by Kevin Pates

Thirty-eight students in a crowd of more than 200 were honored at the Marshall, Proctor, Hermantown banquet. The event honors seniors who rank in the top 10 percent of their class for their academic career. Jurek, 34, was at the podium four days after running a 100-kilometer race in Sausalito, Calif. His message to the students anticipating graduation was to be prepared for more than just the conventional road ahead.

“I had this plan, a rough outline, and expected everything would click into place and life would take me here, here and here,” said Jurek. “It’s interesting to find out where life will take you, if you don’t stick strictly to your plan. It will take you for a ride if you grab onto the steering wheel and just go.”

But before he was a star athlete, he was a star student. Jurek was the 1992 valedictorian at Proctor High School and earned a master’s degree in physical therapy at St. Scholastica in 1998. He tried to combine work as a physical therapist with serious running, but realized his immediate passion was racing and was meticulous in becoming one of the best trail runners in history.

He and his wife, Leah Kangas of Hermantown, moved to Seattle in 1999 and Jurek won the first of seven straight Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run titles that year. He still works in physical therapy and coaches and directs running camps, and has developed sponsors for his racing.

Among 12 points he emphasized were taking care of body, mind and spirit and daring to be different.

Story from duluthnewstribune.com

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