Only Kilian Jornet and his constant check to history prevented Kenya from reigning again on Saturday in the Sierre-Zinal, the cathedral of trail running, a race made for its long-stride runners with boundless hearts. The 51st edition of the great international dean, which links the two Swiss towns that give it its name through a terrain that is almost always uphill, but without any major technical traps, takes the Spaniard, the great tyrant of his record, to the most absolute agony, to a sprint without mercy to slam the door cruelly on Philemon Kiriago, the defending champion, who is 1.5 seconds behind, a sigh after 31 kilometres and 2,200 metres of positive gradient. To achieve his tenth victory he had to squeeze out every stride on the asphalt, in the fenced area, with hundreds of spectators hoping that the hero would arrive safe and sound. An effort that required beating, even if only by one second, his own record (2h25m34s) and perhaps signing the closest outcome of two decades of career.
The profile of Sierre-Zinal is, a priori, the antithesis of what Jornet wants in a course: its fleeting sections, very fast tracks, even made of concrete, a paradise for Africans. The action starts on the outskirts of Sierre, with a kilometre of road before a left turn takes the riders up the slope. After some warm-up hills, comes a climb of more than six kilometres at over 20% – with a section of almost three at 27% – to consume more than two thirds of its positive gradient in just ten kilometres. From there, with the legs tired after avoiding roots and stones with the help of the lumbar or calves, it is time to run, and quickly, along a succession of comfortable paths with gentle climbs and some consolation descents until exceeding 2,400 meters of altitude and beginning at kilometer 25 a slight descent that sharpens by more than 20% in the last three.
Despite this analysis, Jornet fell in love with the race because it takes him out of his comfort zone, Zegama, with its crests and technical sections. “When you run here you feel part of the sport, it has inspired many other races. You feel the weight of this history.” About himself. He talks about the demand – more than 20,000 runners were left without a bib number –, the affection of the nearly 700 volunteers and its beauty, with five peaks of more than 4,000 metres creating a magical picture that soothes the soul after reaching the top of the Hotel Weisshorn with 20 kilometres under your belt. “It is wonderful to run through one of the most beautiful valleys in the Alps, even if you are suffering a lot.” Then he makes a face, as if he wanted to correct himself.
Because he didn’t have time to look up. He had to climb like Patrick Kipngeno, the world champion in vertical kilometers who had just won the two Asian races of the Golden Trail Series. And overcome that flatover 2,000 metres like Kiriago, who surpassed his compatriot there in 2023 after leaving Remi Bonnet in the lurch, the Swiss who admitted the day before that he would give any piece of his record to fulfil his national odyssey and who yesterday was again left without a podium (9th). Kipngeno was third at 1m24s. Meanwhile, Joyline Chepngeno imposed Kenyan dominance in the women’s race (2h54m06s) eight minutes less than the British Scout Adkin – the surprise – and the Romanian Madalina Florea.
At 36, Jornet is setting the best times of his career, the litmus test of training in Norway. His estimates were that he would improve his 2019 time by two or three minutes, but the heat was relentless in a race with a late start, at 11:00 a.m. He used his versatility and experience to keep up with Patrick on the climb, while his legs endured the tension of the alpine trails. He arrived in the lead on the final descent, but the margins were minimal, so it was the terrain that dictated the decision.
The day before, Kiriago remembered his compatriot, Joyce Njeru, who kept him going when his body wanted to give up. “You know, we are Kenyans, we represent a country.” He gave it his all – he lowered the time he had won last year by two minutes – and caught Jornet in the easy stretch of the descent. But it was not the end. The Spaniard took advantage of the most technical kilometre – due to the slopes, the turns between the trees and because the ground was dry and the sole did not quite grip – to regain his lead, avoiding some of the “tourists” – the category of hikers who started walking at six in the morning – and gain the seconds he needed for the final metres, a simple slide in which his rival kept catching him until the Golden carpet left him without pages, without the hundred metres he needed.
The public celebrated because Jornet is the idolised figure, far above Bonnet. This is attested by the hundreds of photos that the Spaniard takes with a smile and joy when the megaphone announces his name. Only he can allow himself the luxury of going out to a presentation with the flag of the race when the rest of his companions carry the flag of their countries. And nobody disputes it. Because Kilian is Sierre-Zinal, the race that forced him to complete.
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