After a 14-year hiatus from the event, Kilian Jornet of Spain placed third at the 2025 Western States 100, the same spot he finished in his first attempt at the race in 2010 before returning to win it in 2011. In the following interview, Kilian talks about how he had to slow his pace early on when he realized how fast the lead group was running, some of his fueling strategies during different parts of the day, how the heat didn’t bother him at all, and how he though it was fun to try to chase down second-place Chris Myers in the closing miles of the race.
For more on how the race played out, read our in-depth 2025 Western States 100 results article.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to see the video above, click here to access it.]
Kilian Jornet Post-2025 Western States 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Brian Powell of iRunFar here with Kilian Jornet after his third-place finish at the 2025 Western States 100. How are you, Kilian?
Kilian Jornet: Doing well. Yeah, it’s nice. Yeah, the legs… Well, I will not go for a run today.
iRunFar: No?
Jornet: But otherwise everything’s good, yeah.
iRunFar: Good, good. Rest a little bit.
Jornet: Yeah.
iRunFar: So, you ran 75 minutes faster yesterday than you did when you won in 2011. How did you feel?
Jornet: I felt great. I have pretty bad memories from the races in 2011. Heat-wise, I suffered so much and the muscles for running. And yesterday it was hot, but I think the training and the ice and everything, it went well. So I didn’t feel that hot during the race. And I think when you finish strong you always feel better after. It means like, Yeah, it was not that bad. So yeah, I had an amazing day. It was beautiful. And with the guys that in the first part, in the mountain, we were chatting and seeing who they were. I knew them from iRunFar, from the races, but I had never run with them before.
iRunFar: Yeah. Did it feel like you had a really good day out there?
Jornet: Yeah, it felt good. I didn’t have any low moments. I was pretty steady. Then I knew that it was going to be hot, so I was playing conservative, trying to save my… stay for as long as possible. And then being able to charge it then. And it was cool, it changed so much. There were so many people up in the escarpment and everywhere in the race, it was just great.
iRunFar: Yeah, I saw you at Michigan Bluff and Caleb [Olson] and Chris [Myers] looked like they were racing at that time. And you were obviously moving strong, but you looked relaxed. That was intentional?
Jornet: Yeah, but when they went, it was Seth [Ruhling] first, he was crossing the downhill after Michigan Bluff. And I was looking to the watch and it was like 3.30 minutes per kilometer and I was like, That’s too fast. I don’t want to run that fast now. And then I sat back when they were really, really crushing for a long time. Because I thought that in this pace, they have a big chance to just blow up. And Seth had problems but Craig and—
iRunFar: Chris and Caleb?
Jornet: Yeah, Chris and Caleb, they finished very strong. So that was impressive to see that, even charging so early, that they maintained it.
iRunFar: And they both were racing one another for so long.
Jornet: Yeah, they were racing for long. They were—
iRunFar: Two, three minutes [apart].
Jornet: Two, three minutes all the time. And that’s hard when you are in a race like that at the last stages.
iRunFar: And not just physically, but mentally.
Jornet: Yeah, mentally and physically. Okay, yeah, if you’re running together it’s easier, but if you are trying to chase or not get chased, yeah, it’s demanding.
iRunFar: Was it nice, a sign of wisdom from you that when you saw that pace and could relax and also in the middle of the race, Michigan Bluff, not push yet? Is that something you would’ve done in 2010 or 11?
Jornet: No, I would probably just follow it and probably blow up because that’s not my strength to run on these kinds of flat roads. But yeah, I think they proved that they had a good strategy. They finished first and second, so that means that they managed to run that fast and for long. But yeah, no, I think I did the best strategy that I could.
iRunFar: Yep. So you haven’t lost many 100-milers in your life period, or you were third, which is strong, but was there anything from preparation or strategy that you would’ve changed?
Jornet: I think preparation, I would say that it went well on heat management because I wasn’t feeling hot at all during the race. Heat strategy during the race, the same. Ice, caps or whatever. All felt good. On the training, I was feeling strong, I could finish well. So that means that physically I was good.
The two things that probably could be improved is the air. Here is very dry air while in Norway it’s very, very wet. So I felt like all the week a bit dry in the nose and the mouth and during the race, or maybe either coming a bit before to get used to that, or trying to do something to get used to that, is one thing. And then the other thing is, yeah, when I did the race, then you remember a bit more how it is, the feeling and that. And these long downhills probably I could work a bit more on that. But yeah, it’s small things. Otherwise, I think preparation was… Well, it was much better than before. And yeah, I would say nearly perfect.
iRunFar: Yeah. You’re a student of the sport, which is something I really admire in you. What was the most interesting thing or things you learned in preparing for the race? In researching, obviously you had some new strategies in fueling and in other things the last couple of years?
Jornet: Yeah, no, I would say in a race like that, I think what has changed a lot is the cooling strategies, heat training first and cooling strategies, now it’s very set. I would say we can run pretty steady and it doesn’t matter the temperature, and fueling too. And especially in a race like that, that it’s hot and you have the altitude at the beginning, so you cannot be thinking just in terms of getting fueling in, but also how the heat and the altitude will affect. So how to manage the different moments of the race with a strategy to arrive well.
iRunFar: Yeah. So you backed off at certain times, less than your maximum?
Jornet: Yeah, exactly. The first part in the mountain, I was eating not very often, maybe every hour and a half, but then taking pretty much 50% fat and 50% carbs. And then some moments where I was eating more solid food, just easy to eat things and some moments eating less. And then the last hour just I could eat a lot of, 80 grams of carbs an hour, but being very consistent to be able to charge it then.
iRunFar: And you did?
Jornet: Yeah.
iRunFar: Did that feel exciting?
Jornet: Yeah. Well, at some point in the river they told me that they were… Because at Foresthill I said, “Okay, they might really blow up.” But then when I was in the river it was like, “Wow, no, they are really charging, they are far, far away.” So I was thinking that. But then all the race was fun because with Jeff [Mogavero], he was passing me in the downhills, I was passing him in the uphills, and that was for 50 miles like that. So we passed each other, I don’t know, 20 times?
iRunFar: Okay.
Jornet: So that was very cool. And then after Green Gate, he passed me and then I was kind of starting to ease up and recover. And then yeah, he started to push. And I passed him. I was saying, Okay, now I should make a gap. I feel good. And then when I came to Pointed Rocks, they said that the guys are just five minutes in front. I was like, What? No, that’s not real. That’s—
iRunFar: Bad information?
Jornet: Yeah, bad information. And then I went down to the bridge and some others, they tell me the same, that they are only five minutes. And I was like, Okay, maybe. And then I was just trying to say, Okay, now I can charge a bit more. But yeah, that was fun actually. At some point I was thinking, No, better that they are 20 minutes away so I just can finish easily. But yeah, it was fun to—
iRunFar: For me, that scenario just sounds like a nightmare to be racing…
Jornet: Yeah, exactly.
iRunFar: 98 miles in, on a hot day.
Jornet: Yeah. But it’s cool. It’s so fun.
iRunFar: Yeah. What else do you have planned? Do you have any other plans for the summer or year?
Jornet: Well now, go home, go back and rest a bit. It’s school holidays, so we will hopefully have some nice weather and have some tours in the mountains and then local races. And then in the end of the summer, hopefully if I feel good to do a long project in the mountains, which, yeah, we’ll let you know a bit more soon.
iRunFar: All right, well congratulations on a great run, Kilian.
Jornet: No, thank you very much.
iRunFar: And a bonus question for you, Kilian. I saw this during the race, what is your bracelet? Show the—
Jornet: That’s right, yeah. That’s our older daughter, she made that before I left. And they are really into making those right now at home. So, it says, “… Papa,” which means, “Go, go, Papa.”
iRunFar: Yeah. So they were probably home watching papa on their TV?
Jornet: Yeah, well they wake up early so they woke up just before I finished, so they could see the finish, yeah.
iRunFar: Aw, nice. Well, that must be a great feeling as a father.
Jornet: Yeah, it’s good. They understand… They don’t understand much racing. It’s not a thing, but running and going out and do that, it’s what normal people do for them.
iRunFar: Awesome.
