Deep Japan Ultra in Japan’s Niigata region, roughly 2-3 hours northwest of Tokyo, is rapidly gaining prestige as one of the great challenging events in our series. Managed and directed by experienced Japanese trail runner Hiroaki Matsunaga, DJU again provided a very satisfactory experience for participants, despite the high degree of ‘toughness’ . There’s two long ultras on the programme with the 100 Miles and the 80km, and in particular the ‘Miler’ is a serious test for everyone. Total elevation gain is only just short of 10.000 hm. It caught 4-star Grandmaster Masafumi Yamamoto by surprise once again, and also Hong Kong’s Rachel Chan even had to throw in the towel at km 120.

It’s an event where the locals perhaps have a clearer advantage, just because they know what is coming. Ryota Nakatani won the men’s race in 27h02’. He was followed on the podium by Tatsuya Saguchi and Tomo Ihara. In the women’s race, Yukiko Sawada won comfortably ahead of Ayako Murai and Kiyoko Nakata.

Gediminias Grinius from Lithuania returned to DJU and Niigata after an injury-induced DNF last year, and this time managed to secure race victory in 8h55. The female winner was the same as last year: Miki Saito in 12h14. Honourable mention goes to young Filipino Poy Brillantes who scored a fantastic 3rd place!

On the 100 miles distance, Yuta Matsuyama took a great fourth place. The same for Vietnam's Julia Nguyen Thi Duong in the women's race. Both collect 425 points at DJU, which will help them get qualified for this season's ATM Final at Borneo TMBT on 14 September.

Images courtesy of Dogsorcaravan

Winner on the 100 miles: Ryota Nakatani

Female winner on the 100 miles: Yukiko Sawada

Lithuanian Gediminias Grinius had unfinished business at DJU and took victory on the 80km

Poy Brillantes ran a magnificent race to finish 3rd on the podium in the 80km

Miki Saito won the 80km for the second consecutive year

ATM 2023 Finalist Yuta Matsuyama scored 4th place on the 100 miles

Last season’s exciting Japanese newcomer in the Asia Trail Master Championship is back on Sunday, 14 July: Mount Daisetsu Trail Journey near Asahikawa in Hokkaido. The 60km main race takes runners to a remote mountain landscape and long ridgeline with astonishing views across the whole area. Even seasoned trail runners like Hisashi Kitamura, who won the 2023 edition, and Singapore’s Trung Nguyen spoke only in superlatives about their running experience.

Mt Daisetsu Trail takes place on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, easily reachable via Tokyo. You can find flights to Sapporo or - closer - Asahikawa. Runners are also advised to consider hotel accommodation in Asahikawa, as options near the race venue are extremely limited. International participants are also encouraged to contact either the event directly via the form online (http://daisetsu-tj.com/country/pg5271098.html) , or via email hiro@katoru.net , cc info@asiatrailmaster.com for assistance on ‘how to get to the race venue’. Registration for the event is open via http://daisetsu-tj.com/pg5266569.html . Note that there are aslo 40km and 15km options for less ambitious runners.

The 60km ATM points race will start just before dawn after a gentle warm-up running in the plains, you will hit the mountain trail. As you can see on the elevation profile below, there are three distinct summit peaks in the race. Note that on the Hiroyama ridge trail, there is a approx 4km section where it is mandatory to walk - not run - by regulation to protect the flora along the ridge line. This is a conservation area managed by the Environment Ministry. Time of entry into this section will be recorded. Participants will be given a set time (last year 30 minutes) to walk through it. At the finish arena there are welcome refreshments in a pleasant setting.

If you like to take part in a Japanese trail ‘off-the-beaten-path’, this event is for you.

The 10th anniversary of Izu Trail Journey in Japan, one of the most competitive trail races in the land of the rising sun, was held in relatively warm and for most participants ideal conditions. No snow, no freezing wind, there was hardly a chill factor unless you were not moving. Nevertheless, the 70km long race with approx 3200 hm was basically already decided halfway on the famous Nishina Pass with its majestic views on Mount Fuji. Hirokazu Nishimura, winner in 2019, had already opened up a substantial gap to Yutaro Yokouchi and Hiroki Takashima. Behind the top trio, there was a bigger battle taking place for the positions in the rest of the top 10. In it were Hisashi Kitamura and also former 9 Dragons winner Kazufumi Ose. Eszter Cszillag was in command of the women’s race, leading Yukari Seimija by 9 minutes on the Nishina Pass and ‘cyclist’ Sae Ogawa - who was first at the checkpoint in the early part of the race - by 17 minutes. Csillag would cruise to victory in the final rollercoaster kilometres to the Shunzenji onsen town. For the global trail star, based in Hong Kong, it was her fourth ATM race victory. Finish time 7h10, without having to push a lot.

Nishimura also had a relatively easy run to his second win at Izu Trail Journey. He finished in 6h14, fifteen minutes ahead of Yokouchi and almost twenty ahead of Takashima. Gaps are usually smaller in this race. Fourth place went to Katsuya Ishii, who kept Saturo Geya at bay. Geya is the 80k winer of Deep Japan Ultra in Niigata this season. He was chased by a strong Hisashi Kitamura, who divided his efforts very well during the race and missed Geya and the top five by just 1 minute. His previous best at Izu was tenth in 2019. Signs are that Kitamura will return to his peak form in 2024!

Hirokazu Nishimura wins Izu again after 2019

The top 5 male and female podium of the 2023 Izu Trail Journey

For the first time this Sunday, Izu Trail Journey in Japan will not mark the end of our trail season, but the beginning of the next. Due to the previously announced calendar shift, with the ATM Championship Final projected to take place mid-September 2024, Season IX launches this weekend already with Mt Apo, and Izu. Traditionally one of the highest-stacked races in Japan, Izu is also celebrating its 10th anniversary and will do so on the fantastic 70km pilgrimage route across the peninsula south of Tokyo.

It is always the weekend when we all realise that nowhere else in Asia the general competitive level is so high. A top 10 result in Izu often seems like a victory already. That is also what Hisashi Kitamura will attempt again, after achieving it in 2019. Last year, coming back from a bad covid infection, Kitamura was already satisfied with a rank just inside the top 20. That is also the usual goal for Yuta Matsuyama, another Izu regular who we often see elsewhere in Asia on the ATM circuit. Just a week ago, both of course featured still in our Final in Indonesia. Kitamura took fifth place, Matsuyama was ninth. Let’s see how they fare against other Japanese elites on Sunday, especially those active at the global competition level.

Someone who has been very successful in the most prestigious of global races over the past two years, and whom we know well in Asia, is Esztser Csillag. The Hong Kong based Hungarian will be running Izu for the first time and try to achieve what Veronika Vadovicova did four years ago: winning Izu as a non-Japanese athlete (see video below). Last year’s Izu race winner Honoka Akiyama is reportedly also running so we may get a nice dual in the women’s race.

Izu Trail is basically divided into two sections, of which the first one is very runable for about 30km. Afterwards, the terrain gets more technical and hilly with the famous Nishina Pass - providing exquisite views on Mount Fuji and the Bay - as highlight. The trails follows the rocky coastline for a while, and with some bad luck it can be quite windy and cold there. However, it seems the weather this year is more pleasant. For sure runners should not expect any snow this time around.

The top 25 of the male and female races score points for the 2024 ATM Championship.

In 2018, Alessandro Sherpa won the Asia Trail Master Championship at the event, beating Salva Rambla for the title.

Esztser Csillag will be up against some top Japanese women. Can she do what Veronika Vadovicova did in 2019 ?

One of this season’s successful newcomers on the Asia Trail Master Championship calendar has already opened registration for next year’s edition. Deep Japan Ultra in Niigata will take place from 21 to 23 June and again feature two points races: 100 miles and 80km. As 2023 proved, Deep Japan Ultra is an event to be taken seriously!

Hiroaki Matsunaga is a very experienced and competitive trail runner in Japan, who on top is very familiar with the international running scene. Almost ten years ago now, he created Echigo Country Trail, but since the corona crisis he focuses his efforts on his new brainchild, Deep Japan Ultra. The event takes place in his native Niigata Prefecture, roughly 2-3 hours by shinkansen northwest of Tokyo. There’s also a few international flights to Niigata city. Visitors not familiar with Japan will experience the real countryside, which often remains unexplored. The host venue is the Mount Asakusa Park. Participants should be prepared for technical mountain trails, which at higher altitudes may still be covered in snow. Especially if you sign up for the 100 miles, do not come unprepared and unfocused. This is not a race to ‘try out’ 100 miles for the first time. The 80 km category has plenty of spice and technicality as well.

Register as soon as you can, because spots are limited. Give yourself time to plan the event, including accommodation and travel, and get yourself ready for a wonderful trail experience next June!

Three months after his bad tumble in a very wet Korea 50k, Hisashi Kitamura bounced back with his 8th ATM race victory at the very nice Mount Daisetsu Trail Journey event near Asahikawa in Hokkaido, Japan. The UGLOW Asia ace took the bull by the horns despite limited training in the past months and ran away from the field immediately after the flag off at sunrise. Running with a protective cast on his wrist, and stitches on his right eye lid, Kitamura found a course that perfectly matches his trail abilities. Given the dry weather and trail conditions, one could say Mt Daisetsu Trail was the best possible comeback race for him.

The event is a classic in Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, which has seen some of Japan’s best runners over the years, but also because there’s simply few other trail running competitions there. Now under a new management led by Mr Hiroya Genki Kon - himself a fervent runner with ATM experience - Mt Daisetsu Trail has serious ambitions to become a marquee race in Japan and Asia as a whole. This year’s edition certainly hit bull’s eye when one listened to the reviews of the participants. Trung Nguyen even stated that the 3 km long volcano ridge line halfway into the race was ‘the most beautiful trail ever in ATM’ !

As Kitamura was feeling comfortable leading the race at the km 35 checkpoint, another local runner was feeling at ease, too, and even catching the ‘Karate Kit’. Suguru Seo caught him before the 40k mark, which was an impressive feat. The question then was: how does Kitamura react? Plenty of runners’ morale would sink in their shoes at that point, but the 2022 overall ATM points champion is not easily shaken anymore. The duo stayed together until the very last hill in the conclusive section before the finish. Kitamura, with all his race craft collected over the years, attacked and got rid of Seo for the race victory. From a pure competitive point of view, this was a great win by Kitamura, who proved once more that when he is fresh he is very difficult to beat. Suguru Seo obviously was an excellent second just a couple of minutes behind, and we hope to see him again soon on the ATM tour. Third place went to Yuichi Ogawa, who tried to keep up with Kitamura in the first 15 km. Ogawa struggled to reach the finish and salvage his podium. Takaomi Tsubouchi came very close in fourth. The top 5 was filled by Hiroshi Ishikawa. Tomohiro Mizukoshi finished in 8th place after a strong last section, and Singapore’s Trung Nguyen completed the top 10. Trung had had a fantastic start, passing through CP 1 in 4th place, but then went off course. Still, top 10 is a fine result for him and qualification for Team Singapore in the ATM Championship Final beckons once again. For Kitamura, it was the second win of the season after Cuc Phuong 42 and so he now sits at 1000 points.

The women’s race looked like it was going to be an easy win for Sapporo-based Moeko Yasugahira. However, towards the end, the winner of last year’s Seoul 50k was put under pressure by Yukie Kohayase. It explains why Yasugahira looked quite exhausted for a short while as she reached the finish (see video). For her it’s the second points haul of the ATM season, and normally that should give her a spot in Team Japan for the ATM Final once again. Last year she finished 6th on Mt Apo.

Local Suguru Seo gave Kitamura a proper challenge during the race, but eventually had to settle for 2nd

The second Japanese points race in the 2023 ATM Championship series takes place in Hokkaido on Sunday:: Mount Daisetsu Trail Journey in the national park bearing the same name. A 60km race in a remote area of the northern island, which will already have its 12th edition and is therefore becoming a trail classic in the country. Lots of strong Japanese runners have been at this event in the past, and it won’t be any different now. The event organisation is now also opening up to more international participation and recognition and this season’s ATM entry is a first step. The event is known to be very scenic and taking place on trails that are otherwise hard to access.

In fact, this year the the longest trail 'Daisetsuzan Trail Journey' located on the north side of the Daisetsuzan Mountains, Hokkaido's roof, will be held on a new course. It is the only trail race in Hokkaido where you can run through the ridgeline of the North Daisetsuzan Mountains. The ridgeline over 1700m in Hokkaido is equivalent to the natural environment of 3000m in Honshu, making it a challenging natural environment. Runners can enjoy magnificent views, encounters with alpine plants, and animals such as naki-usagi (Japanese hares). The 60km has 3100 metres of elevation gain and starts at 4am.

From an ATM Championship perspective, we are looking forward to the return of Hisashi Kitamura. ‘Karate Kit’ had a rough day in Korea at the end of April, ending his run with a serious black eye and a broken wrist due to a tumble. Coinciding with his move from KL to Tokyo, it meant Kitamura had to take a break from the sport for nearly three months. Having only just resumed training, Kitamura won’t have the largest of ambitions in Daisetsu Trail this Sunday, and presumably it will be a first test to see where he stands with a view to Borneo TMBT Ultra early September - a race that he finally wants to win after two consecutive second places against Milton Amat.

Also in Hokkaido, will be Tomohiro Mizukoshi and Singapore’s Trung Nguyen - both very familiar faces on the ATM circuit. They can also both do a great job for their ATM Championship Final qualification this weekend. Mizukoshi is leading the ATM Japan ranking as he already delivered two strong results this year. A third result should put him with over 1000 points, probably enough to stay in the Top 5.

There’s lots of fast runners in Japan and we will certainly get to know some this weekend. In the women’s 60km race, we will also see Sapporo’s Moeko Yasugahira again as well as Korea’s Boyoung Jan.

Stay tuned on our usual ATM channels for live updates from the race in Hokkaido this Sunday.

Tomohiro Mizukoshi remains a podium candidate in every race

Three months after his bad fall in Korea, Hisashi Kitamura returns to the trails in Hokkaido on Sunday

Trung Nguyen : always a contender on. a good day

Winner of last year’s Seoul 50k : Moeko Yasugahira lives in Sapporo, on Hokkaido island

The tough 100 miles race at the Deep Japan Ultra event in Niigata last weekend was won by one of the country’s long-standing trail star Takashi Doi. He was an hour and a half quicker than Saguchi Tatsuya and Taro Ueda. India’s ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao took 7th place. The women’s 100 miles went to Hiroko Suzuki, who finished over 3 hours ahead of Rieko Seki. Kaori Asahara claimed the final step on the podium.

The 80km race developed into a nice battle between Satoru Geya and Kazufumi Ose - winner of the 9 Dragons in Hong Kong in 2018. Geya took it in 9h10 minutes, nine minutes ahead. Yosuke Abe was third in 10h21. Tomohiro Mizukoshi was a solid 6th in 11h52. The women’s 80km race saw the victory of Miki Saito in 13h24. Yumiko Ooishi was second 20 minutes later. Chikako Inoue completed the podium.

News from the event came through very late, hence the delay in reporting.

Fans of remote ultra mountain trails will keep a close eye out on Deep Japan Ultra 100 in Niigata as of Friday morning. 100 miles or 80 km ATM points races through and around the Mt Asakusa Park with serious elevation gain (approx 10,000 hm for the 100 miles) and even still snowy sections. This is a miler that will challenge everyone, the brainchild of reputed Japanese trail runner Hiroaki Matsunaga, original founder of Echigo Country Trail (which this year took place with only short distance race categories following heavy flooding last autumn).

The start list shows many ‘big’ Japanese names and also global elite runner Gediminas Grinius from Lithuania, who is becoming an annual visitor to Asian trail races. Grinius logically starts as the race favourite on the 80 km course, even though he will have to deal with strong contenders such as Kazufumi Ose. Also Tomohiro Mizukoshi, well-known contender in all kinds of ATM races since many years, has appeared at ease with the terrain in Niigata, courtesy of his third place in Echigo last year.

A lot of runners are going to give the 100 miles a try in this event. Takashi Doi is one of the big names here. Kei Kukushima and Sota Agawa are other well-known competitors, as is Indian mountain ultra specialist and ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao - always a dangerman when he is on his day. Last November, for example, Shashwat won the 100k of Malnad Ultra in 12 hours without any proper sleep the night before.

As everybody knows there’s a lot of fast and strong runners in Japan so we are highly likely going to get to know several new names as well. Some known ATM competitors in the start list are Grandmaster John Eruel Oquino and Mary Ann Leovis from the Philippines and Cao Wei from Singapore.

We are happy to announce that Mount Daisetsu Trail Journey in Hokkaido, Japan, is entering the 2023 Asia Trail Master Championship series as the third Japanese points race on our calendar. This classic event at the former Kita Taisetsu Ski resort in Engaru-cho will already have its 12th edition on Sunday, 23 July and is looking forward to seeing increasingly more international visitors to the island. The main race category is 60km and the one to target for ATM Championship points. Less ambitious participants can also opt for the 40km or 15km, and parents could also check out a kids race.

Given that the traditional ATM June event Echigo Country Trail in Niigata cannot set up a long distance race this year following the floods of last autumn, Mt Daisetsu Trail Journey is a logical replacement and opportunity for Japanese trail runners to score ATM points within their own country, too. It will be the first time ATM features an event on the northern island of Hokkaido, of which Sapporo is the best-known city and also host of the 2021 Olympic Marathon. The race venue of Mt Daisetsu is nearer to Asahikawa City, however, more into the centre of the island. Runners can take a pre-arranged shuttle service from Asahikawa station to the actual race place, the former ski resort of Kita Taisetsu in Engaru-cho (contact ATM or the event organiser to fix your seat on the shuttle bus).

In fact, this year the the longest trail 'Daisetsuzan Trail Journey' located on the north side of the Daisetsuzan Mountains, Hokkaido's roof, will be held on a new course. It is the only trail race in Hokkaido where you can run through the ridgeline of the North Daisetsuzan Mountains. The ridgeline over 1700m in Hokkaido is equivalent to the natural environment of 3000m in Honshu, making it an extremely challenging natural environment. Please note that should the weather deteriorate on race day, it can become a very harsh environment and the course may be changed for the safety of the runners. However, normally, you can enjoy magnificent views, encounters with alpine plants, and animals such as naki-usagi (Japanese hares). The 60km has 3100 metres of elevation gain, indicating that this is a challenge race. The flag-off is set at 4 am and cut-off at the finish is 18:00 p (= 14 hours). There is also a maximum number of participants set at 400.

Registration goes via Sports Entry as usual. People who have difficulty finding their way on the Japanese website can also get in touch with info@asiatrailmaster.com to sign up for this event. Registration fee is 12,000 JPY, roughly USD 90,- for the 60 km category. Please see the buttons below to access the official event website and the registration platform.

We are delighted to announce a new Japanese entry in our Asia Trail Master Championship series for this year: Deep Japan Ultra is the latest event by Hiroaki Matsunaga, the original race director of ATM classic Echigo Country Trail and a long-time elite trail runner himself. The 2nd edition of the event in Niigata region on 23-25 June is food for ultra distance runners as the focus is on the 100 miles category. From a purely Asia Trail Master perspective, there is an enticing option for travelling runners of combining Echigo 63k with Deep Japan Ultra 100 miles as both races are expected to take place back-to-back. 

The event’s name already says it: runners will venture deep into Japan’s countryside during the race, far away from the famous megacities and all their glitter. Niigata Prefecture lies to the northwest of Tokyo and north of the Japan Alps. It is premium trail running territory. The 100 miles course has a lot of climbs and descents as you run in a big national park, known for heavy snowfall in winter. No snow in summer, however, as the race takes place at the end of June. Elevation gain is serious: estimated at 10,000 hm! The cut-off time has been set at 46 hours to complete the course. Important: the race start is at 11 am on Friday!

The event venue is the Mountain Inn in Asakusa-Sanso, located in Uonuma City, two hours from Niigata aiport. You can also travel from Tokyo by shinkansen (bullet train), approx 2 hours as well. 

Deep Japan Ultra has a long-term strategy to make the event an internationally renowned event to support the local economy and demographics, needed in Niigata due to the population ageing factor. The team around Hiroaki Matsunaga is also actively engaged in school classroom activities teaching local children and teenages about the virtues of making your living doing things that you love, and how to lead a meaningful life in the mountain countryside of Japan. 

All details and registration can be consulted on the comprehensive website of Deep Japan Ultra, also in English.

 

The traditional end-of-season event in Japan’s Izu peninsula south of Tokyo is once again open for international competitors this weekend. For many who have run Izu Trail Journey it is an absolute highlight on our ATM calendar, but this year the late reopening of the country and the still high cost of travel have led to rather modest number of foreign names on the start list. Global trail star Dylan Bowman from the USA will be running, though, and also Hisashi KItamura.

Kitamura is returning from a long spell of illness, which began at Vietnam Jungle Marathon mid-October, where he still placed third but was never really himself. In fact, after showing his best trail form ever from March to July, his performances had already been going downhill. Even at Borneo TMBT 100, where he finally wanted to defeat local hero Milton Amat he was basically no match for the Sabahan. It would appear the Karate Kit was hit harder by a covid infection than most elite athletes. However, he showed optimism again after he ran MMTF 25km two weeks ago. And this weekend at Izu, he hopes to get the feeling back to run well over 70km without seeking a top result. The ultimate goal has always been the ATM Championship Final on Mount Apo, a course that partially suits him well, but also partially not-so well. Kitamura knows he will need to be strong and sharp to handle the summit attack and descent to have a chance against pure mountain runners such as Milton Amat and Alessandro Sherpa to get the ATM title next week.

One of the dark horses in next week’s female ATM title race will be Moeko Yasugahira from Sapporo. She was a great winner of Seoul 50K last month and has shown great motivation to be part of Team Japan at Mt Apo. Yasugahira will be fine-tuning her form also at Izu Trail this Sunday.

Hisashi Kitamura aims to build up his form again for next week’s ATM Final after a long spell of illness