Back in 2020, Spanish mountain and trail runner Kilian Jornet, often considered the GOAT of mountain sports, amazed the running world with an audacious fitness challenge. He ran a vertical kilometre up a mountain, then sprinted down and immediately hammered out a 10K on the road. e clocked both efforts—the vertical K and the 10K—in under 30 minutes each. Fast-forward to now, and a Norwegian trail runner and YouTuber named Göran Winblad decided to replicate this insane test on the very same mountain, Slogen, in western Norway. Here’s what happened when he took on the challenge that Jornet made famous.
Winblad’s hopes for the attempt
Winblad is already known for his attempts at various wild efforts, such as trying to win a marathon on sheer ice or trying to climb the elevation of Everest in 12 hours. He hoped to finish both legs of the challenge under 40 minutes each—a lofty goal, but more modest than Jornet’s blistering times. The vertical kilometre immediately became challenging as he navigated the steep and technical terrain. Early on, he admitted to struggling with pacing, and by halfway, the effort began to overwhelm him, and he gasped into the camera, “My body is done.”
The heat, combined with the muscular demand of climbing a near-vertical trail, pushed Winblad to his limit. Despite hitting a wall and slowing his pace, he managed to summit in 51:16. While this is more than 21 minutes slower than Jornet, the accomplishment emphasized how superhuman Jornet’s time truly was.
The road 10K on shattered legs
After descending the mountain, Winblad swapped his trail shoes for road runners and set out on the 10K. His legs felt completely fried from the climb and descent, and he was unsure if he could even maintain a running pace. Winblad was still aiming for a sub-40 time, but the fatigue from the vertical K made every step excruciating. “I severely underestimated how tough this challenge was going to be,” he admitted, finishing in 43:39. “Kilian you’re an absolute crazy beast, so impressive what you can do,” Winblad said after collapsing on the ground post-run.
Could you take it on?
For most runners, simply completing the challenge—regardless of time—is a monumental feat. If you’re inspired to give it a shot, start with targeted training: build strength for steep climbs, practise technical descents and work on developing the resilience to shift gears from trails to roads. Running a V10K challenge involves preparation, pacing and some grit—and should result in a ton of type 2 fun. As of now, the V10K leaderboard only has four results. Can you get your name on the list?
