North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail

*The New York Times Bestseller*

‘Heartwrenching and spellbinding.’ Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run

2,200 miles. 47 days. One remarkable athlete.
Scott Jurek takes on the Appalachian Trail.

Scott Jurek is one of the greatest ultramarathon runners of all time and a living legend. North tells the story of his biggest challenge, undertaken at the end of a career full of glittering achievements: breaking the speed record for the Appalachian Trail, the famous path that runs for nearly 2,200 miles between Georgia and Maine, almost the entire length of the United States.

An ordeal of torturous physical exertion, debilitating sleep deprivation and unimaginable psychological pressure, the run required Jurek to reinvent himself at an age when lesser athletes would have been winding down. Battered by the elements and nearly beaten by an agonising injury, he ran, hiked and stumbled for forty-six days, eleven hours and twenty minutes, covering nearly fifty miles every single day. Always unsure whether he was going to make it to the finish, he was pulled north in pursuit of a lifelong dream.

Filled with Jurek’s unique insights into running, as well as compelling descriptions of the awe-inspiring landscape of the Appalachian Trail and its rich history, North will delight runners and non-runners alike and will inspire anyone striving for their personal best.


Praise for Scott Jurek

‘The greatest ultrarunner of them all.’ New York Times

‘Scott Jurek’s record-setting journey on the Appalachian Trail was the most punishing, most demanding, most gruelling feat I’ve ever personally witnessed . . . [North is] an immersive and engaging book.’ Aron Ralston, author of 127 Hours

‘Probably America’s greatest ever ultrarunner.’ Guardian

‘One of the greatest runners of all time.’ Runner’s World