From Catalonia, Kilian Jornet says he will still race the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in California on 27 June, despite a torn meniscus confirmed by MRI after Zegama-Aizkorri in the Basque Country.
Jornet finished 40th at Zegama, where he has won 11 times. In a YouTube video, he said the scan showed moderate hydrops, a horizontal tear in the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus, marked oedema in the adjacent Hoffa's fat pad, and cartilaginous damage in the central area of the patella with adjacent bone marrow oedema.
This is not the first knee problem in Jornet's career. He fractured his patella in 2006 after falling on cobblestones, and said his doctor then doubted he would compete at the highest level again. Since then, he has described every race as a gift.
The pain has been present for three years, he said, and gets worse on flat ground and at higher speeds because of the extra impact and range of motion. He also said the knee improves with more vertical training, which has shaped his recent decisions. The issue affected his performance at last year's Western States, where he finished third in 14 hours, 19 minutes and 22 seconds, about an hour slower than his winning time in 2011.
Jornet said he sees the injury as an opportunity to recover quickly and test new forms of training for races that usually demand a lot of impact. He added that, without pressure to chase a specific result, he feels freer to be daring, ambitious and experimental with recovery. More Catalonia news
His race calendar remains unchanged. After Western States, which covers 160 km with 5,600 m of positive elevation gain, he plans to run Sierre-Zinal on 8 August, then the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc on 28 August, over 174 km with 9,900 m D+. For race details, see the official events: Western States Endurance Run, Sierre-Zinal and UTMB World Series.