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Categories: Interviews and ProfilesRacesVideo
Kilian Jornet, 2017 Hardrock 100 Champion, Interview
Kilian Jornet won the 2017 Hardrock 100, his fourth-straight win of the iconic ultramarathon. In the following interview, Kilian talks about sharing the race with Iker Karrera early as well as Mike Foote and Joe Grant later on, his fall above Maggie Gulch at about mile 14 that dislocated his shoulder, managing the injury for some 85 miles, what it is about this race that draws him back, and his thoughts going into the rest of his running season, including August's UTMB.
Read our 2017 Hardrock 100 results article to find out what else happened at the race and for links to other post-Hardrock interviews. Watch Kilian and the rest of the men's podium finish on video.
Kilian Jornet, 2017 Hardrock 100 Champion, Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar, and we're here in the Silverton School gym in Silverton, Colorado. I'm with the 2017 Hardrock 100 Endurance Run men's champion, Kilian Jornet. Congratulations on your fourth win at Hardrock.
Kilian Jornet: Thank you very much. It was a fun day.
iRunFar: Was it a fun day?
Jornet: Or… yeah, in a way. It's always fun to be out in these mountains and with friends and chatting with them and running. It's what we love. There are always moments when we are sore or we have pain, but it's part of the game though.
iRunFar: Every time the iRunFar team saw you on the course, you had this very simple and genuine grin on your face. Is it easy to smile even when it hurts a bit?
Jornet: I was having fun. I was having a lot of fun today. The weather was perfect. Only during one hour it was lightning and hailing, but the rest was super-good weather. It was not cold, so it was perfect for running. I had pain when I fell, but afterward, I found a way to stop the pain, so then it was good.
iRunFar: Walk us through how the race went. I think you and Iker [Karrera] spent loads of time together in the first part of the race.
Jornet: Yes, actually it was Caroline [Chaverot] that started in front. Caroline and Nathalie Mauclair started sprinting the race. Actually it was Iker who was going after them. I was in a group behind with [Anna] Frosty and Joe [Grant] and Mike [Foote] and many others. It was a big group. Actually, in the downhill, the first downhill of the race, we were going with Joe, and then we catch Caroline, and then I catch Iker. From after Cunningham, I was with Iker up to just before Ouray. He had a hard time. He had some digestion problems, so it was a bit hard for him. We were together. It was fun. We could chat. After Ouray, I was with Joe and Mike and we spent all the day together.
iRunFar: I think you guys kind of trotted up the Camp Bird Road together?
Jornet: Yeah, yeah, we were like running together all the road. It's nice to run with someone there because if not, it's tough mentally.
iRunFar: Late afternoon, kind of hot, there's vehicles on the road—very long uphill.
Jornet: Yeah, it's a long uphill. I don't know how many miles it is but 11 miles? Yeah, it's a long road, and it's… it's… it's not the most fun part of the race for sure.
iRunFar: It's the way to connect the cool Bear Creek Trail to the cool trail going to Kroger's Canteen.
Jornet: Yes, sure, it's in between two of the most beautiful places in the race.
iRunFar: Let's back up a little bit and talk about some things earlier in the race. I think some fans watching the race were curious about you taking off your shoes at some of the first river crossings.
Jornet: Yeah, it's so early in the morning. I'm not a morning person. You start the race, and you know you will cross like 100 rivers, but the first one is always hard.
iRunFar: It's the worst, and it's kind of a big one, isn't it?
Jornet: Yeah, it's a big one. I arrived there, and I was like, Ahhhhh, nooooo, my feet are dryyyy, and no, they don't want to go through. So, I just took them off.
iRunFar: You not only took your socks and shoes off to go across the river, but you also took the time to grab a shirt from your pack and dry your feet.
Jornet: Of course, because if not then…
iRunFar: It was like going to get a pedicure or something. You were treating your feet like kings.
Jornet: There, yeah, but if you look at my feet, they're not really like a pedicure. They have no toenails.
iRunFar: I think that's a mountain runner's pedicure.
Jornet: Actually, I came to the race with almost all the toenails gone from the expeditions.
iRunFar: Let's talk for a minute about where you took your fall. It was on a downhill early in the race?
Jornet: Yeah, it was stupid of me. It was just going down to Maggie's just in the top just before Buffalo Boy Ridge. From Buffalo Boy Ridge there was a snowfield. I took the snowfield, and I was looking around. At the end of the snowfield, it was this kind of softer snow, so my feet both got into the snow, and I rolled over in the rocks. It was stupid of me to be looking around and not in front.
iRunFar: You probably thought you'd float on top of the snow and not fall through.
Jornet: Yeah, so that was the plan. It didn't go like that.
iRunFar: So you rolled over a couple times and rolled onto this shoulder?
Jornet: Yeah, I think so, but it's strange. I had blood in the knees but also in the butt, so I probably did some summersaults. That was okay, but it was mostly the shoulder. I've had problems before. I've dislocated this shoulder already four times.
iRunFar: Four times? Doing what sports?
Jornet: Climbing and skiing. So, I need to operate on it at a time, but I've been pushing it. So when I fall, I don't know if it was straight with the rock or because I was wearing poles and the pole just pushed my shoulder out.
iRunFar: So, you said it when we were all speaking with you at the finish line that you put it back in using the other arm?
Jornet: Yeah, I was used to that from the other times I have dislocated this shoulder.
iRunFar: Painful?
Jornet: Yeah, it's painful when it goes out, but when it goes in then it's not painful but it's a bit disturbing. It's not a big, but… it's sore more.
iRunFar: I think you told somebody on the iRunFar crew that it was painful on the downhills because of the jarring?
Jornet: Yeah, from there at Maggie's, I continued, and it was okay. It was painful, so going down with the vibrations it was a bit painful. Actually, it got more and more until…
[Pause for beer-garden announcement.]
iRunFar: So it wasn't bothersome straightaway?
Jornet: No, it was bothering, but it was going a bit more and more probably because at the beginning it was hot and then it goes out. Then it was at Animas Forks that I put tape to keep it close to my body. From there, it was okay. It was just a bit disturbing in some movements, but it was actually…
iRunFar: Did you ever think maybe you shouldn't go on?
Jornet: Yeah, I didn't think I could make it to the finish because it was painful. When I fell, it was painful. Then it was okay. After, it's not easy… I was just saying, Okay, just keep going until you feel too much pain. Then I feel today I was in good shape. My legs were perfect. Physically I was really well. It was only like, Okay, I can't use both arms, but it's an arm. It's not a leg like you need for running, so it was not a big deal.
iRunFar: A couple compensating questions. Because it was painful on the downhills, were you going easier downhill and trying to push the uphills to make up for it, or were you just doing your thing and it hurts anyway?
Jornet: No, we were going mostly with Mike, or in the beginning with Iker and then with Mike and Joe. We were going together a bit. On the downhills, the only thing I didn't want was to fall again because then it's bad. I was taking care of that. No, I was going. Then it's mostly just using one arm (uphill), but no, I didn't change the strategy on that.
iRunFar: It's 85 miles guarding your arm and a lot of it taped up like this. Did you have any compensatory pain?
Jornet: Yes, my back now is sore, the back and the core, because you don't want the body to move a lot, so you need to stay straight. Yeah, I was working. Hey, it was good core training, too.
iRunFar: Hardrock, the ultimate core workout, right?
Jornet: Yeah, sure.
iRunFar: You're now four times a finisher of Hardrock, four times a champion. I'm sure you know that when you have five finishes, you earn the PhD of ultrarunning. Is that something that you think about—returning to this race again and again and again?
Jornet: It's a cool race. It's like Zegama for short distance. It's because the ambiance is like a family. It's such a… it's coming here. You can come here to race or to crew or to volunteer. You live the same experience. That's something unique. It's so cool. Yeah, I want to come back because it's that. Then you can perform or not or whatever. I don't think it's the point of the race. It's cool if you can do a good result or to win, but more than that for me, it's to come here, to come to these mountains and to share this race not only with the runners but also with all the people around.
iRunFar: When a person repeats something like this over and over and over again, it starts to become part of who you are and sort of a part of your identity. Do you find a sense of familiarity and comfort from being here?
Jornet: Yeah, sure, because in a way it's how I think ultra-trail is. For me, ultra-trail is to be out exploring nice mountains where performance is not the first thing. It's something where it's being part of the race, not only the runners but volunteering or crewing or pacing. It's about these experiences. I love the hours of the race. It's not the podium. It's from the first to the last one, everybody is going out. It's cool because it's more about the journey than about the race. That's how when I think about ultra-trail, it's what I think.
iRunFar: More than running—it's about people, place, space?
Jornet: Yes, it's about running, too, because all the people that is here love running. But running is the excuse to meet all together.
iRunFar: It's maybe your way to find your people?
Jornet: Yeah, to find your people and to have fun out there.
iRunFar: I was surprised when you announced you were going to run UTMB this year. I thought that that was a race that you'd had your experiences with and were moving on. UTMB!?
Jornet: Yeah, for me it was the same, but then actually I was planning to go to the Himalayas to Everest in August, but then we did not get the permission for August, so I changed to spring. Then in August I had no races, and so it's a competitive year. I don't think there are many ultra-trails that have a big field. It's always two or three elite athletes, but it's never 10 or 15 that can win the race. That's why to go there and to race and to have a big field. As we have in Zegama and Sierre-Zinal and these short races, you go, and it's a good level. In ultra-trail, if you want to go and find this level of competition, it's really rare. That's why.
iRunFar: You're going to run with guys who have succeeded at all kinds of different races. Jim Walmsley has done flatter and faster stuff. Zach Miller has done more mountainous stuff and shorter distances. Francois D'Haene is proven at mountainous 100 milers. It's a meeting of all kinds of different styles of really top-level men.
Jornet: Yeah, it will be interesting because I think looking outside, there will be people who will start super strong—Jim and Zach who always do because it's their way to race—then people like Xavier Thevenard, Francois, and Luis Alberto Hernando who are really good racers and many more. It will be really interesting to see how the strategies go and what every runner chooses and what works.
iRunFar: I think for fans of the sport, it's going to be a heavily awaited day to see exactly, like you said, how it plays out because there are so many styles of people coming together.
Jornet: I think that's the cool thing because it will be super interesting. It's good to see completely different styles of running in the same place together.
iRunFar: I have to also ask you about the Bob Graham Round because I did it a couple months ago, so it's of personal interest to me. The Bob Graham Round?!
Jornet: Yeah, you did it! Yeah! Yeah, why you did it? Because it's one of the most famous. Also, fell running is part of the history of mountain running. If you look at the first races ever on the mountains, they were in England in fell races hundreds of years ago. There's where the history of the sport starts in a way. Between all, in this history, Bob Graham had a place. Yeah, it's cool, I think.
iRunFar: I understand you've been there and at least seen some of the round?
Jornet: I have been there last year. We did Advanced Week in the Lake District and we got around and climbed some summits there, but not really as I wasn't looking at it. Yeah, I want to go there some days before and check a bit the routes and try it.
iRunFar: I think a lot of people in England are wondering if you'll try to do it and make a fast time or fastest known time or what your goal is there?
Jornet: Oh, the goal is to go as fast as I can. Of course, I would love to take the record, but it depends as always on conditions and how fit. It's a very hard record. Super strong runners have tried, and they haven't been able. Yeah, I'd love to try to prepare well for doing at least my best.
iRunFar: Would that be after UTMB?
Jornet: I haven't put a date now but maybe next weeks, but I don't think.
iRunFar: Do you mean right in the near future?
Jornet: Yeah, but I don't think because I have been out of home a lot of time. I want to spend some time there. Probably I go to Glencoe [Skyline], so maybe after or before to have the travel there.
iRunFar: The Bob Graham Round obviously has all of these years of history, but then there's also the Bob Graham Round Club that's been around for a couple decades. Do you think you'll go for an official club finish where you get all your summits witnessed and you get the certificate?
Jornet: Yeah, I was talking with them, and I think it's cool. I need to figure out the logistics because my first mind was that I go there and run alone and didn't think about having pacers and things, but yeah, I have some friends that are in the area. Maybe they can come to some summits.
iRunFar: Come witness your summits so you can become an official club member.
Jornet: Yeah.
iRunFar: Great to see you here in Silverton yet again.
Jornet: It's always cool to be here.
iRunFar: Congratulations on your win. I'm sorry you're taking home a bit of an injury.
Jornet: No, that's a good reminder that they need to operated. It's better to have this in a running race than to have in the mountains, eh?
iRunFar: Way out there or days out there. Congrats again.
Jornet: Thank you.
iRunFar: Thanks, Kilian.
is iRunFar.com's Managing Editor and the author of 'Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running.' The converted road runner finished her first trail ultramarathon in 2006 and loves using running to visit the world's wildest places.
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Morgan Williams says:
A couple of small points. Having been edited by you I know you're a stickler for accuracy.
The Club was formed in 1971 so make that four and a half decades.
The correct name is The Bob Graham 24 Hour Club.
I'm still hoping you'll make it in person to collect your certificate on 14 August. We have a bed for you both here in the Chapel.
Paul Morin says:
Incredible athlete and person. The legend grows!
Bartman says:
Great interview Meghan. Surely this Hardrock will be remembered and talked about for years to come. Kilian is a remarkable guy and his humility and unassuming demeanor only adds another quality to his outstanding resume.
Todd Gallagher says:
Next week maybe Bob Graham round... hahaha. He's just incredible. UTMB is gonna be crazy fun to follow.
Tomasz says:
What about his arm? Is it going to influence his training in coming weeks? UTMB is in 7 weeks and I understand Kilian hasn't been running much this year because of skiing and then the Everest expedtion.
What a legend.
Tags: Hardrock 100Kilian Jornet
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Death by Grammar: Work from Home: How I started.
Engaging in Virtual Administration gave me the flexibility and liberty to balance my time with my obligations and responsibility as provider and parent to my kids. In my simple term, engaging in online home based job as a Virtual Administrator is like establishing your own call center or BPO at home, where you have the flexibility of choosing your task, work hours and paycheck rate while doing customer service work. I will admit that my salary varies and may not at all be as competitive as the others who obviously have more edge than me, I guess at this time, what's more important to me is that I know how to take responsibility for myself and my family. Personally, I became more inclined with teaching than customer service, although the skill is still considerably practiced in my class.
This home based business largely rely on fast internet speeds, quiet environment, discipline and dedication to your operation. You do not have to be matriculated or collegian in order to get yourself started with this work. As long as you know the basics of office management & computer operation, a reliable computer/computing device & internet, have the discipline and can keep yourself motivated in order to learn and finish your task, you can build your portfolio eventually. By experience, not all clients/employers are looking for mad education or diploma. The secret to keeping a client/employer is when you established your reliability and dependability when it comes to deliverables. Eventually, you must learn how to troubleshoot your own computer/device or keep a back-up in case of technical issues.
Determine your skills and professional experience. What transferable skills can you apply and offer? Focusing on your deliverables first before demanding a paycheck.
What services can you offer, what duties can you perform?
In my case, I can do both data mining, data entry and appointment setting. My duty has always been an account manager.
What are your strengths & weakness? Your strengths are your tool to carry out tasks. For example, my communication & language skills are my tools that I use for teaching English as a Second language. I have a pleasant disposition and can demonstrate patience when teaching young learners. I consider my being undergraduate a weakness and to counter this, I would enroll myself to online studies and earn my certificates or take advantage of free trainings.
How much time are willing to spend?
As mentioned, you have the flexibility to manage your time. You are the boss, and you set the standard. Of course, this does not mean that your client doesn't have a say on the matter. All it is, is you have the ability to 1. Negotiate or, 2. Compromise for the amount of time you work.
How would you manage your contracting service?
Of course you cannot establish a business without getting involved, you need to be responsible with your duties. To make sure that you are following through with your task, you can acquire free online management resources, two of my favourite are Zoho & Google.
Creating the need for the service you can offer isn't as much dilemma as it used to be. You can now find and reach potential clients through various job banks available online. A good job bank is bestjobs.ph as an example.
How much are you willing to invest in this business? Since you will be employing yourself which means you will not get paid until you get a client/employer online and start working, it is wise to set aside at least three month's worth of salary, and set aside for possible expenses like office supplies, and equipment like printer. Freelancing isn't like regular employment where you have a fixed date of payment. At most, you can require an upfront which may be half of your service price, and get the rest once the task or job is done.
Just like a normal office setting, you need to set a space where you can effectively work without or at least, minimal interruption. Your equipment, for example, a computer should be in a tip top shape if it's not the upgraded one, it should be able to load software which will meet your tasks' or client needs. This isn't really an issue if you're looking for a data entry or appointment setting job for jump start, at most, all you need is a good operating system and enough workspace in your computer.
Your rate as a worker can be justified by how effective and reliable you are. If you see yourself qualified for the position, and your skills & smarts matches the job qualification, by all means, Negotiate. There's no harm in being transparent, at the same time reasonable. The worst thing that can happen is, if your client can only offer much. I recommend focusing on the benchmarks & deliverables first as a basis for your asking price.
Creating your brand, and marketing yourself. One of the things I learned about freelancing is finding and sticking to a niche. You must decide what you are an expert of, because it's easy to get lost in the idea that you can do this and earn that. However, you should not confuse yourself with too many task that you really have no idea about. True, you may easily learn what your client may teach or train you to do, but this should be considered as another added knowledge and skill, rather than know a lot of things at the same time and neglect the important. Your expertise is your brand, it is what people recognize you for. It's easier to market your expertise first, and introduce the other skill set as an added advantage. This is very good with creating an online portfolio to market yourself as an independent off shore support.
Not only computers needs updating & upgrading. You must decide to keep your relevance in the market because as fast as technology changes its face, that's how adaptable you should be. Find online courses or vocational studies relevant to your freelancing services. This should give you an advantage when applying for a project.
Let me just let this out that, although it may not be easy to get in the freelancing world, as we are always vulnerable to scams and other factors, success can still be achieved with determination and self discipline.


These MCH1210 errors are driving me nuts. We run packaged software and a lot of the database fields are bigger than we need them to be. I often use smaller fields on displays and reports in order to save room. Then one day, for some reason, a field has a bigger value than I expected and an EVAL command blows up with MCH1210 (the target for a numeric operation is too small to hold the result). Is there any way in all this new-fangled RPG stuff to tell the system to print hash marks and keep on trucking?
RPG has no such logic, but you can handle this situation yourself with little trouble. Since you want to display or print hash marks, you must define output fields as character data rather than as numeric data. You'll have to use the %EDITC and %EDITW functions within your programs to edit the fields (that is, apply decimal points, currency symbols, minus signs, commas, and the like). And you need a routine that can decide whether an edited number can fit into the space you've allowed for it.
The following example contains such a routine, which I call FmtNum (Format Numeric). It requires two parameters: an edited numeric value and the number of bytes into which the edited numeric value is to fit.
In this example, OrderQty and Balance represent database fields and/or calculated variables. Column01 and Column02 represent fields on a display or report. Since there are two values to be copied into output fields, the main routine calls FmtNum twice, each time passing the edited numeric value and the size of the variable into which the edited value is to be placed. If the receiving variable is too small to hold the significant portion of the edited numeric value (that is, the portion of the edited numeric value without leading blanks), FmtNum returns enough hash marks to fill up the receiving variable. Notice that I used the EVALR op code in the main calculations in order to right-adjust the numeric values.
You could use the MONITOR, ON-ERROR, and ENDMON op codes to handle arithmetic overflow, but you would have to place such a structure around every EVAL. I much prefer the FmtNum subprocedure.


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Pearce, Francis John "Frank"
October 10, 1926 – April 20, 2015
The family of Frank Pearce would like all his extended family and friends to know that on April 20, 2015 our Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa passed away peacefully at St. Joseph's Villa in Dundas, Ontario. Frank was predeceased by his loving wife Joan (2000). He will be greatly missed by his children Sue (Alan), Debbie (Pete), Richard (Ginny) and Chris (Doug) as well as his nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Frank was Canadian to the core, a true public servant and had a full and interesting life. He started out as a city boy in Verdun, Quebec, the son of Maud Mercy Pearce and Francis Thomas Pearce and brother to Betty. He graduated from Sir George Williams University. Frank and Joan began their life together in Montreal. They moved their young family to Burlington where Frank furthered his career at Stelco. Frank worked with many wonderful colleagues and friends not only at Stelco but around the world. A highlight of his life was the quarter century that he and Joan spent on the farm in Puslinch. They were both very active in their community meeting and enjoying many friends along the way. This wealth of friendship continued after a move from the farm to Guelph where new friends were made on Marilyn Drive. In recent years, Frank has had health challenges but throughout it all family has continued to be the most important aspect of his life. He loved to get together with family and cherished visits with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. With this in mind, the immediate family will be celebrating a life well-lived in a manner that he would have loved. There will be a private family gathering at a later date. We would like to thank his extended family and friends who have kept in touch over the years. We thank the caring staff at St Joseph's Villa and his two companions Walter and James from Home Instead, who have shown great friendship, kindness and care. We ask that in his memory you consider donating to a charity of your choice or one that Frank favoured, the Bay Area Restoration Council or the Good Shepherd food bank.
Doug and Gladys McDonald on April 23, 2015 at 10:07 am
we are saddened to learn about the passing of Frank as we have many fond memories of our good friend and neighbour here in Puslinch.He was indeed a community minded individual as evidenced by his involvement in our local Council,Board Of Education,Knox Church Crieff etc.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time.
Sincerely.
Doug and Gladys McDonald
Brenda Law on April 24, 2015 at 12:45 pm
Dear family of Frank Pearce,
We are so sorry to read of Frank's passing in the newspaper.
Frank was a kind man. I always enjoyed him as a Councillor when he served on Puslinch Township Council. We always joked how he could get through the Council materials so quickly in preparation for a Council meeting. He told us that he was a speed reader and tried to explain the art of speed reading. I was not successful!
Your dad and mom were a great asset to Puslinch Township.
Our thoughts are with all of the family and may memories help comfort you.
Brenda Law
Barb Hunter on April 25, 2015 at 10:00 am
My late husband Bob, had the privilege of working with Frank for many years at Stelco Research Centre. I also enjoyed his company at many social gatherings. Bob respected Frank for his intelligence, kindness and integrity and often spoke very highly of him.
My thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.
With sympathy,
Barb Hunter
Roy and Jean Littlewood on April 26, 2015 at 2:54 pm
Roy worked with Frank for many years at the Stelco Research Centre and our families came to know each other well.
Frank was a kind, thoughtful and highly dependable colleague and friend. Professionally, he had an uncanny knack of focussing precisely on the essence of situations and problems, a key research skill.
We have happy memories of the great barbeques and parties we shared with Frank and Joan's family.
Our thoughts and sympathy are with the family at this time.
Roy and Jean Littlewood.
Walter Schroedter on April 26, 2015 at 10:03 pm
Dear Pearce Family,
I want to offer you my personal condolences on the passing of your father, grandfather and great-grandfather. It was a pleasure and a privilege to have gotten to know Frank over the last year and a half. I will cherish the memories that I have of this time. I experienced him as a kind, intelligent, witty, caring, sociable, articulate, wise man who has left a positive impact on my life. I am saddened by his passing and will miss the conversations I was able to have with him. May you be comforted by the love he had for you and that you had and showed for him.
Walter Schroedter
Rayi & Elnora Meadowcroft on May 20, 2015 at 10:32 am
We were so sorry to hear of Frank's passing. We shall miss his Christmas phone call with our shared recollections of our time together at Stelco Research and with our families when the kids were young. Frank was an outstanding researcher and an even better research leader. He encouraged a generation of us to do groundbreaking stuff in the primary area and made our careers worthwhile and also good fun.
We will miss his good humour and wise council.
Ray & Elnora Meadowcroft
Joanne Woolf on November 22, 2015 at 5:02 pm
My Father was a very long time friend of your father. Sadly, he passed away this week, and I learned about Frank when I tried to notify him. My Mother passed away in March. Blessings and condolences,
Rabbi Joanne Woolf Heiligman
Daughter of Renee and Louis Woolf

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl