The legend of Kilian Jornet continues: tenth victory in Zegama, the best mountain marathon in the world

At 34 years old, and after creating his own brand, the Spaniard wins with a superhuman record in the test that he discovered when he was a teenager

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The veterans of the place tell, those who every year crowd the surroundings of Sancti Spiritu and Aizkorri, that once Kilian Jornet fainted, that he was affected by a virus that he carried from Nepal, even though he did not win. That he didn’t win! It was in 2015, they say, but it is impossible to believe them. Because this Sunday, again, for the tenth time, Jornet won the Zegama, the best mountain marathon on the planet, and he did it as always with a vertiginous final descent, impossible for another human being. His legend began when he was just a child, in 2007, 15 years ago, and continues now that he is already in his thirties, the father of two girls, and already has his own clothing brand, Nnormal. 11 participations in Zegama and 10 wins. Life happens, trail running evolves, but Jornet will always be Jornet.

In his first victory in the legendary Basque race there was hardly any media, nobody knew him and he had to fight with a pioneer, Raul Garcia Castan, who is 51 years old today. This Sunday, in his tenth victory, the test could be followed in its entirety by Teledeporte, TV3 and ETB, he is something like a deity in the mountains and his rival was a young promise, the Italian Davide Magnini24 years old.

Magnini, among the top 5 in recent years in the Sierre-Zinal, in the Marathon du Mont-Blanc or in the Catalan Olla de Núria [que se disputa en 15 días], did the miracle of staying with Jornet until the last peak, Andraitz, and that’s where the magic of the Spanish began in the descent. In the broadcast, a technical prodigy with drones or cameras on the run, tried to follow a cameraman on an electric mountain bike and barely succeeded. After three hours of racing and with a hell of a heat, Magnini stopped at one of the aid stations and there he stopped seeing Jornet, who pounced on the finish line. In the end, his time was 3:36, nine minutes below the Norwegian’s record Stian Angermundwho had snatched it from him in 2017. Magnini also came in below the old record and was almost surpassed by the third, the Spanish Manu Merillaswhich confirmed his return to the elite.

In the female category, the winner was the Dutch Nienke Brinkmanthe new star of the trail, who also broke the record, she even with more margin than Jornet.