Run or Die

by Kilian Jornet

Overview

Shortlisted for the 2014 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award

National Geographic Adventurer of the Year 2014

"The most dominating endurance athlete of his generation." -- The New York Times

An exceptional athlete. A dominating force. An extraordinary person.

Kilian Jornet has conquered some of the toughest physical tests on the planet. He has run up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro faster than any other human being, and struck down world records in every challenge that has been proposed, all before the age of 25. Redefining what is possible, Jornet continually pushes the limits of human ability, astonishing competitors with his near-superhuman fitness and ability.

Born and raised at 6,000 feet above sea level in the Spanish Pyrenees, Jornet climbed an 11,000 foot mountain -- the highest mountain in the region -- at age 5. Now Jornet adores the mountains with the same ferocity with which he runs them. In Run or Die he shares his passion, inviting readers into a fascinating world rich with the beauty of rugged trails and mountain vistas, the pulse-pounding drama of racing, and an intense love for sport and the landscapes that surround him.

In his book, Jornet describes his record-breaking runs at Lake Tahoe, Western States 100, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, and Mount Kilimanjaro--the first of his ambitious Summits of My Life project in which Jornet will attempt to break records climbing the highest peaks on each continent.

In turns inspiring, insightful, candid, and deeply personal, this is a book written from the heart of the world's greatest endurance runner, for whom life presents one simple choice: Run. Or die.

"Trail running's first true breakout star, [Jornet] has yet to find a record he can't shatter." -- Runner's World

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937716356
Publisher:	VeloPress
Publication date:	07/01/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Kilian Jornet Burgada is a world champion ultrarunner and ski mountaineer. The 25-year-old Spaniard was born and raised in the Catalan Pyrenees, and trains in Chamonix, France, when he is not racing around the globe.

Table of Contents

Preface: The Skyrunner's Manifesto

1: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

2: Adrenalin Comes with a Number

3: It's Not Only About Competing

4: The Windy City

5: Lakes, Rivers, and Rain

6: A Victory for the Senses

7: Running a Long Way to Find Yourself

8: We Celebrate a Peak When We're Back Down

9: What I Think About When I Think About Running

Editorial Reviews

"The most dominating endurance athlete of his generation." - New York Times

"Trail running's first true breakout star...[Jornet] has yet to find a record he can't shatter." - Runner's World

"Rarely has a top-of-the-world athlete offered such candor, honesty and wisdom while still in his or her prime as Kilian Jornet does in Run or Die...His time in the mountains has made him a wise old soul and a great storyteller...An intriguing read." - Competitor magazine

"Kilian Jornet is the world's best." - Outside

"An engaging read...Kilian is...the best mountain runner of any distance from one vertical kilometer to 100 miles, having won most every big race and set fastest known times on the biggest of peaks around the world." - Running Times

"We are brought into the heart and soul of who many consider the fastest ultrarunner to hit this planet. The story is raw. It is rough, and it is emotional. [The casual runner] may not feel the pain, the anguish, the push and pull of the emotions, but I can guarantee the mountaineer, adventurer, ultrarunner, or long distance athlete who ponders what sport and adventure truly mean to them will appreciate and take in what it means to be Kilian Jornet." - Active.com

"Jornet unspools a dream-like narrative of his thoughts on running in present-tense storytelling that brings the reader along on such romps as an eight-day crossing of the Pyrenees, a 165-km passage of the Tahoe Rim Trail, and a couple of record-breaking mountain climbs...Readers hungering to find meaning in their own running experiences will find poetry to savor here." - Canadian Running magazine

"Jornet also proves his ability as a talented writer and budding philosopher, effectively describing each scene with honesty and moving self-realizations. Readers will not only be able to visualize the beautifully painted mountain scenes, but will find themselves drawn into his adventures; tasting the mountain air and seeing the glint of first light with Kilian as their guide." - TriEdge.com

"For us mortals in the loneliness of a long run when every muscle just wants to lay down on the grass perhaps it is best to ask,"What would Kilian do?' and run another mile." - ForeWord Reviews

"An inside story on some of the seemingly superhuman accomplishments of the best endurance mountain runner in the world." - Triathlon Magazine Canada

From the Publisher