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Zwift - hypoxia

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Morning skimo

« I just did the Elks Traverse, which was the highlight of my journey so far: amazing mountains, amazing views. The first days were very hard because of the jetlag and altitude, but today on the traverse I felt really good. » - Kilian

The Elk Mountains sit southwest of Aspen, and are home to some of the most technical and photogenic peaks in Colorado.

The Traverse itself is legendary among Colorado climbers: a 50 mile (80km) route that has seen only a handful of finishers, chiseling a line through terrain notorious for unstable rock, temperamental weather, and serious exposure.

The route spans seven fourteeners (Capitol Peak, Snowmass, Maroon Peak, North Maroon Peak, Pyramid Peak, Conundrum Peak, and Castle Peak) with Class 4 scrambling and some Class 5 sections, plus miles of off-trail travel on loose terrain.

Kilian started the day at around 4AM with current Elks Traverse FKT record holder Simi Hamilton , who tagged along on Capitol Peak.

Later in the day, long-distance running legend Ryan Hall came up from West Maroon Trailhead and joined the effort. Kilian and Ryan ran together until Castle Peak before parting ways: while Kilian got to the van around 2 AM, Ryan ran back to his own trailhead through the night, not reaching it until the next morning.

After a difficult first week battling jetlag and Colorado’s thin air, this was Kilian’s breakthrough moment. For just over 21.5 hours, he moved through the day feeling strong from start to finish.

The numbers tell a part of the story: 20 fourteeners, more than 100 hours of activity, and over 100,000 feet (30,500m) of elevation gain in Kilian’s first six days in Colorado.

📷: @nickmdanielson & @bjarnesalen 

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Kilian Jornet Burgada

States of Elevation - The Elks Traverse

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Morning Trail Run

Zwift - hypoxia

Lunch Trail Run

Zwift

Morning skimo

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