Kilian Jornet is already one of the worlds most legendary endurance athletes — and how hes proving it all over again.

　　The Spanish phenom is more than halfway through his latest project, called States of Elevation. Hes aiming to summit every peak in the contiguous U.S. over 14,000 feet, and also using only human power (cycling and running) to connect them.

　　Hes already summited 56 of Colorados 14,000-foot peaks in just over 2 weeks. Then he hopped on a bike and cycled nearly 900 miles across the desert Southwest to reach California, where he started ticking off the highest mountains in that state as well. Along the way to finishing his larger project, Jornet just set another fastest known time (FKT) on Norman’s 13, one of the Sierra Nevada’s most rigorous alpine linkups.

　　Normans 13 links together 13 summits above 14,000 feet along 101 miles of trails. Though the record has yet to be certified, it looks like Jornet has surpassed the previous FKT for the alpine linkup, wrapping it up in an incredible 56 hours, 11 minutes, and 4 seconds.

　　And he didnt just surpass it — he absolutely crushed it. The previous FKT for this elite-level linkup was set by Jason Hardrath in 2022. He connected all 13 of the routes summits in a little over 3 days and 2 hours. That means Jornet has likely shaved a little over 19 hours off the previous record. In the competitive world of endurance sports, that is, to put it mildly, nuts.

　　View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kilian Jornet (@kilianjornet)

　　States of Elevation Project Earlier this year, Jornet announced that he plans to start at Longs Peak in Colorado in early September and end at Mount Rainier in Washington. Jornet will attempt to summit all 72 of these 14ers as part of the project as well. There are 58 in Colorado, 12 in California, and two in Washington. Jornet plans to ascend them all as part of States of Elevation.

　　So that 900-mile bike ride Jornet did before starting on Normans 13? Yeah, that was just part of the larger project, and not even related to the FKT he set afterward in California. He rode for five straight days from Colorado to California, averaging 175 miles and 14 hours in the saddle each day.

　　Then he tackled Normans 13, which is Californias answer to Colorados Nolans 14, a now iconic linkup of 14 of that states biggest mountains.

　　But back to the insanity of Normans 13. This linkup in the Sierra Nevada includes 13 summits over 14,000 feet. As Jornets team explains on his Instagram post about the FKT, there are two clusters of mountains linked by a stretch of the wild John Muir Trail. Theres also a whole lot of wilderness in between them.

　　According to FKT, Normans 13 is also much more technical than its Colorado cousin.

　　Unlike its quasi-namesake — which demands a willingness to bushwhack but no technical climbing skills — the California version entails low-fifth-class scrambling on jutting granite ridges, according to the FKT route description. In total, the route entails about 100 miles of total distance, about 39,000 feet of elevation gain.

　　So, will Jornet finish the States of Elevation project as planned? Well, hes already moved on to the next phase of the project: White Mountain. When it comes to Jornet, were not about to bet against him.

　　Kilian Jornet's ‘Alpine Connections' Project Is One of the Most Eye-Opening Expeditions EverKilian Jornet hopes to benefit medical science and climate advocacy with his latest, jaw-dropping objective. Read more