Kilian Jornet: "At 80 I will continue racing, I can't see myself without competing"

• Chronicle Kilian Jornet already has his 'Flu Game': victory and record in the UTMB with a positive in Covid

• Interview Kilian Jornet: "I don't think about my retirement, I can run and be with other things"

In the heart of the Alps a multitude of hands awaited the idol, which came down from the heights with its arms close to its body and an apologetic face;

he couldn't, he couldn't high-five so many fans.

Last August,

won the UTMB, the best mountain race in the world, with a covid positive and a historical record, and his entry into the Chamonix finish line remained one of the sports images of 2022. At the end of a year in which he also successfully launched his pr

copy brand, NNorma

l, the runner reviews what he experienced in conversation with EL MUNDO via video call from his home in Norway.

"It's still hard for me to understand the repercussion of the sport," he admits at his 35th birthday, with everything already won, but still with a long career ahead of him: in reality, he hopes never to retire.

He has always criticized the overestimation of athletes, but, as was seen this year in Chamonix, he is adding more and more fans.

Have you learned to carry it?

Being the center of attention still makes me very anxious because I am still an introvert, because it is difficult for me to understand it, but I have managed to reduce the moments in which I present.

In fact, it was one of the main reasons why I came to live in Norway: here I have a very calm day to day, I can be alone, nobody follows what I do.

I suffered more when I lived in the Alps and competed more and now, as it is something specific, sometimes I even enjoy it.

I guess I have learned to carry it.

How did you do it?

I like to compete.

I like very much.

I'm a picado, I have fun.

And during a race the public pressures you in a good way.

In mountaineering you cannot fail because you risk your life.

In the races, if you fail, nothing happens, but the public shoots your adrenaline as if it really happened.

That part is positive.

The pandemic changed society: today the outdoors is valued more, cities are disdained.

Do you feel less alien?

I have never felt alienated, we are all very connected, through video calls, through social networks.

There are simply people who feel comfortable in cities and I don't.

I was even somewhat uncomfortable when I lived in the Alps, in Les Houches, which has 5,000 inhabitants and I could no longer leave the house as I wanted.

Perhaps my idea of ​​society is somewhat different from that of the majority, but I don't feel alien.

He has won races from a very young age, his first victory in UTMB was at the age of 19, but then trail running was a less professionalized sport.

Did he ever think that he couldn't live in the mountains and would have to find a life in the city?

As an adult, I would say no.

If he hadn't been able to make a living from racing, he would have been a mountain guide or something.

90% of my friends do not live in the city and have very different jobs.

As a teenager, in high school, I did feel that pressure.

In Catalonia, in Spain in general, the universities are in cities and I was clear that I didn't want that, that's why I went to study in France [he studied the equivalent of INEF at the CAR in Font Romeu].

NICK DANIELSON

LYMBUS

What has changed in these 14 years between your first UTMB victory, as a child, and your last, as a father?

Focus.

Before, I was more focused on winning certain races or meeting certain challenges.

Now I am focused on testing myself on a physiological level and I simply look for races that serve me for that.

It is a different approach: the races are not an objective in themselves, they are a test for my training.

This 2022 I wanted to see if I could perform both in short and long distance and that's why I went to UTMB.

return to mountaineering

And next year?

I'll probably do a couple of races to see how I adapt after a high-altitude expedition.

My idea is to return to the Himalayas with the family, but to do it without a specific objective.

I already know Nepal a little and it depends on how the winter goes, what conditions there are in the spring, I will do one thing or the other.

We will be there, I hope to be in good shape and, depending on what I find, I will do summit attacks.

In 2019,

amounted to 14 'eight-thousanders' in just seven months, it is an example of how speed has prevailed in mountaineering in recent years.

Do you feel like your own?

For me, speed for speed's sake doesn't make sense.

Nirmal's record seems interesting to me on a logistical level, on an organizational level, even on a financial level, but not on a mountaineering level.

For me, mountaineering must be a game of giving up, it must put you in difficulties.

That is why I only understand speed if it is the consequence of a style, if it is a tool.

The example is French

, which in one year has opened the north face of Chamlang, has climbed the Trilogy of the Alps in winter and has achieved the record for the ascent of Broad Peak.

His strength, his speed, have been key to achieving all of that.

NICK DANIELSON

LYMBUS

Will he one day stop running and dedicate himself totally to mountaineering?

No, I don't see myself without competing.

When I'm 70 or 80 years old, I'll keep running races around here and I'll see how I evolve physically.

If I talk about examples, in this sense Jordi Pons helps me, who is a man who 50 years ago did cutting-edge activities and now, with almost 90, goes to climb Montserrat every week or goes up Aneto on skis.

He is very cool to me.

Motivation is very easy for me.

I have never understood that 'I lack motivation'.

Going out to train is very nice: you visit beautiful places, you learn from your body, every day is different

Your ecological conscience

In addition, now he has the motivation to try the material of his own brand, NNormal.

The number of sales in the first months has been excellent.

He is satisfied?

I am very happy because the products that we have launched on the market follow the philosophy with which I am comfortable.

Right now, with the climate emergency, it may seem contradictory to launch a brand and, at the same time, promote a slowdown in consumption, but I think it was the right step.

Through NNormal, from within, offering more durable products, I believe that we can change the way of consuming.

JAMES DE DIEGO

LYMBUS

How many contradictions have you come across as an environmentalist and, at the same time, a businessman?

I am clear that if you want to change the business, you must be inside, you have to influence other companies.

But in everyday life there are many contradictions.

For example, at the manufacturing location.

We make the clothes in Europe, but the shoes in Asia, but no longer because of an economic issue, but because the entire industry is there, due to a matter of know-how.

Or another example, marketing.

It is still a double-edged sword, you have to think about how not to impact the planet so much, avoid overconsumption.

Months ago, the founders of Patagonia transferred all their shares to NGOs that care for the planet.

Can you see yourself doing something like that?

Patagonia is a very large company, with a large turnover.

At the moment, the benefit of NNormal goes mainly to innovation and it is still early to consider the debate: Is it better to grow a lot to invest in nature or grow less and have less impact?

At the moment we are focused on getting new, more durable materials.

I personally need x money to live and I prefer that the rest be invested in that or in my foundation.

This year he went to compete in the United States, where he won the Hardrock 100 miles.

Did you feel some ecological anxiety while traveling?

I did feel it.

In recent years I have made a commitment to reduce my carbon footprint and now only make one intercontinental trip per year.

Before going to Hardrock, I asked myself: How can I make this flight, with an impact of two tons of carbon, have a positive part for the planet?

That's why I met with organizations, I offered conferences to raise awareness about that impact, I went to see suppliers that will help Nnormal to make more sustainable products... Carbon offsetting is useful, although it cannot be abused.

Do you feel like you are alone in your fight against global warming in careers or in business?

No, no, I'm positive about that.

There are more and more athletes who do not travel by plane so as not to leave as much of a mark on the planet, there are more and more brands that take sustainability very seriously or, at least, make decisions due to social pressure in that regard.

Look, the HSBC bank, the second largest in Europe, has recently announced that it is withdrawing its investment in fuels.

It is significant.

Talking to scientists or reading research we may think that everything is screwed up but we have to keep rowing.

If not, there is no future.

To continue reading for free

Sign inSign up for free

Or

and you will have access to all the web content of El Mundo