EDITOR’S LETTER

YOU WAIT AGES FOR ONE FEAT OF SUPERHUMAN

endurance to take place and then two come along at once. Mere weeks after Eliud Kipchoge’s history-making marathon, as covered in our last issue, the Spanish mountain runner Kilian Jornet ran to the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen, ropes or guides. As you do. It was the culmination of a five-year project to set ascent and descent records on the world’s most famous mountains. My mind was well and truly boggled reading the feature about his exploits, on page 66.

Jornet is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, who grew up in a mountain hut in the Pyrenees and scaled his first peak at the age of three. But despite his incredible ability he comes across as a humble man whose achievements stem from a deep love of the mountains that have had such a formative role in his life. It’s hard not to be inspired – not to actually peg it up the world’s tallest mountain (that would be pushing it a bit) – but to sign up for a mountain race, explore a new trail or simply run to the top of the nearest big hill and take the time to enjoy the view.

Elsewhere, never let it be said we in RW are not prepared to wrestle with life’s weightiest questions – such as exactly what is the best cake for runners (find out the answer on page 54). And while we’re at the height of barbecue season, we bring you a burger extravaganza on page 39. Best to put the clean-eating regime on hold for the next few weeks.