Running Through the Dark

The rise and fall of an ultrarunner

Ultrarunner Jen Scotney has achieved podium finishes in some of the UK’s toughest races and now has her sights firmly set on the Pennine Way. In Running Through the Dark, Jen talks about her ambitions, not just to run the 268-mile Pennine Way but to take the record as the fastest woman to do so. But that didn’t happen. Nothing went according to plan ... 

Ultrarunner Jen Scotney has achieved podium finishes in some of the UK’s toughest races and now has her sights firmly set on the Pennine Way. In Running Through the Dark, Jen talks about her ambitions, not just to run the 268-mile Pennine Way but to take the record as the fastest woman to do so. But that didn’t happen. Nothing went according to plan. The Jen the world knew was a successful lawyer and running coach – all photoshoots and finish-line smiles – but the truth was much darker. The real Jen Scotney, the one she hid from everybody, suffered with chronic fatigue, debilitating injuries, tragedy, grief and at times had a will so beaten down by setbacks that there just didn’t seem any point in going on.

But she did go on. Running Through the Dark is Jen’s account of her ultra-journey. Playing out on the moors of the Pennines, the fells of the Lake District and the mountains of Wales and Scotland, this is much more than a running book, it is a story about resilience, about never giving up, and about battling through the night and always believing that there will be a new dawn.

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Customer Reviews

Based on 12 reviews
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J
Julia Carter
A real page turner!

It is unusual to read something that isn’t a success story in the conventional sense. That said, it’s a very inspirational read and provides an insight into the physical and mental battles that many of even the toughest of people experience on a day to day basis.

M
Michael Jones
Deeply honest

Honest, frank, sad but uplifting. A deeply personal book. An engaging read, thank you.

D
Diana Proudfoot
A Tour de Force

I really loved this way this book is written and its realism about having to change one’s plans and dreams when they hit the by r hard rock of reality. Jen is so honest about her health challenges and losses in life. As someone dealing with long covid I could resonate with her,

L
Lynda Hill
Not just for runners

A book with so many threads as Jen shares her rawness and vulnerability with us. Hopes and drams constantly smashed against the rocks of time. A rollercoaster ride of disappointments.
This book holds so much more than the dreams of an ultra-runner. How grief threads through life in so many ways, refinding self, re-shaping a future. The brokenness of the NHS and so many GPS having the inability to listen to and witness each patient as an individual.
The resilience required to keep picking herself up time and time again, something so many can relate to.
The depths of despair that so many keep hidden yet if only we had the strength to share and as Jen says the ability to form the words, we would know we are not alone. The constant comparison of self to others, not being good enough, fit enough, thin enough, fast enough. So many will relate to all these inner fears.
This book is a beautiful easy read. Thank you, Jen, for having the courage to share your journey. May you find more sunsets and mountains.

C
Chris Shaw

Excellent read, really enjoyed it 👍