15 minutes with Kílian Jornet
Nicola Iseard talks to the legendary Spanish long-distance trail runner and ski mountaineer about conquering mental barriers and his phenomenal record for scaling Everest in 17 hours
Kílian Jornet, thanks for your time. Tell us, where are you right now?
Thanks to you too. I’m home in Norway (Åndalsnes, Rauma).
We’re a ski magazine most of the time, so our focus is winter-heavy – did you ski much in Norway last season? How is skiing part of your training regime during winter?
It’s was a great season. We started in October and, at the end of April, we we’re still skiing. For the most part we had snow from sea level and pretty stable weather that made avalanche danger less than some other years. In winter basically all my training is on skis, with just some running on the treadmill some evenings, and on the weekends my wife and I often go on cross-country ski tours with our daughters.
As a professional runner, how did it make sense to move to a place that is so wintry?
I actually started trail running as a part of my summer training for ski mountaineering, so I would say it is the other way around. We chose this part of Norway because of the long winters and alpine conditions for skiing and climbing.
You grew up in an alpine refuge in the Pyrenees (Cap del Rec, in La Cerdanya), where you were immersed in mountain and snow sports with your family. How do you think your parents influenced your path? Does your sister also live in the mountains?
Without doubt my parents influenced my path – they are both mountaineers and skiers, so we started climbing mountains from a young age and developing a deep love for them. My sister also raced in the ski mountaineering national team for several years and now, even though she is not racing anymore, she is climbing and skiing most of the time.
I read that by age seven you had scaled a 4,000er; at 10, you completed a 42-day crossing of the Pyrenees; and you started racing in ski mountaineering at 13. At what point did you realise that travelling through these remote places was what made you tick?
There was never an enlightening moment – it’s always been natural for me to be in the mountains and to do long tours, skiing, running or climbing, as tools to get out there, adapting to the conditions the mountains offer. When I was a kid what was unusual was to go to a city or the beach, and even today when I spend a day or so out of the mountains I feel uncomfortable.
Which of your achievements were you most proud of at the time? You’ve had some epics, like setting the FKT for the 165-mile Tahoe Rim trail back in 2009 (38h32m)… Winning the 106-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc for the fourth time in 2022, when you set a new course record (19:49:30)… Setting the FKT for crossing the Pyrenees last year (177 peaks in just eight days)…
I’m not someone who likes to look too much at the past. I’m happy that I had the luck of having so much fun and learning a lot from different experiences, to do things from running short distances to long, to skiing in races or climbing in the mountains.
Even if I’m suffering, I love to be out in the mountains or training every day
What about your most proud skiing accomplishment? You have an impressive list of first descents with Vivian Bruchez, for example…
Probably the descent of Fiva, a 1,600m route in Store Trolltind, Norway. It was an incredible experience. The exposure and the concentration that it needed was unique.
Speaking of unique – you conquered Mount Everest from base camp to summit in just 17 hours, with no oxygen (typically it takes adventurers four days). How did you plan for such a conquest?
Well, first of all it’s a life of progression in alpinism technique, acquiring knowledge in the mountains and training in general. Then comes the experience in the Himalayas – since my first expedition there in 2013 I had been understanding more and more how my body adapts to altitude, and what to expect. And then the last preparations before the 2017 expedition involved good acclimatisation, luck with the weather conditions, and just being mentally ready for such a push.
So, we’ve established that perhaps your childhood in the mountains and your genetics play a part in your athletic success, but it must also be your mental strength that sets you apart. You’ve said: “Pushing through these long distances, you can really find your limits.” Have you ever thought, mid-race, ‘I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do this’ and, if so, how do you get past that mental barrier?
Many times during races or projects I lie to myself telling myself, “Ok, at the next aid station I quit”. I know it’s a lie but it takes off some pressure for a short time, so I don’t have to think about the end goal.
I think motivation in the long term comes from loving what we do. When I’m in a hard situation in the mountains, or pushing hard in a race, I remind myself that I’m in that position because I choose it; because even if, in that moment, I’m suffering, I love to be out in the mountains or training every day.
In training periods, what does your daily diet look like? And what about the day leading up to a big race?
Basically, I need to eat a lot to train a lot. My diet has been vegetarian for many years, and consists of different carbs (like potatoes, roots, pasta, rice, bread, quinoa), many veggies, and protein from beans and eggs… I try to avoid supplements, but instead have a balanced diet with natural foods. Race week is very similar, but probably in less quantity, since I’m training less in preparation for the race.
Do you ever have particular physiological nuisances, like a recurring injury or pain?
Yes! In 2006 I had a big injury in my left knee and since then this leg is weaker than the right one, and over time it creates some imbalances I need to work on with stretching and reinforcement. Also, some years ago, I broke one of my vertebrae and pain there comes often when transitioning from the skiing to the running season.
Do you ever just go for a jog, or walk, or is it still all about the speed for you?
Some of my training is pretty easy, like jogging. It’s important to keep easy workouts easy to be able to push and go fast in the hard ones. I also love to take walks in the mountains or in the forest with our daughters every day.
Does the founding of your apparel/footwear company NNormal mean that you’ll eventually be drawn away from being an athlete and competing, and move into the world of business, and is that something you would like to do? If not that, what would you see yourself doing when you’re no longer able to compete?
I have some friends who are in their 90s and still go out to ski, climb or run. And when you chat with them you can see their eyes shining when they talk about their next projects. I hope I stay healthy to keep doing what I’m doing – obviously at a much slower pace and lower level – but keeping the passion.
I don’t really understand retirement from a passion if it is not something forced from an injury or something else. Being a professional athlete, I like everything involving gear design, especially now with NNormal, where we can build a company from scratch, and I also like to work in sustainability projects and research in sports science.
So I don’t really know where I’ll keep spending my energy and passion, but probably in these areas related to the mountains.
The records you break and things you accomplish as an athlete are some of the most extraordinary and underrated in the world’s mainstream perception of ‘sport’. Are there athletes in other disciplines who you look at and think “wow that is so impressive, I could never do that”?
Most of the athletes out there! I’m a big sports fan and I love looking at how some humans are pushing their limits. Probably the sports I relate most to are all endurance sports, like athletics or cycling, but also some other more mainstream sports like football, where stress management is key.
Finally, what are the pieces of kit you never run without?
Well, the great thing about running is that what you mostly need is your legs, and you always have them with you! Only shoes are (almost) always necessary. Also, as a training geek, I almost never forget my COROS Apex 2 Pro watch to analyse the sessions afterwards.
Thank you for the energy and inspiration you give to us all, Kílian.
Kílian Jornet is currently mid Alpine Connections project, an endeavour with an epic objective. With most 4000-ers in the Alps considered stand-alone objectives (Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn…), Jornet aims to enchain – or connect – these 4000-ers in his Alpine Connections adventure using only human-powered means and local resources, leaving no trace. Check in with the project here.
As of the end of August ’24, Kílian has climbed a total of 59 4000-metre peaks since embarking on the endeavour.
