Spanish ultrarunner Kilian Jornet raised the bar of backyard adventuring this weekby climbing 177 peaks in his home range of the Pyrenees in just eight days. Jornet completed the entire journey with human power and covered the transfers between trails by bike. Jornet described this challenge as not only a test of physical and mental endurance, but also a heartfelt return to the terrain that shaped his youth.
The Spanish ultrarunner decided on the project after an injury scuttled his plans to enter endurance races. “I had this idea in mind but wasn’t sure if it would be a feasible challenge or pure madness,” he said in a press release.
Jornet was raised in Refugi de Cap de Rec, a mountain hut situated at 6,500 feet in the CatalonianPyrenees, where his father worked as a groundskeeper and mountain guide. The Catalan embraced the mountains since his birth—he entered his first cross-country ski race at age three. The peaks around his home anchored his love for moving fast in the mountains, so it was only natural that he returned to them for his most difficult challenge to date.
Pica d’Estats, Jornet’s finish line, is nestled in the peaks near his childhood home.
Jornet had an impressive year in 2022, and it’s no surprise he tackled an adventure on such a massive scale. The ultrarunner won a fourth title, as well as setting a new course record of 21:36:24 at Colorado’s Hardrock 100. Over the course of this challenge, Jornet, who in 2022 founded the running brand NNormal, had the opportunity to test prototypes of his shoes in technical and varied terrain. “It has been an excellent testing ground: the wear and tear a product might face over several years, concentrated into one week,” Jornet said.
The Pyrenean route linked a staggering number of peaks and reconnected him with terrain he hadn’t seen since he was young. “Rediscovering peaks that I had forgotten was a spectacular experience,” Jornet said.
On October 2, Jornet stood at the base of the 10,003-foot Frondella peak and started his challenge. The ultrarunner revisited the ridgelines of Garmo Negro, Pic Long, and Montcalm. “Moving along these ridges has been a pleasure, and I enjoyed the routes very much,” said Jornet. “I had climbed these peaks when I was 13 but did not remember them, making this a visually intense experience.”
Jornet’s run culminated at 10,312-foot Pica d’Estats on October 10. He climbed over 130,000 feet of vertical gain across more than 300 miles for the entire journey. “I came to my edge, both physically and mentally,” he said. “It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”