– Madness – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule

– This is a session that I don’t do too often as it is a really hard session, but once in a while it is good to run such hard sessions.

That’s what Kilian Jornet says to NRK about the extreme session that is causing a stir.

The spinning training session is an important part of the preparations for the Zegama-Aizkorri mountain marathon in the Basque Country in Spain in three weeks’ time.

– There is a reason why the best are good, says Kristian Ulriksen soberly.

Ulriksen is known to many from the former NRK podcast “I det lange løp” and has a personal marathon record of 2.21.36.

Kilian Jornet has for a number of years been known for incredible feats in mountain running, climbing and other activities where things go fast both up and down.

The 36-year-old has lived in Rauma in Møre og Romsdal since February 2016 and completed the impressive training session in the same municipality on Friday.

Key figures briefly summarized:

• Length: 42.02 kilometers
• Number of vertical meters climbed: 2027 meters
• Total time spent: 2 hours, 59 minutes and 47 seconds (total time in movement was 2 hours, 57 minutes and 48 seconds).

Fair enough, there was then 175 meters missing from a full marathon distance, but in practice a marathon covered in three hours.

– Since I don’t compete that often now, it’s good to get such stimuli for the body. These sessions in competitive speed help me get used to the speed and at the same time I also get to simulate things that can happen in a race, says Jornet.

– He is the best in the world

On the training app Strava, the comments have poured in during the tough training session, which Jornet apparently carried out all by himself.

The Spaniard has raced back and forth in Måndalen, with a 3.5 kilometer climb he has raced three times and a two kilometer climb he has raced three times.

The surface seems to have varied between hard-packed gravel, paths and asphalt, with a terrain that was mostly either steeply uphill or steeply downhill.

– Madness, writes Francesco Puppi, former world champion in mountain running, on Strava.

– It is impressive. He is the best in the world and has been for 10-15 years in a row. There is a reason why they are the best. They do impressive training sessions, but they also do what is needed to be prepared for a competition, says Ulriksen about the training session.

Jornet accepts the rose with crushing calm.

– I prefer to perform in competitions rather than in training sessions that I publish on Strava, says Jornet.

– An inner drive

The athletics expert thinks it is difficult to speculate on exactly how fast Jornet could run a flat marathon, but says that he thinks Jornet will have no problem running under 2 hours and 15 minutes with specific training.

The world record of the now deceased Kelvin Kiptum is 2.00.35. Sondre Nordstad Moen has the Norwegian record of 2.05.48.

When asked what Nordstad Moen thought of Jornet’s training session, the answer came quickly:

– That’s how it has to be, Moen wrote to NRK in a text message.

The answer to Moen can be interpreted in several ways, but the performance of Jornet, who has won several of the biggest mountain races in the world, still impresses Ulriksen.

– It’s a lot about other things (than sports) for Kilian. He probably has an inner drive and a motivation that is not necessarily about performance, says Ulriksen.

If we are to believe the main character himself, we won’t be seeing him in a flat marathon anytime soon.

– I probably won’t be able to run any flat marathons. My body has become used to running in mountains over many years. When I run flat, I often injure myself, says Jornet.