Eat and Run
Book Review: Eat and Run
Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir
Read Date: April 2026
Score: 5/5 ⭐
Rank: Highly Recommended
Summary:
Ultramarathon legend, Scott Jurek shares his struggles and life events that led to him becoming one of the most celebrated long distance runners in the world, all while transitioning to a vegan diet. He shares advice about life, running, and vegan recipes throughout.
Review:
As someone who has dabbled in long distance running for most of my adult life, I have known about Scott Jurek for many years. Back when I was 300 pounds and first getting into running, to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, Scott was at his prime, winning the Western States Ultra for the second year in a row. One of my co-workers who was really into running and was giving me advice on getting into the sport used Scott as motivation for me to run my very first mile.
Needless to say, I’ve got a lot of respect for him, as he motivated me to get off the couch and get healthier. I knew if one man could run a hundred miles, I could run one to start. Fast forward a few years and I read Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and heard even more about Scott and his legendary running career - even taking on and beating the legendary men from the Copper Canyons in Mexico.
Scott starts talking about his childhood and how adversity has always been a part of his life. His mother was diagnosed with MS when he was young and that meant he had to work very hard to help take care of household chores and his siblings. His father was tough on him as well, but that never stopped Scott from exploring what made him tick.
Eventually he found running. He used it as a tool to help him perform in other sports, but it won out in the end. Another important discovery was the fact that he gets stronger when others get tired, which clearly worked well for his distance running pursuits.
I found the narrative fascinating and inspiring. He does a great job of balancing his personal story with life lessons, but doesn’t ever get “preachy.” Yes, he’s passionate about being a vegan and believes that it helped him perform at his absolute best, but he doesn’t try to say that everyone needs to follow in his footsteps. Nor does he proclaim everyone should be a distance runner. Instead, he distills ways that hardship lead him to greatness.
If you’re into running or just enjoy sports stories, this one is a good one. Even if you’re not into those things, I think there is value in learning from someone who has reached the absolute peak of their sport or career and held that top spot for many years. I’m certainly thankful for Scott and the inspiration he gave me all those years ago, but also for his memoir and raw transparency.