Kilian Jornet never stops. A few months ago he surprised everyone with his journey linking the highest peaks in the United StatesNow, the Catalan athlete has raised the alarm about the dangers threatening a sport he loves: mountain running. The more reflective and outspoken Jornet has decided to sound the alarm after witnessing how this amateur sport, where the connection with nature was key, is evolving into scenarios where he doesn't feel entirely comfortable. He has done so through a written statement and by participating in an initiative that aims to offer solutions to save the essence of the races, ensuring, first and foremost, that they respect nature—a crucial element.

In an extensive interview with New York TimesKilian Jornet opens up and speaks calmly about some of the most defining moments of both his life and career. Jornet begins by recounting his love for nature and for traversing mountains, pushing his body to the limit. "What made me fall in love with crossing mountains at high speed is the feeling of being naked and insignificant, without restrictions. It gives me freedom and connection," says the athlete.

A few months ago, David Göttler (Munich, 1978) reached the summit of Nanga Parbat, at 8,125 meters, the ninth highest mountain in the world. He did it without Sherpas, without base camps, climbing with little equipment and opening a new route. It took him days to climb this key mountain in the history of mountaineering in his country, because Germans had summited it first in 1934. But it took him only thirty-five minutes to reach base camp. His companions arrived three days later. The secret? He went paragliding. No one had ever flown a paraglider above 7,000 meters before. Göttler is a cheerful man with a great sense of humor. A friend of Kilian Jornet, the ARA welcomed him at the Barrabes store in Barcelona, ​​after the presentation of the collection. Advanced Mountain Kit from The North Face, which he helped develop.

"It's crazy," said Hans Troyer, a 25-year-old American athlete who recently became the U.S. champion in the 50-mile race, a roughly 80-kilometer mountain climb. A few weeks ago, Troyer and Chris Myers, two athletes who specialize in summit climbing, greeted Kilian Jornet at the foot of Pikes Peak, a 4,300-meter peak in the Colorado Rockies. The Catalan arrived by bicycle after pedaling for hours. He had just climbed another peak of over 4,200 meters. He arrived, drank water, greeted the two athletes with a laugh, and told them they could get going. Two hours later, they had reached the summit and were on their way down. Afterward, Jornet took a 30-minute nap, woke up, climbed back on his bike, and headed for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. "It doesn't make any sense to see how he was climbing, at such a high pace, after so many kilometers on the bike. After so many days without resting," Troyer said. At that point, Kilian Jornet wasn't even halfway through his States of Elevation challenge, in which he has climbed all the peaks over 14,000 feet (about 4,000 meters) in the United States, excluding Hawaii and Alaska. The 72 summits were crowned by Jornet in 31 days.

Kilian Jornet has done it again. In one month, the Catalan athlete climbed 72 peaks over 4,200 meters in the United States. A journey dubbed States of Elevation in which he has covered more than 5,145 kilometers entirely on foot and by bicycle, with hardly any rest, surprising the American athletes who accompanied him on his latest adventure. His team had hoped that the Catalan could finish his challenge this Monday or, with luck, on Sunday. But Jornet finished the job two days ahead of schedule with the last of the summits.

Kilian Jornet now has a new project. The Catalan has presented the States of Elevation, a journey in which he will use only human means to connect peaks of more than 14,000 feet (approximately 4,267 meters) in the United States on foot and by bicycle. An exceptionally demanding challenge, in which Jornet will complete each day the equivalent of a stage of the Tour de France and a marathon.

In the latest edition of the Ultra Pirineu mountain race, more than 1,300 runners gathered in the Cadí mountain range to cover more than 100 km of distance and 6,600 meters of elevation gain. Extremely demanding events like this make us question the limits of the human body, as well as the role that physiology, nutrition, and rest play in achieving good athletic performance and, in general, enjoying a healthy life.

Joyce Muthoni Njeru's destiny was written at birth, even if she didn't know it. Born at more than two thousand meters above sea level in the Kenyan interior, she used to run to school on those cold mornings surrounded by fog. The first daughter of five siblings, she followed the achievements of Kenyan athletes in marathons and Olympic Games on television, although she was destined to shine in a discipline that few people knew about in Kenya at the time: mountain running.