Fresh from his dizzying “Alpine Connections” challenge, during which he climbed all the peaks over 4,000 meters in just 19 days, Kilian Jornet was invited to the Forum show on Thursday. The Spanish trail runner looked back on his feat, but also the challenges that await him.
Begun on August 15 in Switzerland with the ascent of the Bernina, this project, during which the Catalan reached the 82 peaks of over 4000 meters recorded in the Alps, ended in the Ecrins massif on September 1.
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In the Forum show, Kilian Jornet openly admits that this challenge was the most difficult of his life. “Physically, it was tough, but I expected it. The most difficult part was mainly on a mental level, being attentive and focused for 15 to 20 hours every day over such a long period. At the end, I was a little tired physically, but very, very tired emotionally.”
Calculated risks
During his incredible journey, Kilian Jornet slept an average of four hours a night and ran over ridges without being roped or secured, for the sake of lightness, accompanied only by friends and renowned mountaineers.
Was the Catalan prepared to take all the risks to achieve this feat? “Not at all. In fact, I still wanted to stay alive, that was the main objective, but it’s true that I knew that zero risk didn’t exist,” he replies, acknowledging that there were some “slightly heated” moments, such as landslides or falling rocks.
The figures given by his team are mind-boggling: in 19 days, Kilian Jornet covered just over 1,000 km, on foot and by bike only, for a height difference of over 70,000 metres. At the same time, he beat the record for the duration of reaching all the “4,000” peaks in the Alps, held since 2008 by Italian mountaineers Diego Giovannini and Franco Nicolini, who completed their expedition in… 62 days.
What limits?
The question then arises: what are the Spaniard’s limits? “My body has many limits. On projects like this, we try to find out where they are. But I think we have to be very humble and know what our abilities are, but also our limits so as not to go beyond them, because that’s where we can risk our lives,” explains the runner.
Kilian Jornet has announced that he wants to focus on “XXXL” adventures, off the beaten track, rather than racing. “Mountain projects allow me to reach deeper limits,” he says. In Forum, the Catalan believes that his physical abilities are still improving and therefore wants to see how far he can “still go” before the inexorable decline linked to age.
The four-time winner of the Ultra-trail du Mont-Blanc now intends to calm down and return to the “day-to-day” routine to assimilate his Alpine challenge, before undertaking a period of reflection on his next challenges. But in the immediate future, Kilian Jornet will take on another challenge: “Going for a bike ride with my daughters”.
>> Also watch the interview with Maya Chollet on Kilian Jornet’s performance:
Web article: Jérémie Favre
Interview by Coralie Claude
