Kilian Jornet to attempt the 24-hour track record at the Moonvalley 24-Hour, Norway, on November, 8th – Måndalen Stadium.

Important update: 26th October PM:

“Right now I’m pretty injured, trying to start running ok again in a week or so. I had plan to do different road distances during this year but for the moment I need to recover well 😦 Maybe in the future, if injures allow would be fun to try to run that far… :)” – Kilian Jornet via whatsapp

Kilian goes on to say… “No problem! This running roads thing is so hard to manage on staying injury free! Looking forward for next year climbing more again 😅”

2020 has been a stange year, races have been cancelled, the FKT scene is booming and mountain running star, Kilian Jornet ran his first official 10km on the road clocking a 29:59 – report HERE.

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For many, Kilian running on the road was a surprise, only a couple of year’s ago, the thought of this was but a dream. Even Kilian himself thought a road race to be highly unlikely.

Coronavirus, restricted travel, no races and embracing new challenges seem to be the new normal. And Kilian is no exception…

Yiannis Kouros, the legend of ultra running has always been treated as a god in long-distance running, his stats speak for themselves. In 1984 he won Spartathlon in a record time. What followed set the benchmark for road and track running. His ability to run remarkabkle distances and times over 100-miles. 1000km, 1000-miles, 12hr, 24hr, 48hr and 6-days are incredible.

“When other people get tired, they stop. I don’t. I take over my body with my mind. I tell it that it is not tired and it listens.”

In 24-hours, he has run 180.335 on the road and 188.590 (1997) on the track. He has a 100-mile personal best of 11:46:37.

Camille Herron holds the women’s record 167.842 miles from the 2019 worlds in Albi. For perspective, Camille believes the record is possible and she has great ambitions for over 170-miles personally.

Scott Jurek, the ultra-running legend mixed road and trail, he ran 165.7-miles in 2010 for 24-hours. But many have come along and mixed disciplines, Mike Morton and Zach Bitter to name just two. Anatoliy Kruglikov ran 171.48-miles in 1995, besides Yiannis Kourus, he is the only one to come close on a track.

“I think 24 is unique enough and Yannis’ mark stout enough that it will likely take anyone more than one try. If anyone can get it on round one though, it’s Kilian. Norway did seem a bit strange with weather, but I suppose he is staying true to limited travel. That would be a bit cooler than I would like even with warmer clothes. Rather have that than too warm, but still not ideal.” – Zach Bitter

The news that Kilian will run a 24-hour race on a track is a real surprise. The additional news that he will attempt the 188.590-mile distance set by Yiannis Kouros is mind-blowing. To be held at the Måndalen Stadium, the race will potentially happen on November 8th with the provision of +/- 2-days to allow for weather. The stadium is outdoor and this in itself brings a whole new dynamic to any 24-hour, especially in Norway during November. Daylight will be minimal, temperatures will fluctuate greatly and the evening has the potential to be very cold.

For a any performance to stand in regards to records, certain criteria must be met and Måndalen IL and Salomon will guarantee that the necessary protocols are in place. Of course, situations my arise that make the attempt not possible.

For perspective, to break the Yiannis Kouros world record, any runner would need to be abale to cover an incredible 7.875-miles per hour. Statistics show that from the ‘test’ run by Kilian earlier in August 2020 that this objective may be possible. He ran 84.89km in 5:58:13 with an average 4:13/km pace. Many looked on and wondered, why would Kilian run on a track….? It would appear we have an answer.

“Progression comes from adaptations, adaptations come from training and resting. Training comes from knowledge and knowledge comes from testing. Yesterday I did a nutrition test. On a stable environment (a track) and an easy but steady effort I was testing different fueling and hydration protocols that I hope can help me to improve the energy levels during different goals….”

“…From a race where we can have access to fluid and food (almost) when we want, or, to a high climb where we have very limited food and fuel since we need to carry all. I believe testing is important to have better knowledge of oneself and to apply knowledge in training, racing or projects.”

This challenge is something I thought I would never see. I would imagine it’s a challenge Kilian never imagined he would undertake. But, here we are discussing the possibility of what may happen come early November…

The numbers speak for themselves, it’s a huge undertaking, especially on an outdoor tack. However, it is going to be fascinating to see what happens with each journey of the 400m loop at Måndalen Stadium.

Before the 10km road race in Norway, Kilian had a slight injury and that did impact on his race. However, post-race he took time off to recover. I guess the big question mark will be how that recovery has gone and what impact that will have over a 24-hour period. Maybe the injury will require to delay or cancel the attempt?

“I don’t think the injury is a real problem but I need to rest a little and get rid of it. When I run a VK the effort is typically 30-minutes but this is different. In terms of cardio, for me it was kind of easy all the time. It’s the legs, you need to feel light and keep the speed. It’s very different. The first 4 to 5km with more people was a challenge as you are almost cm’s from the other runners. I need to get used to that. I learned a great deal. I will try again, at least in the short term, but next year I want to climb… I have some specific goals. I just need more experience.”

The reality is 756 laps of a 400m track – we wish Kilian well with his new undertaking!

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