Last Updated on August 10, 2024 by Amanda Bowden
Kilian Jornet Diet
A quick warning – I do NOT recommend you try and copy Kilian Jornet’s diet. Keep reading to find out why!
Kilian Jornet admits that food is not his passion: he loves ultra running, mountaineering and ski mountaineering. Food is his fuel. But, from what information I can track down on his diet, he does not eat much.
You probably already know who Kilian Jornet is, and about his brilliance – which is why you’re reading this! But, in case not: Kilian Jornet is an ultra runner, and has won many ultra marathon races.
Related: What Is An Ultra Marathon?
Some people describe him as the king of ultrarunning as he’s won Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc 4 times, and has wins at Hardrock 100, Western States Endurance Run and so many more. He is also a mountaineer and has achieved the fastest known times on several mountains, including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.
In his book, Above The Clouds, Kilian Jornet tells a crazy story! When he was at college he decided to do an experiment on himself.
He wondered how long he could run for without food (although he was allowed as much water as he liked, and he could sleep, unlike in many of his ultra marathons).
Kilian didn’t do it to lose weight, but to find out what his body was capable of.
He ran everyday, with no food, until on day 5 he passed out!
This seems like a dangerous experiment, and I definitely don’t recommend it!
He is most certainly unusual for wanting to try this out. But Kilian was pretty used to long days running with no food, as he often did this with his parents. It seems he has either conditioned himself to run long distances with little sustenance, or his genetic makeup makes it naturally easier for him.
The fact he would even try such an experiment shows his attitude to food and nutrition is quite unique.
Kilian Jornet describes himself as ‘basically vegetarian’ – which some people may describe as ‘flexitarian‘. This is somebody who mainly follows a vegetarian diet, but isn’t too strict about it, and sometimes eats a little meat.
He hasn’t actually written much about his diet, but he has talked about it in his book and on social media.
What Does Kilian Jornet Eat?
In Above The Clouds Kilian mentions eating a few different foods – these include pizza, pasta with parmesan, and chocolate croissants straight from the oven.
After climbing the Eiger he ate some cookies, and the night before a solo climb of the Matterhorn he had some pasta with olive oil.
After climbing the Matterhorn he buys a slice of pizza to eat on the way home. One slice of pizza after ten and a half hours and a near death experience!
Does this man not need fuel?
He may have eaten other food during his ascent, but he doesn’t mention it.
Here is a quote from Above The Clouds about a trip he made to Nepal in 2012.
“The expedition can be summarized quickly: three guys, three backpacks, three pairs of skis, a small tent, a spoon for sharing food, and one freeze-dried meal a day for the three of us.’
– Kilian Jornet
The trip was 4 weeks!
I’m not sure if he really eats this little all the time, or if he’s proud of the times he doesn’t eat much and that’s why he mentions it.
It does explain why he looks so light weight that he can practically float through the mountains. But it doesn’t explain how he has the strength to walk across the room, let alone run ultra marathons!
Can we learn more about Kilian Jornet’s diet from social media?
I am baffled by what I’ve discovered about his diet. Will having a look at his social media help us fathom how he gets away with this?
Here’s a post of his on Instagram (below) where he gives us further insights into his diet.
What can we learn from this?
- So, while he was growing up he mainly ate pasta with tomato sauce. Or he had legumes and a salad.
- He strives to get enough carbs.
- Kilian cares about the environment, and takes this into account when choosing his meals.
- He’s mainly vegetarian, and isn’t keen on the taste of red meat.
- Now he eats lots of pasta, potatoes, rice and bread, along with some vegetables or legumes.
- He claims to not eat much protein – although he does have some cheese and soy (maybe tofu or edamame beans).
- He tries to care for the environment by not eating many animal products, and gets what he can locally.
Although Kilian Jornet claims he doesn’t eat much protein, it’s hard to know how much he actually eats. Cheese and soy are quite high in protein. He says he doesn’t eat much of this, but he may have more protein than he realises. Legumes are also a good source of protein.
Protein is important in the diet to help with strength and recovery, and it’s surprising he can get away with so little.
Related: How Much Protein Do Runners Need?
Kilian definitely focuses on the carbs! Carbohydrates are the easiest to use source of energy, and he’s not the only brilliant runner who has a high carb diet. In Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn, Finn talks a lot about the very high carb nature of the elite marathon runners.
Kilian Jornet’s post about his diet on social media is more recent than his book, and he has perhaps cleaned up his diet over the years.
Although it seems it does not eat much on expeditions, and he has an amazing ability to keep going with hardly any fuel – he must eat more on a day to day basis to fuel his training. If he didn’t he’d probably fade away.
If we can take any tips from Kilian’s diet it would probably be to not skimp on the carbs. Even though it seems he can happily run on empty!
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*Attribution for featured image: Ssu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Runner | Writer | Science & Nutrition
🏃♀️ Hi, I’m Amanda at Running Matter, where love of running meets science and adventure!
👟 I’m in my element when out on the trails.
🌿 I have a BSc (Hons) First Class in Natural Sciences.
I love writing about how the latest science can improve running performance and nutrition. I’m curious about the human body’s limits and fascinated by ultra running.