Kilian Jornet says 24-hour record attempt ‘didn’t go as I thought’; mountain running star opens up about dizziness and chest pain

Kilian Jornet posted on social media an explanation for why he dropped out of his 24-hour running record attempt after just 10 hours of running loops.

“It didn’t go as I thought. I was expecting to enter that pain zone to push my body but I broke in another way,” he said on Instagram.

Jornet, 33, is best known for his mountain running, but he swapped the mountains for flats in an attempt to set the record for the furthest distances covered in 24 hours. He did continuous loops around a track in Norway, hoping to eclipse 303.506km, set by Yiannis Kouros in 1997.

“The race started well, went all normal, with its small ups and downs, some small but normal pains, but as planned until just after 10 hour when I suddenly felt two consecutive sharp oppression pain in my chest,” Jornet wrote.

“I got very dizzy and get medical attention, thanks to the doctor who was in the race (sorry I forget your name) for your help the ambulance took me to the hospital where I’ve been doing tests and in observation this night. All seems OK now! No big problems but will be good to do some further tests.”