In early September 2025, Spain’s GOAT of mountain and trail running, Kilian Jornet, will embark on his latest—and arguably most ambitious—project yet. Called States of Elevation, this challenge aims to connect the United States’ fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 feet) across the continental USA using only human power (running and cycling). For Jornet, a mountain athlete known worldwide for pushing human endurance limits, this is a journey into the heart of America’s wild places, rather than just a race against the clock or a personal best.
A natural progression
States of Elevation builds on Jornet’s earlier long-distance efforts, including Pyrenees 3000 and Alpine Lines, where he stitched together high summits across both mountain ranges. Those projects combined speed, endurance and route-finding over hundreds of kilometres—multi-day efforts that tested his ability to move efficiently and creatively through complex terrain.
“There are two things that led me to choose this project: what I experienced in the Pyrenees and the Alps motivated me to keep exploring this dimension of long traverses with a strong physical, cognitive, and creative component. It’s definitely a continuation in that sense,” Jornet told Canadian Running.
Linking peaks and learning landscapes
The idea is simple on paper: connect high points using only human power. But the scope is huge. Jornet will begin at Colorado’s Longs Peak and travel through a wide range of landscapes, from alpine ridges to forests and desert-like terrain. While Jornet has not been explicit about the level of support involved, if this challenge follows the style of his past projects, it will likely involve limited physical assistance, while still offering glimpses to fans tracking his progress.
That range and scale are part of the appeal. “With the excuse of linking 14ers, it’s also about exploring the American West—the vastness of the terrain and the cultures that have lived and continue to live there, as well as a nature that is often wild and incredibly diverse, ranging from alpine areas to dense forests and deserts,” he said.
Want to follow Jornet on his journey? Updates and details about States of Elevation will be shared on both the NNormal Instagram and on Jornet’s personal social media.
