Conversely, while not discrediting Jornet, I don't think you're paying due recognition to either Kouros or his achievements if you consider Jornet likely to nail this on the first attempt.

Kouros is not only the greatest ultra runner the world has ever seen, he is possibly among three or four people who would be considered as the most dominant athlete in any sport by objective measures of performance. Kouros' performances sit so far beyond anyone else.

Kouros' 303km WR has stood for over 23 years. No one has run within 20km of it. Kouros holds the top 11 performances of all time.

This is an event that is measureable, repeatable and contested the world over. An event where the IAU has long held regular World Championships. It's not like Zach Bitter plucking off the rarely contested and relatively obscure 100 mile record.

Yet the nearest runner in the history of the event is almost 1km/hr slower than Kouros. Take a moment to think about the implications of that. Against every other elite performance there has ever been, if those runners were sharing the athletic track with Kouros, he would be lapping the entire field at least twice every hour, for the entire 24 hours.

Kouros had numerous attempts to push his world mark beyond 300 km when he was at the height of dominance. This is the type of running in which he specialised and 300 still didn't come easily. It wasn't a one-off project for Kouros . It was a culmination of 14 years of being the best ultra runner the world has seen.

I really can't imagine Kilian coming off his patch and simply grabbing this. But I'm genuinely curious to see how he does. Then we'll know if he's a chance. And if he is, I'd love to see Kilian and Zach line up for a serious shot at it.