I first read
about Scott Jurek in Christopher McDougall’s book “BORN TO RUN”.
Scott and a few other American ultra
runners were invited by Caballo Blanco
to participate in an epic 50-mile race
with the Tarahumara (‘the greatest runners on earth”) in the Copper
Canyon of Mexico. Since then, I got
know more about the running accomplishments of the “Jurker”:
· Starting in 1999 as a complete
unknown from Minnesota , he won 7 years in a row the Western States Endurance
Run , a 100-mile traverse over the old Gold Rush trails of the California
Sierra Nevada.
· Twice won the Badwater
Ultramarathon, a 135-mile trek through Death Valley.
· Set an American record of 165.7
miles in 24 hours.
In his book with
Steve Friedman, entitled “EAT & RUN”, Scott talks about his life and
career. Aside from his running
achievements, I learned two more extraordinary things about him: He graduated valedictorian in high school and
has a plant-based diet. The first one I
could relate to, the second one I cannot most definitely. In any case, his book is, to my mind, a must
read for runners of all ages and distances.
Here are a few
direct quotes from the book to wet your appetite:
On Landing Zone:
“In an ideal world, all
runners would land on their forefoot or midfoot when they run. In an ideal world, though, all runners would be lean,
healthy..... There’s no question that
forefoot striking is more efficient than heel striking. It uses the elasticity of the Achilles
tendon and the arch of the foot to
translate the body’s downward force into forward motion. Less energy is lost to the ground. It’s also
a given that landing on the forefoot, as barefoot runners do, prevent the heel
striking that cushioned shoes enable, which can lead to so many joint and
tendon injuries.
But it’s also true that
it’s not a perfect world. Beginners run.
Out-of-shape people run. And for them forefoot striking might increase the risk
of tendonitis or other soft tissue injury.
Most researchers would say
that a midfoot landing is the most efficient....But there are people who fall
on both ends of the spectrum...
What’s important isn’t what
part of the foot you strike but where it strikes. It should land slightly in front of your
center of mass or right underneath. When you have a high stride rate and land
with the body centered over the foot,
you won’t be slamming down hard, even if you connect with the heel.”
On Uphill
running:
“The trick to uphill racing
wasn’t so much sheer force as it was turnover. In cycling, the smart (and fast)
racer shifts into an easier gear when he hits the inclines but maintains his
pedal revolution per minute. Mocked in
mountain biking as a “granny gear,” the
faster gear turned out to be the key to championships. So I looked for my own running “granny
gear.” I found that by shortening my
stride I could “spin,” maintaining the ideal turnover of 180 foot strikes per
minute. Downhill, I lengthened my stride but stayed light on my feet, and I
kept the same 180 footfalls-a-minute pace.”
On
Ultramarathons:
“The wonderful thing about
ultramarathonsis that, no matter how awful things get, how searing the pain
you’re in , there’s always a chance to redeem yourself.
In some ways, an ultra
isn’t even as hard as a marathon. My
heart rate was lower and my lungs were less taxed than they would have been
during a shorter, faster race...The
time spent training had sparked adaptations such as an increased network of
capillaries, bigger energy-producing mitochondria, and elevated levels of the
enzyme 2, 3-diphosphoglycerate to help oxygen reach my tissue. The body’s ability to adapt is truly
astounding. That’s why i say that, with the right training and support, anyone
can do an ultra.”
On Why Top
Marathoners are not keen on Ultramarathons:
“...there’s a reason why
top marathoners aren’t flocking to the sport, and it’s not just the lack cash
and prizes. Although the pace of an ultra is slower, maintaining that effort
for hours and hours can leave the best of us huddled at the side of the road,
dry heaving. For one thing, there’s the
cumulative loading of muscles and bones. Every time the foot hits the ground,
the quadriceps and calf muscles have to lengthen to absorb the shock of the
impact, and that adds up when you go a hundred miles, whether you’re barefoot
or in Brooks, running or walking, slapping your heel or landing on your
toes. When you see runners shuffling
across the finish line, it’s not because they’re too tired to push off, it’s
because they’re too sore to land.
Even if you’re able to keep
food down under these conditions, you’ll eventually hit the famous “wall” where
the glycogen energy stores in your liver and muscles are depleted. In a
marathon, the wall comes at the tail end of the race, but in an ultra, it’s not
even at the midpoint and it happens many times. You’ll have to spend hours in
the catabolic state where your body is forced to burn fat, protein, and even
its own muscles to ensure adequate energy reaches to the brain.”
 |
| Scott Jurek with Arnulfo, the top Tarahumara runner |
On the
Tarahumara:
“The Tarahumara were
immortalized in McDougall’s book “Born to Run” where he called them “super
athletes.” I would quibble with
that. I would say they were super
efficient. They were just much, much
more in tune with their bodies and surroundings. They know things we had
forgotten, with all our stopwatches and sports foods and fancy running shoes...
As humans, we were meant to move swiftly over the earth. We knew how to run.
It wasn’t barefoot running
that made the Tarahumara great runners, though.
(They wore huaraches.) Form is
what matters in running.
With that last
line, I could just imagine a Gabriela of a running buddy smiling, even
snickering as we recall the mantra "Maintain your form."
I always say
that running is part physical and part mental, and the longer distance we
tackle, the more it becomes mental.
Thus, it would not hurt if we get to exercise our mental side by reading more on books by
runners and about running.
The book “EAT
& RUN” by Scott Jurek is definitely a soul food for us runners, especially
the ultrarunners. 
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