What brings Kilian Jornet back to Western States this summer, 15 years on from his first appearance in the iconic American race?
Thatโs a question he asks himself in a fascinating new film called โA Different Athlete Nowโ, which is embedded below.
And ultimately, it appears to come down to the incredible level of competition he will face this year in what must be one of the greatest fields ever assembled.
That has always been a huge motivator for the Catalan superstar, who is widely regarded as the greatest ultrarunner of all time.
The โUnbreakableโ year
He made his mark in spectacular style on his first appearance at Western States in 2010, the 22-year-old European phenom who had won trail runningโs blue riband event UTMB in both 2008 and 2009.
2010 at Western States would go down as the โUnbreakableโ year, with the film of the same name elevating trail runningโs status in the wider world, with Jornet one of the four main protagonists.
He finished third on his debut behind Alaskaโs Geoff Roes but would come back 12 months later to win in a course record time.
And looking back now in his new film, Kilian says: โ15 years. Thatโs how long itโs been since my first Western States.
โThe race holds the same magic as it did in 2010: the wilderness, those relentless canyons, the heat, the history of running 100 miles from Olympic Valley to Auburn.
โBut life looks different for me now. Three kids, a more structured approach to training, and cold Norwegian fjords as a playground.
โSo what brings me back to California? Maybe itโs curiosity. Iโm not exactly the same athlete who first toed that line. Not younger for sure, but maybe a bit wiser.โ

The latest chapter
And as the film progresses and we see many training insights for the now 37-year-old, itโs clear that running with others and being pushed to new heights still continues to be a huge driver.
He explains: โI think Iโm pretty lucky in that I donโt feel like I need to win the races because I feel that Iโm very happy with what Iโve achieved in the past.
โAnd if I do a race itโs more because it โ the challenge โ feels fun.
โThis year going to Western, probably on paper it doesnโt look that fun but I think itโs fun because of the training challenge and the competition that it will be with all the guys.
โThatโs what motivates me more โ I donโt even care if I win or podium or whatever, itโs just fun to do that.โ
The countdown is on to Saturday 28th June and itโs looking like another one that will go down in trail running legend.