Whereas the roster of gifted athletes able to jostle for the win on the 171-km Extremely Path du Mont Blanc (UTMB) on Sept. 1 continues to be ridiculously deep, one notable competitor might be absent: four-time winner and course report holder Kilian Jornet. The athlete introduced on social media Thursday that he wouldn’t be attending resulting from an harm that hasn’t healed. “No UTMB for me this 12 months,” Jornet shared. “I nonetheless can’t run because of the sacrum harm so we determined it was higher to prioritize a great restoration and attempt to do one thing enjoyable when the ache disappears.”
Followers have been anticipating a rematch between Jornet and Canadian Mathieu Blanchard, who might be vying for his third consecutive podium end in Chamonix. Blanchard ran final 12 months’s race in 19 hours, 54 minutes and 50 seconds to complete a detailed second behind Jornet, who ran 19:49:30, setting a brand new course report.
Jornet battled by way of harm within the Eiger Extremely Path by UTMB, vying for a UTMB Working Stone that may permit him to compete within the ultimate UTMB occasion in Chamonix. Whereas Jornet leads the UTMB Index with a 945 ranking, he wanted to complete the race to grow to be a contender within the ultimate. The athlete injured his sacrum in coaching two days earlier than Eiger Extremely, however fought by way of to complete in forty eighth place in a race received by 16-year-old Swiss athlete Lorick Buclin (1:21:26).
“Some days earlier than Eiger Extremely path I began to really feel ache in my proper hip, Jornet shared on Instagram. “I believed it was a muscle downside or tendinitis that may go away with some simple days, however after a verify we came upon it’s a bone edema.” The multi-sport mountain athlete defined that he suspected the trigger was returning to massive working weeks too shortly after a Himalayan expedition that left him with damaged ribs and a hip harm.”It feels it’s a foul timing to get this harm so near the races however managing accidents and restoration is a part of an athlete’s life,” he stated.
Whereas Jornet expressed hopes in late July that he would be capable of line up alongside the likes of People Jim Walmsley and Courtney Dauwalter, British ultrarunner Tom Evans and Canadian Blanchard, the athlete determined towards it. Followers can hope to see him crewing his spouse, Swedish ultrarunner and ski mountaineer Emelie Forsberg, who might be lining up at CCC (Courmayeur–Champex–Chamonix), the 100K race on the UTMB World Sequence Finals.
Jornet is considerably of a legend at UTMB, first profitable the race in 2008 as a 20-year-old and returning to win 2009, 2011 and 2022. Jornet has a protracted listing of accomplishments and holds the quickest identified time pace report for the ascent and descent of main mountains, together with the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.
