Ultrarunning legend Kilian Jornet has just announced his 2026 race schedule – and it includes the two biggest races on the calendar, with the GOAT saying that what drives and excites him this year is “the competition”.
The Spanish star has an unrivalled CV, winning every race that matters, and last year saw him return to Western States for the first time in 14 years.
His first appearance in the classic US 100-miler came in 2010 as a 22-year-old European phenom, who had won trail running’s blue riband event UTMB in both 2008 and 2009.
That edition went down as the ‘Unbreakable’ year, with the film of the same name elevating trail running’s status in the wider world, with Jornet one of the four main protagonists.
He finished third on his debut behind Alaska’s Geoff Roes but would come back 12 months later to win in a course record time.
And then in 2025 he produced a beautifully-paced race to take third place behind relative youngsters Caleb Olson and Chris Myers.
The indications since then were that he would like to go back for another crack – and that has now been confirmed.
Western States and then Sierre-Zinal
As usual, his race schedule has been revealed by NNormal, the brand he co-founded, as well as on his own social media channels.
And first up is that return to Western States on June 27.
Jornet is a climate advocate working to raise awareness about environmental protection and his big projects over the last two years – ‘States of Elevation’ and ‘Alpine Connections’ have underlined that.
So it’s no surprise his next two races are much, much closer to his home in Norway.
Sierre-Zinal in the Valais Alps in Switzerland is arguably the most competitive ‘short course’ event on the calendar and a race which he has dominated like no other, winning it no less than 10 times.
And the latest victory in 2024 was the most epic as he held off defending champion Philemon Kiriago in a race for the ages by less than two seconds – and beat his own course best by just a second.
The bid for win number 11 comes on August 8.
UTMB legend
Then it is on to trail running’s blue riband race – UTMB in Chamonix on August 28.
He has been victorious there four times, the latest in 2022 when he became the first person to go under 20 hours in the sport’s biggest race.
Jornet remains the only male athlete to do the Western States / UTMB double (2011), though both Courtney Dauwalter (2023) and Katie Schide (2024) have achieved the feat on the women’s side in recent years.
‘Start lines that mean a lot to me’
Explaining the rationale behind thiis year’s plans, Jornet wrote on Instagram: “In the past two years, my main goals have been long mountaineering projects: Alpine Connections in 2024, States of Elevation in 2025. Those projects brought exploration and creativity, pushing my body to levels I couldn’t imagine before. But they also meant a month away from home.
“This year, the goal is simpler: show up at start lines that mean a lot to me. Western States, Sierre-Zinal and UTMB.
“What excites me isn’t discovery or exploration, as I’ve done these races many times. It’s the competition. These are the races where everybody shows up.
“First @wser. Last year, I had really good preparation, but got sick and didn’t race perfectly. Third place, but somewhere deep in the canyons I felt like I was starting to get in tune with what my body could do at that pace and distance in the heat. I want to go back and build on that.
“@sierrezinal_officiel is the race I’ve run more times than I can count, and two years ago I had my personal best there. There’s pure competition, a rare mix of athletes from very different backgrounds racing the same route since the ‘70s in one of the most beautiful mountain valleys in the Alps.
“And then there’s @utmbmontblanc, one of the few ultras in the world where the depth of the field pushes you to a different level. Although we haven’t always agreed on everything, we’re aligned on what matters, towards a better future for the sport we love. I’ve been impressed by everything done with @protrailrunners in the past year.
“So that’s the season. Three races, three different challenges: pretty simple, but hard enough to prepare for. I’m genuinely excited to get back to this.”
