‘The sport has grown, but it’s the same spirit’ – GOAT Kilian Jornet on Western States then and now

Kilian Jornet may not have won Western States on his ‘comeback’ last weekend but he once again stamped his class all over the oldest and most iconic 100-mile race out there.

The ultrarunning GOAT first took part in the event back in 2010 in what was termed the ‘Unbreakable’ edition and he returned 12 months later to win it.

But there was then a 14-year gap until 2025 and though now 37, he was to the fore throughout and no one finished stronger as he closed to within less than eight minutes of winner Caleb Olson as he took third place.

‘A bit of imagination’

The 2010 race was arguably the one that did more than any other to put trail running on the map for the wider world and it’s currently enjoying unprecedented growth.

Jornet’s time in 2025 was actually 80 minutes quicker than his winning mark in 2011 and while that could be put down to a whole host of factors, it does underline the current level of competition for both men and women.

And in a lovely interview on the live broadcast afterwards, when asked how he can run quicker 14 years on, he said: “Well, the guys were running so fast and I was like, oh, gosh, it’s gonna be a hard day.

“They need to run slower – it’s nice views up there. It was beautiful to see the lakes, the forest, the savannah. I don’t know why they push so hard. We could have can just enjoyed it – kids these days, you know!”

Jornet admitted that one of the things that drew him back to Western States was to see if it was possible to train for the searing heat of California in a very different environment back home in Norway.

And the answer was a resounding ‘yes’ as he added: “I think I’m very happy with the race. I didn’t suffer from the heat, and I was a bit afraid of that. The heat training, it did work actually. And yeah, I think, it’s interesting to see that we can train specifically for races like this, just with a bit of imagination.

“I think the first six runners, we all did pretty good time and there were so many battles and we were all close together.”

‘History in every step’

And asked how much things have changed in the 14 years since his last appearance at Western States, Jornet replied: “The sport has moved, but it’s the same.

“There are many more people involved. Like here in the stadium or on the route it was like a mini Zegama [Aizkorri] up there. It was so noisy.

“So the sport has grown, the race is more competitive – or at least we prepare better. But it’s the same spirit. That’s the same that it was 14 years ago.”

And writing later on Instagram, he added: “Racing Western States is always something special. As one of ultrarunning’s original tests, you feel the history in every step.

“Yesterday added another chapter, with an incredibly deep field and challenging heat that made everything more interesting.

“Looking back on the day, I can only be very happy with the result, finishing 80 minutes faster than 14 years ago. To me, it feels like a reminder that there is still so much possibility to grow.

“The legs might not fully agree right now, but the heart is full.”