 Hello, my friends, and welcome to beautiful Boulder, Colorado. And welcome to the very first episode of my new series called Running with Ryan, where I'm going to go running with runners and have casual conversations. They're going to be fun and informative. And yes, I know it's a complete ripoff of the Kevin Neeland YouTube channel called Hiking with Kevin, where he goes hiking with comedians. I thought that was such a great idea that I was just going to steal it. So what do you think about all that? Lace up your shoes and put some band-aids on your nipples. We're going for a run. I am really excited about today's run. This guy is one of my biggest heroes in the world of running. He's super inspirational. He has set records all over the place. He won the Western States 100 seven times in a row. He won bad water through the deserts of Death Valley, the Spartathlon. He's probably even won some turkey trots along the way. Anyway, today we're going to focus on one of his biggest accomplishments ever. In 2015, he ran the length of the Appalachian Trail. That's over 2,000 miles. He ran over 50 miles a day for 46 straight days. And we're going to have so much fun talking about this. And he wasn't alone on that adventure. He was with his wife. She was his support crew. And she really was the MVP. And she's going to join us today, too. Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready for Scott Jurick and Jenny Jurick. And they're two cute little kids. So this is Castle Black. This is it. Actually, it's not as glorious as it used to be, because now we have two car seats. Two car seats for these cuties. Ah, yeah, I like your glasses. So this is where you slept for the Appalachian Trail. A little bit of sleep. That's where the magic happened. The magic. I'm guessing there wasn't a whole lot of magic happening. As in AKA finding ticks. Finding ticks. Ready? How was it? Oh, look at the cute. See if I can do the transfer. Can you keep them sleeping? Please don't wake up. Please don't wake up. What is that for? This is a young Jurick in the making. It's called make it as hard as possible, her papa. Yeah, fill that trailer full of heavy rocks for ten. Find a bigger one. Get a bigger one, yeah. You ready to rock and roll? Do we lock this? We don't want anybody stealing castle black. Yeah, exactly. All right, let's go team. Yeah, I can push. I don't push. You don't push? I did a little bit. I mean, I did enough pushing. That's true, you did. And she carried them for how many months? Yeah, you did a lot of work. Now it's like payback. So plus I need a little resistance. My upper body is a little lacking. I've always read about this, that you would whoop and holler before races and stuff like crazy noises. And I never raced you. I never got to experience this. So can we start this with a little Scott Jurick whooping holler? Rebel yell. Yeah. So here, here it goes. OK. Woo! Let's do it on the count of three. One, two, three. Woo! I like it. I'm a whopper and holler too. When I ride my bike and go through tunnels. I like to sing the Olay song. Olay, Olay, Olay, Olay. You have a new book. It's been out for about a year hardback. The paperback's coming out, which I really appreciate because it's way easier to travel with. I love adventure stories. It was a true adventure in every sense of the word. And it wasn't just from your perspective. What I really enjoyed is that it was both of you riding back and forth about how the experience affected you. And I loved that. Well, it would have been boring if it was just if he was like, oh, and then Jenny said this. Jenny said this. Because we had two totally different experiences. So we kind of had to figure out how to tell both ends of the story. You know what I realized? Is that Jenny is a lot funnier than you, Scott? Totally. I mean, you're just realizing that. Well, seriously, the humor really comes through in the book. And it's very easy when you're reading the book to know whose point of view it's come from. Because when Jenny starts writing, you get a little raven wing above it. And it's really well done. Well, thank you. Yeah, it was a lot of fun to work together on it, like I said. And yeah, Jenny is funny. And I think it's hard, too, because Jenny, it's different personalities. And that's what's fun about the writing process. There are the personalities should come through. We tried to be, well, we were as honest as possible. And sometimes that it's not always easy. Like Jenny is a little bit more tells people how it is. And I'm too much of a minister to nice guy, I guess. There were parts of the book where you would stop and sign autographs and go running with people and hang out with everybody that came your way. Because you're so nice. And then Jenny was getting annoyed because she's like, dude, you're wasting so much time. We're trying to set a record here. Oh, yeah, totally. And Speed Goat was the same way. I mean, Speed Goat, he was just like, every stop should be like an eight station as if you were running, like, you know, a 50K. I get it, like it was. But I think that's what's interesting about journeys like that and adventures and even a through hike. It's your own experience. And some people do just want to like, boom, put their head down. And for me, I'd always wanted to do the AT and a through hike long trail. I never did it when I was younger. So I really wanted to still have that feeling of rather than just a record and another kind of competitive outing, it still could combine some of those other aspects. Because that was where I think the beauty and the magic was interacting with people, even though it was a little crazy at times. No, to like, for me, I wasn't annoyed with the people so much as annoyed with Scott because he just wasn't taking it seriously. He's running 50 miles a day, that's pretty serious. Yeah, but he would just drag his feet. He would just drag his feet, talk to everybody, eat lunch. It was a little too casual. Let's rewind a little bit to before you did the AT. And Scott, you were at a time in your career where you were kind of unsure of what was next and you wanted something big to test yourself. And on a personal level, you guys were trying to start a family and it was difficult. You had some medical emergencies. Yeah. And this adventure from reading the book, it seems like it was really hard for that reason because that's in the back of your mind the whole time. And you want to start this family and you're trying to set this record. You know, it was just hard. Oh yeah, and trying to prove to myself, but wanting to go back to those just really hard places and like, do I want to suffer again? Like I used to for so many years that's a hard thing when you're like staring middle-aged in the eye and wondering, you know, what's next? And not that I needed to prove anything, it was more I wanted to go back to those places, but I needed something that was going to drive me to do that. And I wanted to share it with Jenny. We ended up sharing it with a lot of people. And it was like, that's what made the whole experience. So I think for me, it was very unique. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in sheer physical and mental capacities. But the other thing was, I think people, I like to think people do go to the hard places, go to the mountains, go to get away from maybe staring some of the problems or difficulties in life and just kind of get a new fresh mindset. Totally. And that's really what it was all about. Yes, there was the record. Yes, there were things I wanted to do. But for Jenny and I as a couple, we were challenging our relationship and trying to seek some, I don't know, balance and recalibrating with everything that was going on. I mean, Jenny almost bled to death. Like it was pretty full on where like, okay, maybe we aren't meant to have children or something like that. And getting deeper into the book, as the reader, you start really feeling it. Like you do a great job of explaining how hard it is on your body and mentally. And you got to some points where you wanted to quit. This got you to the pain cave, man. I mean, and then some, I knew, and I knew that. I knew it was going to be one of the hardest. So it's probably the reason I saved things like the AT towards the end of my career or at the very end because my buddy, Horty, who comes up in the book a lot, he was always like, oh, wait till you're done with hundreds. You know, wait till you do all the fast stuff. You know, I say 100 miles, but it's very true. Because I felt like I needed the wisdom. Like it would have been nice to have 20 year old legs some mornings for sure. But I needed that background and experience. And then also, yeah, I'm staring that trail down every day and getting out the van doors like, I mean, so many times I'm like, this is stupid. Why am I out here? But isn't that true with everything in life? I think. There's so many times like, ah, let's just hold a plug. Why am I working on this project career? Or why am I working on this relationship? It's easier to kind of just hit the exit door and say, ah, I'm out of here. Yep. So that's the thing with the AT and having that record as an impetus and me going out there every day like, okay, this is what I gotta do. This is what I gotta get done. One of the very sweet things I thought about the book was that, you know, you were together for this experience, but you were a part a lot. But you're always made like, you know, some couples have like a date night. You made time in the mornings to run together. I thought that was really cute. Yeah, we got to do that regularly for the first few weeks, but after a while, like sometimes it would be evening and stuff like that, then it started just getting wasted away because Jenny was so involved, so many strategic and quick decisions need to be made. That we're just like, whoa, this isn't always gonna happen. And then Jenny, as we got further up the trail and more and more people came out, I mean, the only shift that was open where we could run together without telling 10 people at the trail that, hey, you guys can't run. We're going on our six mile jaunt tonight this morning. There was really none except at the graveyard shift. Jenny did do a couple of those, but somebody needed to drive Castle Black around too. So we had to always make sure that. But he was always really good about making sure that this was my trip too, you know? Cause a lot of people were like, oh, ultra-nurses are selfish, blah, blah, blah, but he's always really thoughtful about my time and my space, except when he was kind of out, too out of it to realize what he's doing to me. The pain cave of pain caves are like just the, yeah, it was next level. Well, yeah, I was following along real time and the photos that were popping out of you looked scary, man. You had lost a lot of weight. And I was like, oh my God, Scott. Yeah, not sleeping, getting two, three hours, an hour here on a rock, two hours there. Like, it was like- No, our friends would at least, like whenever I'd get cells from it, I'd get light up and people would like, feed him, please. Meanwhile, I'm stuffing out 8,000 calories, no problem. Like, Hortie was like, boy, man, you can eat, you can eat, boy, I couldn't eat on the AT, like. So I was just pumping down calories and everyone's like, oh, it's just vegan diet, you know? That's what's, you know, causing, but I think it was just this year as the trail got worse, the rains in Vermont and all along the way, just made the trail so slow going, the days just became longer and longer. And even though I was eating, I was just taxing my level, or my body at a level, there was just no recuperation happening. What is kind of a takeaway for somebody who's probably never gonna run the Appalachian Trail or might not even run a 50 or 100 mile race? Like, what do you hope to motivate in people? I think the biggest thing for me and maybe for us was that you have to go to those hard places. It's good to self-select to do those things instead of being like, oh, we're forced now to deal with the demands of a family or we're forced to deal with a relationship change. I think purifying one's soul comes through doing something that you say, okay, I'm gonna do this and you don't have to do it, but it's chosen or elective. You have to go and do some of those things because when you're staring, again, you can easily pull the plug. Nobody is telling me, you gotta do this. And there are a lot of days where I'm like, this would be easier not to. And I think that's when the real self-transformation happens. And pick something, for some people, it's getting off the couch for the first time. Doing something with their body or maybe it's a career or relationship or family goal and you're like, okay, I'm gonna dedicate time to this. I know it's gonna be hard and I know I'm not gonna always wanna do it, but this is what I'm gonna do. Here's a softball question. What is your guys' favorite vegan ice cream? I wanna know. Definitely Larry and Luna's Coconut Bliss. Oh yeah. Yeah, it's, and I'm a chocolate peanut butter guy, so when Jenny could find that occasionally at the random mega Walmart or something like that, see ya. See ya. What's over here? Oh yeah, you heard the choo-choo train. Oh, Raven, here's a choo-choo train. Which is exciting. I still get excited when I hear the choo-choo train. When I was on the trail, people brought ice cream and you had to wait until it melted and just drank it. Like a milkshake. Like it was just a milkshake. And you know, five, six hundred calories were amazing. Like one group of runners came out and brought me popsicles with dry ice on the trail. I was just like, wow, that was unreal. I love humanity. That was amazing. But yeah, the biggest thing was yeah, pumping those calories in. Yeah. Oh, did you see prairie dogs? Oh, prairie dogs. Let's go look at the prairie dogs. Let's look at the prairie dogs. There they are. Look at them. Hi guys. Hi prairie dogs. Alan, Alan, hey, hey, hey, see, see, see, see. We do have a dead prairie dog on the road. Oh, it's so sad. Don't look, Raven, don't look. Oh no, it got hit by a car, Raven. A lot of the world followed the adventure. They know what happened. It's like the Titanic. We know what happened at the end. But still reading the book was really gripping. And maybe you can talk about, like, what's in there for readers who know the story. Well, that's awesome. I'm glad you feel like you aren't just reading stuff you already knew. But we did try to give the backstory. And so much of it, especially at the end, was everybody rallying in these communities in Maine and New Hampshire, really coming together to support Scott and me and, like, lift us up. And everybody just wanted him to succeed. And I feel like a lot of people would come out and they're like, I just wanted to be a part of it. Like, non-renters. And the vegan community was amazing. They'd show up and bring so much food. But it was so awesome just to see how I think human nature is to help people succeed, you know? It was really, like, heartwarming. Even though at the beginning I was like, no, I want this to be our own thing. We couldn't have done it without the people to help. Yeah, that's the nature of endurance sports or ultra endurance sports. People think, oh, it's such these like, just introverted, like people that just are, you know. Selfish. And social, selfish. Running away from their problem. Yeah, running away. You ran into, you created problems. Yeah, I know. Well, that goes back to what I said earlier. I think it's good for people to create challenges or create, like, just, like, I don't know if it's, like, adversity, because, yeah, sometimes you learn the most from that adversity you inflict on yourself. And I'm not saying, like, be a masochist out there. Like, having kids is kind of one of those things, too. Like, we did this to ourselves. Wait. Why? Why? Why? And then there's the moments where it's like, wow, that was amazing. And that's what the AT2, like, we were just talking. You're like, there were all those amazing things that happened. And we wouldn't have gotten to those points if we had closed off. And so it's just a different type of experience. I think that's, you know, a lesson, too, to learn is yet just be accepting of others and having to work with people. I mean, I left sometimes the trail at night with people I'd ever met before. And Jenny and Tress were like, OK, here you go. See you in a while. Here's a pizza. Here's a bunch of camping gear. Like, just take care of them, get to the other end. And I'd be like, what? I don't even know these people. No, they're like family. Yeah, and they're just like, I don't know. Trust them with their children. And there's lessons to be learned in that in terms of, you know, last minute changing the platoon. And instead of the AT team, the people you've been working with, now you're going to go into the battle with unknowns. And it was amazing because, yeah, Jenny said we met some friends for life and just amazing souls. And I think that's the takeaway for us is that people are pretty damn amazing. People are good. And, you know, I've traveled the world. I've done a lot of adventures. And, you know, that is the best part is when you meet people. You make friends. And it just fills your heart with, like, warmth. OK, this planet isn't as dangerous as the media makes it out to be. Oh, they're asleep. What I can't believe is that you were such a punk and brought bottles of champagne to Katahdin and smashed them all over the rocks. Why would you do that? Because he was in such a waking state to realize what he was saying. No. That was a joke, by the way. They did not do that. We didn't even know, you know, our friends who shall remain anonymous snuck them up. But they did ask the rangers when they signed in. And they were like, oh, yeah. Just kind of keep on the down though. But, you know, it was a beautiful summer weekend. There was a wedding on top. There was so much alcohol on the top. Weed, like, there was a party. And it wasn't through hikers. It was actually just day hikers that loved to go up Katahdin, whether they're from Maine or the surrounding area, or across the country, and enjoy a beer at the top. Like, it was a real manor. Like, I got offered two beers. I still have one of those in my fridge, a Baxter beer, because people are like, oh, won't offer you this. So it was so weird. I'm the only one with a consumption ticket. Because of two sips of champagne, everybody had a sip of champagne that was up there that wanted one. But people who are a part of different parties were drinking. And the rangers were posted up there all morning waiting. And they had video. And it's like, well, what about all the other people you have on video drinking? I was set up. It was a set up. All right, let's get off the Appalachian Trail. And let's talk about something kind of fun. Who are your favorite up-and-coming young ultra runners? They actually don't have to be young. They're just up and coming at anything. Well, I got to say, Courtney DeWalter, actually, the first time I've met her, like, we just haven't crossed paths. And she lives, like, what, 15 miles from us here in Golden. And I finally met her last month. And I just, she's a fun personality. She does things the way she wants to do them. She's going back and forth from road, track, trail. And I just kind of appreciate that because there's so much history in the road events that I learned to be involved with, even though trails and mountains are my thing. So I think she's really exciting and just kind of a fresh look. I mean, anybody that wears shorts that should slow you down is a fan of mine. And people gave me a hard time for my long hair and my, as they call them, gypsy rings to get rid of those. So I'm like, well, she's doing her thing. I definitely love Claire Gallagher. Yeah, she's awesome. Abby Lumine, Abby Mitchell, and not just because they babysit my children, but because they're young and they use their platforms to educate about the environment and about health and training. And I just feel like they're well-rounded. You know, I got into the ultra scene a few years ago after I went down to the Copper Canyons and did the Kobayabanko race, which is the book that kind of like exposed the world to you when you're running. And I just fell in love with the people and the community. And for me, I'm not winning any races. Most ultra runners just do it just to do it and challenge themselves. And that's what I love about the sport. And that's, I think, that's why I'm still doing this sport today. I never thought I was going to make any money. In fact, I lost money for so many years. I don't know where I'm breaking even. But that wasn't the point. It was like, I want to do this. This is my passion. And that's what I hope stays with the sport. There's some grumbling that the sport's changing. It's not as cool. You can't get into races. There's prize money. Who knows? There's doping going on. But at the end, it's such a cool sport because of the people involved. And the personalities. And it's just, I don't know. I feel like every event or every group run, it's kind of going to a concert and just hanging out with the people that you might not never hang out or ever hang out with. It's such a cool atmosphere. Oh, it is such a fun atmosphere. And it really is just like a party of just really good-hearted people. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. It's the kind of party that your mom would be OK with. OK, you can go hang out with those nerdy ultra runners. They're probably there. Yeah, that's true. My mom's probably there. I'm a total mama's boy. You're a mama's boy. It's like 100%. Yeah, and you know, my mom has been to all my races ever since I was a kid. And that's what's great, too, is the family interaction. Jenny and I, having a start at family, we don't care if they ever compete in anything. But I just want them to do a bunch of different things. And as long as they're out having fun outside, I think that's the coolest thing. And yeah, if they get involved in some activities or get to hang out with eclectic people, as I like to say, then we'll succeed it on some level, maybe. All right, so I say we finish this interview off and then do some 100-meter sprints. But before we end it, I'll race you with the jogger. Yeah, exactly. That'd be a good one. Take the candy cap. Anything you want viewers to know about upcoming events or the book, the paperback comes out April 9. Thanks, Jesus. I would love the book, even if I didn't know who these people were. It's a really good adventure story. Like I said, it shows the best of humanity. Well, thank you. And for us, too, we're on this crazy kid adventure right now. But Jenny and I want to get back to the trail, get back to hanging out in Castle Black in a less than twin-size bed. It's going to be pretty crowded with these two. But yeah, we're finally recovered mentally to maybe tackle something all together as a family. So yeah, there's still more adventures to be had. We're probably going to be more of a bikepacking family than a packpacking family. Ooh, I like that. My viewers will like that. We love bikes. Started realizing carrying 55 pounds in the back country, even if you are an ultra-light backpacker, like we are fast packers. You're still talking about some serious weight, so. Yeah. Well, I say we go on a bikepacking adventure. That's a great idea. Definitely, we're in. All right, good. All right, well, thanks for watching. Appreciate it. Go buy North on Paperbook April 9th, or buy the hardback, whatever you want to buy, or the electronic one. Audio. Jenny and I actually read the audio. Oh, really? Yeah, if you're into audiobooks, and you don't mind my voice, you can. Or my voice, and people don't like my voice. People don't like your voice? I mean, you know a lot of people don't like that comedian, Michelle Wolfe's voice. It's like, what can I say? Punks. I would like your voice, anyway. All right, yeah. Like and subscribe. And we will see you down the road for another episode of Running with Ryan.