USA Today’s Athlete of the Week

Recently, Seattle-based ultramarathoner Scott Jurek told the New York Times that he intended to set a new American record at the 24-Hour Run world championship in Brive, France. And Scott did just that: He ran—get this—more than 165.7 miles in 24 hours.

For this tremendous feat, he set his record, won the silver medal, and was crowned USA Today‘s Athlete of the Week. And he did it all on vegan fuel, as he has in all the ultramarathons he’s run since 1999 (he averages eight to 10 ultramarathons a year).

This longtime vegan is in good company: Sports scientists know that athletes can thrive on an animal-free diet, and so does Ultraman Rich Roll, Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, and even Ultimate Fighting champion Mac Danzig.

From one vegan extreme marathoner* to another, I’d like to personally congratulate Scott on his accomplishment and thank him for caring about animals and the environment. And with Scott on Twitter, it was so easy to show him some love.

Written by Karin Bennett

*So maybe my Real Housewives of New York City marathon wasn’t in the same league as Scott’s ultramarathon, but my concerns about factory farming and climate change are. Are yours?