Kilian Jornet joins Kotcha: your trail running training plan

Kilian Jornet joins Eliud Kipchoge on Kotcha. Starting today, you can get an adaptive trail running training plan in the app, for a 20K, a 50K, a 100K or a 100-mile race, built with the method of the greatest mountain runner of all time. Kilian's approach to endurance, terrain reading and mountain strategy is now part of every trail plan Kotcha generates. Road or trail, your next start line is covered.

What's new

• Kilian Jornet is now an athlete-founder of Kotcha, alongside Eliud Kipchoge. The greatest marathoner and the greatest mountain runner, building one coach together.
• Trail running training plans for four goals: 20K, 50K, 100K and 100 miles.
• Plans that fit your calendar: from 4 weeks to 6 months for 20K and 50K, up to 9 months for a 100K, and up to 11 months for a 100-miler.
• General plans if you don't have a race in mind: Run Faster, Run Longer or Stay Fit.

Kotcha started on the road, with plans from 5K to the marathon. Now it covers every terrain: 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon and trail.

Two GOATs, one coach

Eliud Kipchoge brings the marathon mindset: discipline, consistency and perfect pacing. He was the first man to run a marathon under two hours, and his marathon best is 1:59:40.

Kilian Jornet brings the ultimate endurance approach: build resilience and adaptability. He's a 4-time UTMB winner and holds the UTMB record in 19:49:30.

Two very different worlds. One shared obsession: how a season is structured, how effort is rationed across months so the body adapts instead of breaking, how strength work and recovery quietly do as much as the hard sessions. That's the logic we translate into your plan.

From Mallorca to your trail plan

In spring 2026, we spent time in Mallorca working closely with Kilian, going back and forth to translate his trail running methods into the app. Not a logo on a page: his approach to endurance, terrain reading and mountain strategy is now built into every trail plan Kotcha generates.

It's the same way we started with Eliud. In February 2025, we met him and his coach Patrick Sang at their training camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, and built the road plans from there. You can read the full journey in our story.

How a trail running training plan is different

Trail running is not road running with more hills. The further you go, and the higher you climb, the more the race is decided by things a road plan barely touches:

• Endurance over speed. On a 100K or a 100-miler, the question isn't how fast you can go. It's how long you can keep moving well. Your plan builds that durability over months, not weeks.
• Terrain. Climbs, descents, technical ground. Your pace on the watch means much less on a mountain than on a flat road, so the training has to prepare your body for the terrain, not just for a number.
• Strategy. Managing your effort across hours, knowing when to push and when to hold back. That's where races are won or lost, and it's at the heart of Kilian's approach.
• Time. Longer races need longer builds. That's why a 100-mile plan can run up to 11 months, so your body has time to adapt instead of breaking.

Everything Kotcha already does, now on the trails

Your trail plan works the way every Kotcha plan does, with the five pillars elite athletes have in common:

1. Perfect planning to peak on D-day. Build phase, intensity phase, taper. You can add B-races to your plan, like a shorter trail race on the way to your ultra, and your coach plans around them.
2. Daily adaptation to real life. Every Sunday, Coach K asks how you feel, reviews what you completed and builds your next week. Unexpected day? One message and your plan updates.
3. Stronger legs, fewer injuries. Strength and conditioning is built into the plan. Essential when your legs need to survive long descents. Read more about strength training in your plan.
4. The same fueling system that broke records. Race-day nutrition strategy powered by Maurten, the fuel behind Kipchoge and Kilian, built into your plan. See how race-day fueling works.
5. Consistency beats intensity. Your coach tracks your fitness going up while keeping you from burning out.

Not racing? General plans

Not everyone trains for a start line. If you just want to get better, pick a general plan:

• Run Faster, to work on your speed.
• Run Longer, to build your endurance.
• Stay Fit, to keep running regularly and feel good.

Each runs from 4 weeks to 3 months, and adapts week after week like every other Kotcha plan. And if you're just starting out, My First 5K and My First 10K are still there for you.

How to get it

Trail plans with Kilian Jornet are available now on iOS. Update Kotcha from the App Store, choose a trail goal, and pick your distance: 20K, 50K, 100K or 100 miles. Already training for a road race? Keep going. Your next trail goal will be waiting when you're ready.

FAQ

How long does it take to train for a trail ultra?

It depends on your distance, your level and your race date. In Kotcha, 50K plans run from 4 weeks to 6 months, 100K plans up to 9 months, and 100-mile plans up to 11 months.

Is the Kotcha trail plan really based on Kilian Jornet's method?

Yes. Kilian is an athlete-founder of Kotcha. We worked closely with him in Mallorca to translate his trail running methods into the app, and his approach to endurance, terrain reading and mountain strategy is built into every trail plan.

Can I train for road and trail races with the same app?

Yes. Kotcha covers 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon on road, and 20K, 50K, 100K and 100 miles on trail, plus general plans to run faster, longer or stay fit.