Kilian Jornet is the best ultramarathoner in the world and breaks all records in mountain running. Kilian is where he is thanks to his work and effort, but also thanks to his diet. Find out in this post how is the diet of the superman who climbed Everest twice in six days.
Kilian Jornet, the Michael Jordan of the mountains, grew up in an alpine refuge in the Pyrenees (Cap del Rec, in Cerdanya), owned by his father, where he always practiced mountain and snow sports with his family. At only three years old, I already knew what it was like to climb peaks of almost 3,000 meters, yes, you read that correctly, 3 years! His list of early milestones does not end there: at 10 he was able to cross the Pyrenees in 42 days. The mountains and their peaks were his recreation area. Without realizing it, and as if it were a game, they instilled in him, from a very young age, a love for the mountains and learn to enjoy doing sports. What for ordinary mortals mean unaffordable challenges, for Kilian are, as the Americans say, “another day in the office”.
It measures 171 cm and weighs 58 Kg. These measurements match the body size of the world’s best cyclists and marathoners. Kilian leads a generation of athletes who are safe at high speeds. His record-breaking performances are characterized by the minimal amount of equipment and supplies he carries with him. And because he hardly sweats. For his 11-hour, 48-minute climb to the 6,194 meters of the Denali, he barely took a liter of water. In summer he can run all day and drink only from streams and eat whatever berries he finds along the way. When you put together in the same extreme sport equation, with minimal consumption (minimal if you like), of drink and food, the X can only be cleared by good old Jornet.
Kilian Jornet’s eating habits are inversely proportional to his athletic performance: extremely normal, there is nothing extraordinary about them. They can even be improved, as he himself admits in several interviews. Eat without following strict planning, using very conventional products, based on a varied and healthy diet, without neglecting some “whims”, such as chocolate or pizza. He eats little meat, as his mother is a vegetarian and has never been overly enthusiastic.
In training periodsFollowing the instructions of your nutritionist, you usually eat three complete meals and two snacks based on muesli, dried and fresh fruits, as well as respect a period of two to three hours between meals and training. During this phase avoid the intake of fatty and protein foods, choose simple cooking and drink water and hydroelectrolytic drinks, before, during and after physical work.
Between three and five days prior to the competition, in addition to following the same recommendations as in training sessions, substitute some protein and fatty foods for others rich in carbohydrates such as cereals, bread, potatoes, legumes or fruits with the aim of increase glycogen stores.
Kilian makes the importance of hydration very clear . Fundamentally in any sport, but especially in ultra-distance races. For performance, for a good recovery and for injury prevention.
Finally, recovery is of vital importance, especially with regard to the supply of water and mineral salts immediately after exercise. An hour after finishing the race and within two hours, make a meal rich in simple and compound carbohydrates, to replenish muscle glycogen stores more easily. And it also takes a slight intake of protein, in order to facilitate muscle recovery.
Recovery is of vital importance, especially with regard to the contribution of water and mineral salts immediately after exercise. Recovery is of vital importance, especially with regard to the contribution of water and mineral salts immediately after exercise.
Train on an empty stomach often. But we must be clear that training on an empty stomach is dangerous if it is not done with maximum knowledge of oneself, knowing one’s own limits and being clear about the health risk that hypoglycemia can pose, and even more so in a mountain environment. Kilian is a professional who dedicates his life to sport, and knows perfectly the signals that his body gives him , and is fully aware of how far he can go.
The mixture of numerous factors such as an unparalleled physical resistance capacity, a body with extremely low energy consumption, a competitive voracity at the height of the chosen ones and a grotesque naturalness when it comes to overcoming challenges, has made this lightweight man the most similar to a Marvel superhero, although surely, if we passed him on the street, we would never say it!
