North

One of the greatest runners of all time. * Runner's World * Probably America's greatest ever ultrarunner. * Guardian * I'm a huge fan . . . North is tremendous. -- Vassos Alexander, BBC Radio 2 Scott Jurek's record-setting journey on the Appalachian Trail was the most punishing, most demanding, most gruelling 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, author of 127 HOURS 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