Proctor native and St. Scholastica graduate Scott Jurek of Seattle finished second in the IAU 24-Hour World Championship on Friday, setting an American record in the process, completing 165.705 miles on a 1.25-kilometer loop in Brive, France.
The previous U.S. record for 24 hours on roads was 162.46 miles by Mark Godale of Aurora, Ohio, in 1999. The U.S. record for 24 hours on a track is 165.24 miles by Rae Clark of Auburn, Calif., in 1990.
Jurek, 36, a physical therapist, has championship ultrarunning credentials which include winning seven straight Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run titles (1995-2005) in Auburn, Calif., three straight Spartathlon (152-mile) titles in Greece (2006-08) and two straight Badwater Ultramarathon (135-mile) titles in Death Valley, Calif. (2005-06).
Japan’s Shingo Inoue, 30, led a field of 229 to win the 24-Hour Championship in an Asian record 170.074 miles. Ivan Cudin of Italy was third in an Italian record 163.943 miles. The second American was Michael Henze, 40, of Neenah, Wis., with 154.482 miles.
Godale sent an e-mail to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Friday congratulating Jurek on his performace:
“Setting an American 24-hour record is a great achievement,” Godale wrote. “Scott has a big heart and a lot of guts. I congratulate Scott and the entire U.S. team for their great success in Brive. They have made all of us proud.”
