He is the most exceptional ultra-runner in the world, he holds the climbing records for most peaks, and his life is worthy of an adventure novel. In a few years, Kilian Jornet has deeply marked the world of trail running, and pushed the limits of this discipline very high. It has also been nicknamed the ultra-terrestrial.
Kilian Jornet defines himself as a mountain lover who loves competition. For him, "sport is above all a means of discovering interior and exterior landscapes". He loves the mountains, nature, sensations. He is also endowed with exceptional physical qualities and a mind of steel. Faster, higher, further… Pushing one's limits while relieving oneself of superfluous equipment… These are Kilian's leitmotifs.
Beyond performance, it is indeed the experience that Kilian is aiming for, but he nevertheless accumulates records. Passionate, minimalist, agile, light and fast… All the conditions were met for Kilian to become a great champion. The list of his records quickly grew in trail, ski mountaineering, but also in skyrunning, this extreme and vertiginous discipline practiced at altitude.
An exceptional track record
World record holder of the vertical kilometer, climbing records of Kilimanjaro, Matterhorn, Mont-Blanc or Denali, triple winner of the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc, exceptional times on the crossing of the Pyrenees, the GR20 and the diagonal of fools… And that's not all. Kilian traversed the 265 kilometers of the Tahoe Rim Trail in the United States in just 38 hours and 32 minutes with a tiny hour of sleep. His greatest achievement certainly remains the double ascent of Everest without oxygen 6 days apart. Voted Adventurer of the Year in 2014 by National Geographic, Kilian is now followed by 1,5 million subscribers on social networks.
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An extraordinary childhood
The mountain has always been Kilian's familiar environment. Although he was born in Sabadell in Spain in the province of Barcelona, he grew up at an altitude of 2 meters. Kilian spent his childhood in the Cap del Rec refuge in Catalan Cerdanya. His father, a mountain guide, is the guardian of the place. His mother, director of a rural primary school, is also a trainer at the Technical Center for Mountain Skiing in Catalonia.
Kilian is therefore taking his first steps in the rocks. He climbed his first 3, the Tuc de Molières, at only 000 years old, then the highest point of the Pyrenees at 3 years old, and his first 5, the Breithorn, at 4 years old. At 000, he tackled the crossing of the Pyrenees. To go to school, he does fifteen kilometers on cross-country skis with his sister... And at the crucial moment of orientation, he will quite naturally choose the sports center of Font-Romeu, where he will continue to write his story. . Discover a summary of his story through this Instagram post from Kilian, "My training as an athlete in 6 images".
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Skills and training of Kilian Jornet
Kilian's strength certainly comes from his extraordinary education and his years of running in the mountains, but also from an ideal physiology for a trail runner. The athlete is rather small (1m71), light (58 kg), and muscular with less than 10% of body fat. He also has excellent cardiac and pulmonary capacities. At rest, his heart beats only 34 beats per minute! And skills aren't everything, of course. Kilian is tireless. He spared no effort for 30 years, training 7 days a week and accumulating up to 1200 hours of training per year.
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Summits of my Life
From 2012, Kilian Jornet embarked on his most personal project, Summits of my Life. He decides to climb several iconic peaks and set new records. Through this challenge, Kilian advocates a minimalist vision of mountaineering. He will climb Mont-Blanc in 2012, Elbrouz and the Matterhorn in 2013, Aconcagua and Denali (Ex Mac-Kinley) in 2014… then Everest in 2017. Each ascent has been immortalized by documentaries from the Seb Montaz's team. Langtang, Déjame vivir, A fine line and Path to Everest.
A family balance
For several years now, Kilian has shared his life with the world champion in skyrunning, the Swedish Emelie Forsberg. These two were meant to be together. Emelie is also an exceptional Trail champion, born in nature but also passionate about racing from a young age. The lovers gave birth to their first child in 2019. They carry on the traditions of the two families by taking their baby girl through the mountains, and now live in the middle of nature in Norway.
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