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Kilian Jornet

Quite possibly the best mountain athlete we have seen in this generation with a versatility unrivaled by most in the field he has chosen to compete in. Kilian is in a class of his own winning some of the toughest mountain ultra races on earth from the UTMB to Western States and Hardrock his record is unparalleled but the amazing part of his performance is his versatility moving from long distance mountain ultras to short trail races like Zegama, Sierra Zinal, and even Vertical KMs is unparalleled in this field. Not to mention being an accomplished Skimo racer and mountaineer summiting Mt. Everest in record fashion twice among a list of other fast ascents around the globe. Kilian does literally everything in the mountains and he does them well!

It would be a disservice to Kilian if we only talked about his Athletic achievements because a lot of what makes him a truly special athlete and member of this planet is his connection to nature and the mountains. It feels deeply personal when you talk to him about his work on climate change, preserving the wild spaces in which he derives so much joy as well as a source of his livelihood and turning his fame into activism and advocacy something a lot of athletes shirk from for fear of losing sponsorship or being bashed online. Kilian has used his position and fame to push for a better planet for everyone and that is clearly shown in his goals each season minimizing air travel to lower his carbon footprint and choosing to live a life which is much lower impact on the land and the planet.

This advocacy filters into every aspect of Kilian's life and family from his racing schedule all the way to the new shoe and outdoor brand he has set up Nnormal which at its core has some very unique values -longevity -he raced in one shoe all season in 2022, designing for emotional product sustainability a unique term we discuss in this conversation and value.

This is Kilian Jornet -lifelong athlete, lover of the mountains, warrior for the earth on episode 50 of the Wildcast Podcast.

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This episode was produced by JP Alipio and Tomonari Nakayama, Sound design and editing by Tomonari Nakayama

Portrait image of Kilian provided by Alexis Berg

Kris Van de Velde -The Asia Trailmaster

Kris is a former competitive cyclist from Belgium who found a home in Asia among some of the most remote mountains and valleys in the region. Kris moved away from Europe to pursue a cycling career in China in the early 2010s then finding a career putting together cycling races in the burgeoning sports market in China. In 2014 he started the Asia Trailmaster Series -a competitive running series that features some of the best trail races in Asia and now includes up to 15 countries in some of the most beautiful and remote locations around Asia. Some of the major races in the series include the Malaysia Mountain Trail Festival, The Cordillera Mountain Ultra, Ultra Trail Chang Rai, Izu Trail Journey and a lot more.

Over the years Kris has built the Asia Trailmaster Series to be one of the most competitive series of races in Asia and creating a new breed of Asian trail running stars like Manolito Divina, Arief Wismiyono, Tahira Aliya, John Rey Onifa, Elias Tabac and more and has served as a launch pad for these trail elites to go on further in their athletic careers.

Kris's passion for the development of Trail Running in Asia is also matched by his own athletic prowess with a sub 3:20 Marathon time and a heritage in Belgian cycling.

You can find more information on the Asia Trailmaster Series here: http://www.asiatrailmaster.com/

Support the Wildcast via: www.buymeacoffee.com/Wildcast

This episode was produced by JP Alipio and Tomonari Nakayama, Sound design and editing by Tomonari Nakayama