


“What we eat is a matter of life and death,” the athlete writes “food is who we are.” His achievements prove Jurek is doing something right, winning the 100-mile Western States Endurance run seven times, the 135-mile Badwater Ultra, the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, and setting an American record for running the most number of miles in a day. Following a sickly Midwestern childhood and a mother diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Jurek eventually transitions from skiing to long-distance running, entering his first marathon at age 20, weaning himself off of hypertension meds by switching from a protein diet to a vegan one. When celebrated runner Jurek, assisted by journalist Steve Friedman, begins his road to wellness and triumph in his book, he speaks candidly about the tortuous toll put on the human body by ultra-runners, namely cramps, black toenails, chaffing, and dehydration.
