Ultra-marathon hero fined for popping champagne after 2,189-mile run

After all, the Colorado-born ultra-marathon runner had just pulled off the incredible feat of covering all 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

Jurek had covered almost 50 miles a day on the excruciatingly rough and hilly trail, which runs almost the entire length of the Eastern flank of the USA.

Those wishing to cover its entire length even have to make sure they run from south to north, starting in the deep south while snow is still on the mountains at the end of the trail further north.

Even walking the trail is a huge achievement. Covering it in 46 days, eight hours and seven minutes - beating the old record by over three hours - is a colossal effort of physical effort and mental will. Especially when you consider that the finish line comes at the top of the 5,269ft Mt Kathadin.

Unsurprisingly, then, Jurek felt justified in popping open a bottle of champagne to toast his efforts.

Unforunately for Jurek, officials at Baxter State Park took a different view.

Rather than pat the runner on the back, they slapped him with citations for drinking in public, littering and hiking with an oversized group over the final 15 miles of his journey. After a plea bargain the latter two charges were dropped, Jurek admitting the alcohol charge and paying a $500 fine.

A Reuters report claims that park officials were furious at the commercialisation of the closing miles of the run:

"The high-profile trek sparked concern among park officials and some wilderness advocates about the commercialization and crowding of the Appalachian Trail, which has seen increasing use [more than doubled] in recent years. His journey was tracked in real-time by GPS, "liked" by tens of thousands on Facebook, followed by a support vehicle bearing the logos of corporate sponsors and drew national attention," wrote the news agency's reporter Dave Sherwood.

Officials at the State Park were unapologetic on Facebook, making this statement: "These corporate events have no place in the park and are incongruous with the park's mission of resource protection, the appreciation of nature and the respect of the experience of others in the park."

Walt McKee, Jurek's lawyer, claimed that his client had only been targeted because of the attention on the runner - attention which only increased, of course, following the publicity surrounding what appears to be a very mean-spirited reaction from the local officials.

"The irony here is the publicity surrounding this case will probably just attract more people to the park," McKee said.

As for Jurek himself? His response via Twitter says it all: