Author - Running Beyond: Epic Ultra, Trail and Skyrunning Races

Epic ultra, trail and skyrunning races

Ian Corless

Foreword by Kilian Jornet

by Kilian Jornet

T he feeling of freedom. That is probably the most common answer to the question, Why do you run trails? It is my answer, too. That sensation of freedom when running is one of the biggest reasons why I run both on and off trails. It provides me with an opportunity to realize how small I am compared with nature. There is always the fear that I am on a terrain that is beyond my size and strength, but at the same time, just being there is exhilarating being oneself, being able to do whatever I want; to play, to discover, to embrace the scenery, to dance in the wind and, obviously, to run.

If this sense of freedom while running is such a solitary and inner feeling, why do we race? This question has often bothered me. I love the adrenaline of racing and the self-satisfaction of the result, but beyond that, how can we explain that it is the experience of freedom that is the main attraction in what is quickly becoming a mass sport? I run alone, with friends and with people that I have never met before; I run on far mountains, in towns, on exposed terrain and on easy trails and always, when in a race, it is a special atmosphere. It is something that is beyond racing. It has its own special ambience, something organizers want to convey and runners recognize within themselves, something that is established between the athletes during the race. It is a language without words; it is an aura unique to every race. I found confirmation of what I thought it could be when I started to organize my own race, the Troms SkyRace. When we realize how lucky we are to run on these trails, to scramble on that ridge or to see this landscape, I think that it is more intense and important for us to share that feeling. Trail running is about the sharing of emotions, and it is hard to share those emotions with anyone else, especially if they werent physically there in the moment.

Ian has been there to witness the stories. He knows the sport, he practises it and he has been involved in many different aspects of it, all of which provides him with a great overview. He has the strength and character to work many hours, even practising his own ultra with cameras in order to capture the emotions and the passion from inside the sport. Ian has immense enthusiasm, and his commitment to following a race knows no bounds.

Ians photographs convey the passion of the sport, and the beauty of his images immerses you in the aura of each race. We are able to feel what the runners have felt, and it is the closest you will get without being there yourself. It is a great journey, and one that you are able to follow yourself in Running Beyond.

Kilian Jornet runs in the sky, across one of the many technical ridges at the iconic Trofeo Kima in Italy. It is a race he has won multiple times and holds the course record for.

I RUN ALONE, WITH FRIENDS and with people Ive never met before.

Kilian Jornet

Introduction

I was above the clouds. In the distance, two silhouettes broke the horizon and the buzz of a low-flying helicopter confirmed the arrival of Kilian Jornet and Dakota Jones. The sun was beating down, but the high altitude and the gently blowing wind reduced the ambient temperature to a bearable chilly. Running the switchback bends in the trail, the duo climbed the technical terrain towards me as though it was smooth asphalt. I was photographing two of the best mountain runners in the world in a race that soon would become legendary in the world of trail, mountain, ultra and skyrunning: Transvulcania. I was hooked.

Running, and in particular trail running, is a spontaneous, organic, holistic and unassuming sport. In a world where technology bombards us daily, the opportunity to find solace on a stretch of dirt, on the side of a mountain or, if one is fortunate enough, in the clouds, is a process that I have found to be an essential part of my daily life. Trails offer a freedom and an isolation from the assault on the senses of urban life.

Producing a book like Running Beyond is, of course, personal. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to have interwoven my love for both sport and photography, and to enjoy a profession that I would not trade for anything. The words and images bound between the front and back covers of this book are not all encompassing; this is not an AZ volume of trail running. It is instead a journey of experiences, documented over four years to provide an insight into what I consider to be some of the most wonderful races that the world has to offer.

I have run the trails, climbed the mountains, sat in the rain, snow, wind, sun, cloud and intense heat, and I have waited. I have waited for a story to unfold in front of me, as these incredible athletes tackle some of the worlds most extreme terrains and conditions. Photography captures a millisecond in time and, in doing so, tells the story of runner and race.

Through watching great champions and following the last man or woman to the line, I have witnessed a universal truth. Trail running is more than a sport; it is a metaphor for life. Boundaries are removed, languages are eradicated and the trails become a playground of sharing. It is an opportunity to understand the process of our innate ability for perpetual forward motion. At times the journey is a brutal one and we fail; on other days it is euphoric and rewarding. There are no guarantees.

The stunning Himalayan mountains, in Nepal.

Amphitheatres of rock, grass and trail have replaced the Coliseum, and today our gladiators are runners, working their craft head to head in a battle to the line. Running long, running high and running free is ultimately the goal; untethered from daily woes, our sport offers freedom.

From the high peaks of the Dolomites and the beauty and heat of a Costa Rican jungle, to the dry, arid desolation of the Sahara, the high peaks of Nepal and the rugged, jagged and brutal slopes of Italy, Running Beyond is a gateway to what is possible. It is a doorway to another world, a bucket list of experiences and opportunities that affords you, the reader, to relive my memories so that you can create new memories of your own.

I hope I have created a new trail with Running Beyond, one with a beginning but no end. It is you who must create the end of this journey. Flick through the pages, stop, dream and make plans.