Kilian Jornet has done it again. This morning the Catalan athlete won the Table Mountain Challenge 2011, a 37-kilometer race run in the impressive South African Table Mountains.
Jornet crossed the finishing line in 3:41:47 h, establishing a new race record, ahead of Greg Vollet (3:46h) and Allen Benn (3:49h). The Cerdanya athlete commented that “the first 20 km of the race were on very flat terrain and, after that, we climbed up the Table Mountains, running all the way up before the final descent”.
From the very start, the Catalan athlete ran within the leading group made up of four runners and he states that “I felt I had enough strength, so I waited until the second check point before attacking on the ascent and maintaining my lead until the end. This enabled me to enjoy the incredible views over the Atlantic coast and to save energy for my next goals”.
With this victory, Kilian is one step away from achieving a full house in his Project 5 Races 5 Continents, in which he has taken part in the most important race in each continent, obtaining, to date, victory in the 4 races in which he has run. The Project began in Australia with his victory in The North Face 100 K, followed by his victory in WS 100, in the USA, then Europe with his triumph in the UTMB and today’s first position in the South African Table Mountains Challenge. Kilian will try to close the circle in Asia when he runs in Kinabalu on 23rd October.
Results of Table Mountain Challenge
1. Kilian Jornet. 3:41 h.
2. Greg Vollet. 3:46 h.
3. Allen Benn. 3:49 h.
Race link:
http://www.trailrunning.co.za/news.php?newsId=470
Movescount link:
http://www.movescount.com/moves/move2840536
Future Events:
After his victory in the South African Table Mountain, the season continues on 1st-2nd October in Catalonia, in the Cavalls del Vent (www.naturetrails.es). This is a special race for Kilian, given that it runs along the trails where he grew up. This will be the second time the Catalan takes part in this race and he will strive for victory, as last year an injury hindered him from doing so.
Image by Jazz Kuscke