit put off by the reverence paid to food - I’m not a vegetarian, and I was interested up to a point by the benefits of trying a vegan lifestyle, but then it went beyond belief. A plant-based diet, where he even mills his own flour and whips up his own energy gels, again, it’s not my thing. I liked each chapter ending with a recipe, but by the end I wasn’t reading them because they’re so far beyond my ability, it’s crazy.

Overall I thought it was a good book, but it just didn’t grab my interest as much as I’d hoped. There was a tendency towards existentialism that was okay in small doses, but got a bit heavy towards the end. The best summary I can give is to say it was an interesting look at a life I’ll never understand.

Rating: 3 / 5