Key Takeaways
- Ultrarunner Killian Journet pushes physical and mental limits, viewing mountains as home.
- He finds meditation in extreme efforts, disconnecting from society to reconnect with himself.
- Journet's risk perception evolved after a friend's death and becoming a father.
- He balances intense training with family life, sharing responsibilities with his ultrarunner wife.
Deep Dive
- Completed "States of Elevation," climbing 72 peaks and cycling over 2,400 miles in one month.
- This feat was characterized as equivalent to a daily marathon and a Tour de France stage.
- Routes were not technically dangerous but involved periods over 60 hours without seeing a village, requiring significant supplies.
- Initially endured extreme physical hardship for a week due to altitude and over 20 hours daily, before his body adapted.
- Maintained caloric intake of approximately 9,000 calories daily by drinking olive oil mixed with water.
- Journet describes mountains as home, using running, climbing, and biking as tools for exploration.
- He believes humans are naturally inclined to long-duration movement, now fulfilled through sports.
- Traversing mountains at high speed offers a sense of freedom and disconnects him from societal information.
- This connection allows him to reconnect with himself, his body, and his mind.
- Journet trains over 1,000 hours annually, climbing more than one million vertical feet, possessing an exceptionally high VO2 max.
- Early experiments included voluntary food deprivation during training, once leading to passing out, driven by curiosity about bodily limits.
- On Everest, after an avalanche and broken ribs, he descended 15+ hours alone, without food, discovering unexpected resources.
- He differentiates between fear and alertness, emphasizing calm acceptance in critical moments to avoid poor decisions.
- Journet, not religious, finds parallels between climbing and Buddhist meditation, requiring intense present-moment focus.
- He noted Buddhist practices of movement in Tibet for enlightenment, similar to his intense sports' meditative state.
- Experienced prolonged déjà vu in the Pyrenees and Alps, and a severe hallucination in the Himalayas.
- During a storm in the Himalayas, after 30 hours without food or water, he perceived a second person he felt responsible for saving, activating survival mechanisms.
- Journet acknowledges a high risk tolerance and an analytical approach to mountain situations, even when rationally uncomfortable.
- His friend Stefan Brosa died in 2012 in the Alps, falling 600 meters on Mont Blanc after stepping on a cornice.
- Following Brosa's death, Journet took more risks, attributing it to grief and questioning his own survival.
- He also coped with grief through heavy drinking after races for a couple of years.
- Journet states his fear of dying is now greater due to having children.
- A recent incident in the Alps with falling rocks prompted reflection and a strong desire to be present for his children.
- He emphasizes outdoor activities and nature appreciation for his children, aiming for environmental connection.
- Despite fatherhood, he has not stopped taking risks, attributing his approach to experience and age.
- Journet and his wife, also an ultrarunner, equitably share childcare and training responsibilities.
- They prioritize weekday training while children are in school, reducing activity on weekends for family outings.
- His wife has reduced competition in the past two years due to pregnancy and childcare.
- Journet intends to prioritize his wife's athletic goals in the coming year.
- Journet questions the purpose of his activities, contrasting the "giving" nature of helping others with the "taking" nature of sports.
- During the 2015 Nepal earthquake, he shifted from an Everest attempt to relief efforts, finding competition "dirty."
- He considers sports competition ego-driven and self-focused, admitting it can be selfish.
- He accepts aging and physical limitations, admiring older athletes who find joy in movement regardless of performance.