iRunFar’s at the Mountain Running World Cup Finals this weekend in Italy! Check out our Saturday’s VK race results, and see our women’s and men’s previews for Sunday’s race.

Watch Kilian Jornet Beat His Own Record for the Vertical Kilometer

A short film about Kilian Jornet running a vertical kilometer as fast as he can.

By on November 26, 2021 | Comments

We all know that Kilian Jornet is one of the best mountain athletes in the world. As further testament to his exceptional capacity to push his limits, the 34-year-old, who is from Spain but who lives in Norway, set his sights on setting a new vertical kilometer personal record, and his efforts are documented in a new, short SalomonTV film.

By definition, a vertical kilometer route gains a minimum of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) in five kilometers (3.1 miles) or fewer. While Jornet’s efforts in this film were solo style in his home country, vertical kilometer races take place in numerous places around the world where there are trails which meet these requirements.

Prior to these efforts, Jornet’s previous vertical kilometer personal best was in September of 2020 with a 29:51 on the clock at the Kilomètre Vertical de Fully race in Switzerland, on a course known as the fastest official vertical kilometer race course in the world.

The film shows Jornet’s first solo attempt on Slogen, a mountain in Norway, where he improved on his best to finish in 29:15, and then later in Vengetind, Norway, where he broke the 29-minute barrier, sometimes on all fours making his way up the steep slope.

See Jornet’s exquisite running up Norway’s breathtaking mountain inclines in this SalomonTV video:

Jilli Cluff
Jilli Cluff writes and edits for iRunFar and other outdoor-driven outlets. Those closest to her might say she's an avid climber, middling longboarder, and slow (but optimistic!) trail runner. Jilli is based out of Austin, Texas, where she takes up residence with her one-eared blue heeler, George. Follow her on Instagram.