Scott Jurek

Scott Jurek was raised in Proctor, Minnesota, and is of part Polish descent. He burst onto the ultrarunning scene by winning Western States 100 seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005, a streak unmatched in the sport's history. He won the Badwater Ultramarathon twice (2005, 2006), the Spartathlon three consecutive times (2006-2008), and the Hardrock 100 (2007). At the 2010 24-Hour World Championships in France, he won silver with a US record of 165.7 miles. In 2015, he set the Appalachian Trail FKT at 46 days, 8 hours, and 8 minutes. Jurek traveled to Mexico's Copper Canyon in 2006 to race the Tarahumara, an experience chronicled in Christopher McDougall's bestseller "Born to Run." He was named UltraRunner of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. A plant-based athlete since 1999, he co-authored the New York Times bestselling memoir "Eat & Run" (2012).