After just a week on the Appalachian Trail (AT), Scott Jurek has halted his latest fastest known time (FKT) attempt. Webwalker, his trail name, officially announced the end of his attempt at 4:30 p.m. EDT today, August 11, citing a “full-blown” tear to his right quadricep. Tracking data from the Somewear app shows Jurek’s last activity occurred around 5:50 p.m. EDT yesterday, Tuesday, August 10.
Late on Tuesday, Jurek, 47, was approaching the Maine/New Hampshire border on his southbound route. His goal was to complete the 2,193-mile trail from Mount Katahdin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Georgia, in 40 days or fewer. If he’d been able to do it, he would have reclaimed the overall supported FKT, beating Karel Sabbe’s 2018 mark of 41 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes.
Four days into the bid, he experienced a strain in his quad; by day five, the strain had developed into a tear. The renowned trail runner had experienced a similar issue in 2015, during his establishment of the AT’s northbound FKT. However, this time he couldn’t push through the pain or rehabilitate the muscle into condition.
Jurek talked about the quad tear he experienced on the 2015 run with iRunFar’s Bryon Powell. Jurek was supported this year by his wife, Jenny Jurek, and their two children, along with photographer Luis Escobar and men’s southbound (and former overall) supported FKT holder Karl Meltzer.
He signed off on his announcement today with gracious thanks to his support team and partner. “My amazing crew … were the absolute best. Always grateful to my Northstar @jureksontherun for letting me chase this wild love, a trail that leaves me spellbound every time.”
The iRunFar family wishes Scott a quick and smooth recovery.
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