I mean seriously. It would be a massive achievement for even the fastest of alpinists to go from Courmayeur to the summit of Mont Blanc and back down to Chamonix in less then 24 hours via the Arête l’Innominata. But for Kilian Jornet to do it in just under nine hours? And to do it via a technical climbing route?! Solo!?! And in running shoes!?!! Man, that’s superhuman.

Here’s some numbers for you: 42 kilometers distance, 3810 meters altitude gain, 60˚ snow slopes with 1000 meters of technical climbing to 5b. Right.

This graph shows altitude gained compared to time.

Want to know what the Innominata looks like for just your bog standard good climber? Check out this little video from the good crew over at TV Mountain where these guys probably took a short day to reach the Eccles Bivvy before heading out early for a very full day on the Innominata.

Despite all the talk about time, perhaps the most remarkable thing about this feat is Kilian’s innovative approach to the mountains, which is a mashup of ultra running and technical alpinism that takes him to bigger peaks in more remote places, faster. Way faster.

And to answer your next question: here’s what Kilian takes on a little afternoon jog such as this. In addition to long tights, short + long T-shirts, trail running shoes and socks, how about:

- 15L backpack
- 20m of 7mm static rope
-  120cm Dynema sling
- Petzl Siroco helmet

- Petzl NAO headlamp

This latest effort is the second installment in Kilian’s Summits of My Life project which will continue over the next few years with run/climbs planned on Mt Elbrus, Matterhorn, Denali, Aconcagua and Mt Everest. Stay tuned for more life in the fast lane with Kilian…