Why Does Kilian Jornet Have 3 x IG Followers than Jakob Ingebrigtsen?

After which UTMB? He's won a whole bunch of them with his first in 2008. I'm sure his followers bumped a lot with each win.

Mountain-Ultra-Trail Runners are a more cohesive group than road marathoners or track athletes as I whole I'd say.

There are still relatively few "starts" in the sport and Kilian is to MUT like Kipchoge is to marathons. Within MUT alone (and realize that includes VKs, sub-ultra mountain races and traditional trail ultramarathons) he is The "Big Fish" in a relatively small pond. But is the pond really smaller than those that actually compete in track?

For the adult athlete (who didn't run track in school), racing a 1500m is not relatable at all really. Running a marathon can kind of be....but the cross over of the typical US Marathoner probably isn't going to be a hardcore distance running fan but someone looking to do a "bucket list" item. Ultramarathoners on the other hand are more likely to be more dedicated to their races, an active follower and consumer within that niche, and to follow the GOAT across social media.

Plus, like others have mentioned Kilian gets a following from any "mountain athlete" group be they hikers, alpinists, ultra runners or even skimo athletes and rock climbers. He has over a decade headstart in gaining a social media following on other platforms too compared to a younger athlete.

There is a certain aesthetic to the mountains and a certain intrigue with the challenges and natural beauty.....plus Kilian is pretty well trained in photography and video production. Those qualities can all help a lot with followers.

More people in the running community are more interested in ultra racing than the 1500m

1. Killian has been the best for like ten years now. He's won everything in the sport in impressive times.

2. He's very personable and seems like a nice guy that would be fun to run with (if you could keep up).

3. He shares all his training.

4. He has a family. Most hobbyjoggers are trying to balance sport, work and family. He's managed well and to me that's as inspirational as a 22 year old winning olympic medals.

5. His sport is more photogenic. The places he runs are ridiculously pretty.

Henrik might get there but Killian is the more interesting athlete for sure.

Ultra and trail running has a lot of crossover interest from the outdoor adventure sports world; mountaineering, rock climbing, etc.

It might be 3%🤣 Seriously the small differences add up. Being just a bit stronger and quicker to recognize a play is the difference between getting to the spot and not. It adds up.

Think of the difference between run 13 and running like 13:25. That's is 3%. One is a top runner in the US. The other is a field filler with no chance.

Not to mention, he's world class in those multiple niche sports. A real high elevation alpinist, a real steep skier, a real ski mo athlete, a real trail runner, a real mountain ultra runner. All of those are more aesthetic and have more story telling potential than track and field.

Road and track running is inferior to the trails and mountains. I don't care if you run a 2:15 or 5:15 marathon, it is the same ro me. But run an ultra at any speed and you get my respect.

To the average person, Jornet is a renaissance man: great at multiple sports, family man, entrepreneur, and adventurer. Ingebrigtsen? Mostly boring young robot that does what Daddy tells him to do.

Kylie Jenner got over three million "likes" for posting a picture of her Nikes on Instagram. She also has about 300 times as many Instagram followers as Kilian, even though she's probably even slower than he is.

This ^^

Also, Jornet loves what he does while Jakob has said he doesn't enjoy running, just winning.

6/10 you got a response, well done

I think it boils down to people having very little grasp of what elite performance looks like/feels like. People think my sub 5 is impressive, until I tell them how much harder it is to run even 30 seconds faster. Even pro athletes are guilty of this. Most NFL players probably understand sprinting speed, but not a lot of understanding for distance performances.
Likewise, your average Letsrunner thinks they could catch a moon ball from Russell Wilson while in double coverage.

Don't even compare the two. Killian is the greatest trail runner of all time. While Jacob won a gold medal only because the Kenyans effed up. Not in the same level.

Jakob's tattoos alone prevent him from ever getting over 1million IG followers.

Kipchoge = greatest marathon runner of all time

Bekele = greatest track / X country runner of all time

Killian = greatest mountain trail runner of all time

Cheptagai = Bekele's successor at the track

Rudisha = greatest 800m runner

Jacob = the boy that got lucky because Timothy C.'s strategy failed (did not run at full effort)