Kilian Jornet to Target 2:10 Marathon at London

Trails tracks, roads, and bikepaths.... wrote:

Obviousness wrote:

Whoa now, Sage has run 2:16!

Sage hasn't posted on this thread though.

heh heh

I have no doubt Kilian could knock out a 2:15 with at least 4 week road tuning. Oh and I’m a semi-pro (MD to half) so I have credibility and know what I’m talking about.

Trails tracks, roads, and bikepaths.... wrote:

Killian Jornet Burgada loathes running on flat roads even on short sections of trail races so I doubt he will ever do a road marathon.

I'm sure if he did, he would still DESTROY everybody who has posted on this thread!

But everyone who posted on this thread has been to the SUMMIT of Everest just as many times as Killian.

overhyped cheater wrote:

These mountain runners get watermelon heads thinking they are hot s*** and talking a big game, and then they either get spanked or chicken out. Leave the road racing at any distance to the real runners.

You really believe this statement of yours? Only a disgruntled local 10k all star would talk smack on runners up at 9k of altitude running Ultra miles through the mountains.

Having been around this sport a while, I'm confident in saying that there is NOTHING that can "translate" to a fast marathon (or any distance beneath that). The only way I can believe someone is capable of a certain marathon time is if they actually go out and run it. Fast road racing is a unique, specific skill that can only be attained by running fast for years and years.

Don't forget, Lance Armstrong barely broke 3 hours in his first marathon attempt. And even after switching his focus to running (what a lot of people are saying Killian could do for the marathon), he only ran 2:46.

Running 9-minute miles up and down hills in the mountains will get you good at running 9-minute miles up and down hills in the mountains. But it will only serve as a very basic foundation for fast marathon running. It's a different skill set entirely.

But anyway, none of this is even fair to speculate about, because Jornet has never actually expressed interest in running a fast marathon. His biggest concern now is Everestgate.

december 28 th is the " April´s Fools Day" in Spain. It´s a joke.

2:20 at best wrote:

http://www.runners.es/noticias/actualidad/articulo/kilian-jornet-participara-maraton-londres-2018

This guy is an amazing mut runner, climber, athlete etc...I hope he gets 2:10, I'm rooting for him!

lklklklk wrote:

Finish line photo....

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article7710466.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/Heather-Donahue-Blair-Witch.jpg

hahahaha

anotherperspective wrote:

Don't forget, Lance Armstrong barely broke 3 hours in his first marathon attempt. And even after switching his focus to running (what a lot of people are saying Killian could do for the marathon), he only ran 2:46.

.

I agree with most of what you said, however, using Lance as an example saying "switching his focus to running" is misleading. I don't believe Lance ever committed to more than 50 mile weeks before his 2:46. Had he built up to 75-80 miles consistently he likely would have run 2:30. I know this rehashes numerous threads where many insecure 2:25-2:35 runners refuse to believe this is possible- not my intention to restart that debate.

As for Jornet, I will say 2:10 never, 2:20 IF he cared to try, which he certainly doesn't. Obviously, he would crush 2:40 if he made that a goal.

ultramight wrote:

Just listened to the Talk Ultra interview the other day. It's really clear Killian has no interest in pursuing a fast road marathon. I think that'd be priority #457. The dude just wants to ski, climb, and be alone in the mountains.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!

---Alone in the mountains???

He needs to start by leaving his sponsors, fanboys, and entourage at home and go mountaineering then.

Hauling your ass up SE route of Everest (at least most of the way) in May is akin to hanging out on an LA freeway.

Of course, "speed" climbing your way up SE face is no accomplishment in the mountaineering world. Coming up short, claiming summit & time record IS a way to ensure you will not be left alone in the mountains any longer!----No one will believe his claims anymore and his fanboys will drop a bloodclot searing in anger over the rest of the world calling BS on this fraud.

Don't forget, Killian fanboys, there would be REAL timimg AND cameras for him to overcome.

AND, perhaps drug testing, which Kill-boi has never had to deal with in ultra-land. What happens when that happens fanboys?

Clean, with cameras confirming the finish and the route run, Killian = 2:15 at best.

Running's sub 2:10 is for real athletes.

Ultras should go hike more and avoid making stupid claims hyping their sub elite status.

He won't even break 2:30. Remember Mr. Highest VO2Max Matt Carpenter. He came to play once at the Olympic trials and never played again. Went back hiding into the mountain and hoped nobody saw the embarrassment.

Moo Goo wrote:

He won't even break 2:30. Remember Mr. Highest VO2Max Matt Carpenter. He came to play once at the Olympic trials and never played again. Went back hiding into the mountain and hoped nobody saw the embarrassment.

Matt Carpenter did run sub 2:20 for a full and at least one half in 65, so I don't know that he is a total "embarrassment" considering it's nearing 30 years ago and his knowledge, mindset, and motivation would have been different had he been born in 1994 instead of 1964.

That said, Killian breaking 2:10, don't think so. Breaking 2:20, yes, for sure. Maybe 2:15 even.

1.5/10 - You need to be more subtle; lure us in more slowly, rather than throwing it all out there all at once. I haven't yet seen a video showing his potential leg speed velocity but I'd venture to guess, with 6 months of marathon specific training, he could get into the lower 2:30s to upper 2:20s.

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

Dude Ran a half in 1:30 with 5,500 feet of up climbing...2 weeks after Everest

Grade-adjusted (for what that's worth) would be 1:07 half. I'd say he's capable with proper training of sub 2:15, maybe even 2:10.

https://runningmagazine.ca/kilian-jornet-first-road-half-marathon/

Oh Please wrote:

Moo Goo wrote:

He won't even break 2:30. Remember Mr. Highest VO2Max Matt Carpenter. He came to play once at the Olympic trials and never played again. Went back hiding into the mountain and hoped nobody saw the embarrassment.

Matt Carpenter did run sub 2:20 for a full and at least one half in 65, so I don't know that he is a total "embarrassment" considering it's nearing 30 years ago and his knowledge, mindset, and motivation would have been different had he been born in 1994 instead of 1964.

That said, Killian breaking 2:10, don't think so. Breaking 2:20, yes, for sure. Maybe 2:15 even.

Matt ran 2:19:44 at the 1992 Houston Marathon, qualifying him for the Olympic trials later that year. His 65-minute half-marathon time was actually his halfway split in the 1990 national marathon championships in Columbus; he led for most of the race before cracking badly over the last eight or nine miles. (The race was won by Steve Spence in 2:12.) Matt was not merely a mountain runner; he was an excellent road racer at higher altitudes, and he was seriously focused on making the U.S. Olympic team in the marathon. I don't think that his goal was unrealistic at the time, but he was never able to put together a really good marathon performance, and he never recorded any finishing times at sea level that were comparable to his road performances at higher altitudes.

I haven't followed Jornet's running career very closely, but I've never seen any performance of his that would lead me to conclude that he would have much success in the marathon. I do recall his victory in the Pikes Peak Marathon, but his performance was very mediocre for a mountain specialist, and did not suggest that he was capable of a sub-2:20 marathon at that time. I'm curious what performances lead people to conclude that he could run 2:15, or even sub-2:20. (The idea of a 2:10 just sounds like fantasy.) Comparisons with runners like Max King and Sage Canaday are inapt; they established their track and road credentials before focusing on mountain running. I've seen some really good mountain runners whose marathon performances topped out in the low 2:20s. What, specifically, indicates Jornet's ability to do better?

BL3737 wrote:

I have no doubt Kilian could knock out a 2:15 with at least 4 week road tuning. Oh and I’m a semi-pro (MD to half) so I have credibility and know what I’m talking about.

You spelled hobby jogger wrong.

So I've raced Killian a number of times over the years....he has always beat me.

Granted it has always been a "mountain/skyrunning" race (i.e. Transvulcania, Mont Blanc Marathon, UROC, The Rut).

At Mont Blanc marathon we got rolling (along with Max King and Andy Wacker) at a pretty good clip on some of the early "flat" road sections (prob. low 5-min mile pace at times) and he was pretty smooth. That race also has 9,000' of climbing and some technical trail/descents though. He pulled away and won by a pretty large margin and left us in the dust.

He is a great mountain athlete. But (having done both), I know the flat road marathons are a different story.

Having a high Vo2max doesn't matter if your flat road running economy at low 5-min mile pace or low 3-min/km pace isn't efficient. Likewise I've seen 2:14 marathoners like Max King struggle on some long mountain ultras and even road climbs like Mt. WA and Pikes Peak.

Often in mountain races we slow to power hikes and 20-min pace....going up and down mountains and techy trails that exceed 20-30% grade. It is like a different sport than elite, fast road marathoning.

I've had to train quite specifically over the past 13-14 weeks just to try to get into sub 2:19:00 shape and it has been very, very hard. I honestly don't know if I have a Trials Qualifier in me right now, but I think I'm close. I know enough about marathoning in this time range to say that 2:10 is a totally different level from 2:20. Heck even 2:15 is a different level than what I personally have ever been at. You run 2:10 and you can look to make the Olympic team for your country (depending on the country!)....you run 2:20-2:19 and you don't make the Olympic Trials in the US. Totally different level. 2:10 = elite. 2:19 = "national class".

So Killian has done some more "runnable races" like Pikes peak and did the ascent in 2:18 or so as a half split...Carpenter went 2:01 en route to the marathon CR. Nobody is getting close to 2:01 on the way that course is now. Joe Gray went as fast as 2:06-2:05 on the ascent and I've done a 2:10....consider that both Joe and I have beat Carpenter's PB at MT. WA by over 1-min and run faster road marathons than him. I could never come close to Carpenter's record at Pikes and i don't think Killian could either. Killian is a great mountain athlete and probably the best technical downhill mountain runner (he is not the best uphill climber though).

As far as flat road marathoning goes.....I'd say Killian could probably at least run in the low 2:20s. Maybe he runs under 2:20 with some specific training and beats the likes of OTQ hopefuls like me. But 2:10 is a totally different level. I'm not saying it's impossible....but honestly I'd be very very surprised if he could go sub 2:15. I doubt he will ever try though.

I get beat by mountain runners in Europe that have 2:30+ marathon PBs. It can be a very different type of running and of course longer ultras in the mountains have tons of different variables that determine success. It is all very hard running and I've seen the spectrum from UTMB to the Boston Marathon and Olympic Trials. #AnySurfaceAnyDistance

"day of the holy innocents" is essentially the same as April Fools...

Lol