Several of you have been asking when race registration opens for the Japanese new entry in the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship, Hakuba International Trails. The local organisers in Nagano have now set the opening date for registration on Friday, 25 May. Hakuba Trails is one of Japan's most popular medium distance trail races with a longest distance of just over 50 km to be completed in 10 hours. The race is hosted by the ski resort Hakuba, famous in Japan's winter sports community, and runs around the mountains of Nagano, where the Olympic Winter Games took place in 1998. 

To get into the mood, take a look at the video of the 2017 event below. Hakuba Trails is another project of one of the UTMF co-race directors, as is Izu Trail Journey at the end of the year. 

The event takes place on 8/9 September and can be accessed via several international airports in Japan. 

Registration form (in English):

https://www.hakubatrail.jp/english

Hakuba Trails

The 2018 Echigo Country Trail has opened registration for the 3rd edition on Sunday, 17 June. The colourful event in Japan's countryside of Niigata, Northwest of Tokyo, will have a slightly beefed up main race. Total length is now 56 km with elevation gain still just above the 2000 hm mark. 

As usual, the event receives full support from the local communities around Oguni Forest Park and Nagaoka City. All participants are invited to take part in the welcoming party on Saturday afternoon, and enjoy dinner with local delicacies, music and dance. It is also possible to stay overnight in traditional Japanese homestays. 

You can access Nagaoka easily via Shinkansen from Tokyo. Or you can fly to Niigata direct from a few Asian destinations. 

Apart from the 56 km main race, shorter distances are also available. However, only the 56 k qualifies for points in the Asia Trail Master championship. 

International registration, click here. 

Video trailer

XX/XX - Echigo Country Trail (JPN)

The Japan SuperTrail on the Izu Peninsula proved to be a genuine SuperTrail. Not only because of the fantastic course, but also because of the harsh temperatures and the incredible average speed of the Japanese trail runners. It has to be admitted: the South-East Asians who came to Japan had a hard time competing with the elite of the country for the top positions. Japan is of course the distance running country par excellence, but it turned out that many of its top runners were also waiting for a race like Izu Trail Journey to motivate themselves to stay in shape during the cold winter. As such, Izu Trail Journey was an eye-opening experience for many participants. The race was controlled by four runners up front: last year's winner Tomohiro Tsuji, Kota Araki, Yuya Kawasaki and Yoshihito Kondo. These four took off after the first climb of the 72 km race roughly 9 km into the race. At that point, Brunei's Sefli Ahar, who was challenging for the Asia Trail Master Championship as the last man to still overtake Steven Ong on points, was running in 9th place and just 3 minutes behind the front quartet. Sadly, Ahar did start to suffer from the cold. Temperatures were only marginally above zero and the gale winds in the mountain zone made it feel a lot colder still. Winner of CM50 and BTS Ultra in the last six weeks, Sefli Ahar could not close the gap with the Japanese top runners and lost terrain as the race progressed. Suffering from frozen eyes and breathing problems, the 43-year-old Bruneian nevertheless finished the race - 61st - and with his chin up. Sefli Ahar certainly made the ATM Championship exciting until the last moment and we are looking forward to seeing him back in 2018. 

Meanwhile, Kota Araki turned out to be the strongest of the leaders and pulled away. Only Yuya Kawasaki was able to stay close and kept the pressure on. Kawasaki almost paid a price for that, though, as he faded towards the end and saw Yoshihito Kondo finish less than a minute behind him in third place. First non-Japanese was New Zealand's Richard Coughlan. Time of the winner, Kato Araki, was 6:43:48. Izu Trail Journey is 72 km with 4300 Hm and run in a deepfreezer. Araki and Kawasaki will allegedly now represent Japan in the Trail World Championships in Spain next year. Spain's Pablo Diago Gonzales was just outside the top 100 and Hong Kong's Isaac Yuen Wan Ho, who became a two-star Grandmaster,  just outside the top 300, which proves the very high level of Japanese trail running. 

The women's race was a tight battle between Ayano Saito and Kaori Asahari. Both runners were never far apart from each other, and finished also just three minutes separate. Okinawa-based Corinne Williams was an excellent third place. Philippines' Patricia Ann Morota and Indonesia's Shindy Patricia are two ATM protagonists who also finished the race. 

Jun Kaise being greeted by pandas at the km 42 mark

Kota Araki was the strongest runner and won the Japan SuperTrail 

Yuya Kawasaki was a great second with a lot of fighting spirit 

The top 3 of the Izu Trail Journey

The two top women at Izu: what a battle decided in favour of Ayano Saito 

It’s the last weekend of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship and it is going to be a thriller. Two races, Ultra Trail Panoramic in Northwestern Thailand and Izu Trail Journey in Japan, determine the outcome of an exciting points championship that still has five runners in contention for the men’s title. While Vietnam-based Australian Kim Matthews is already assured of the women’s Asia Trail Master title, Arief Wismoyono (Indonesia), Manolito Divina (Philippines), Steven Soonseng Ong (Malaysia), Sefli Ahar (Brunei) or Pablo Diago Gonzales (Spain/Singapore) will be crowned the men’s champ on Sunday afternoon. 

All five will be in action in either Thailand or Japan, except Arief Wismoyono, who leads the ranking at present with 2475 points. The Bandung Explorer Ace has suffered from shin splinters following BTS Ultra last month is not recovered enough to compete in ultra this weekend. A pity for the 34-year-old, who this year returned to his best level and will just have to wait and see what the others do. Last year’s ATM champion Manolito Divina is only 25 points down on Wismoyono. He already has five results in the bag this year, which means he needs to do better in UT Panoramic than his “worst” result, i.e. 450 points at Vietnam Mountain Marathon or UT Mapawa. Divina needs to be first (525 points) or second (475 points) in the 100 miles race of UT Panoramic to achieve that and hop ahead of Wismoyono (Divina beat Wismoyono in a straight dual at Sungai Menyala Forest Trail in April, so in case of equal points he gets the advantage). 

However, it is Steven Ong and Sefli Ahar who hold the key to the championship. The Malaysian and the Bruneian so far only scored four results (both also had a DNF this season), which means they can still get a full whack of either 525 points (Steven at UT Panoramic) or 550 (Sefli at Izu Trail, the Japan SuperTrail), as for the championship it is the best five that count! The beauty is that now they both have 2100. They are 375 points behind Wismoyono, and need 425 in case Manolito wins in Thailand…  That means minimum 3rd place for Steven (on equal points Manolito wins as he beat Steven in a straight dual), minimum fifth place for Sefli. So, there’s a lot of scenarios possible. One thing is for sure: If Steven wins UT Panoramic, Sefli needs to win Izu. And if somehow we get a really crazy weekend in which Sefli, Steven and Manolito all DNF and Pablo Diago Gonzales delivers an outstanding run to win Izu, it will be the Spaniard who takes home the 2017 Asia Trail Master title. Unlikely but as we always say: ‘in ultra everything is possible’. 

Of course, there are more top runners at the start in both races this weekend who could spoil the party for either one of them by taking away important points. In Thailand, local hero Sanya Khancai has recently looked the part in UT Nan 100 and certainly cannot be discounted for the 100 miles’ win. Another dangerman for the day’s victory is Alessandro Sherpa. The Italian led the race at BTS Ultra last month until a drop bag issue forced him to retire. Also Japan's Wataru Iino is back in Thailand. He was a joint winner of UTKC 100 early this year before he went to India for work reasons. In Japan, Sefli and Pablo will be up against strong Japanese runners, quite simply because there’s so many of them. 

While the men’s championship will keep everyone in suspense, the women’s title has already changed hands. Defending champion Tahira Najmunisaa Muhammad Zaid is still unfit to race ultras and has ultimately decided she will not be starting in either race. Tahira prefers to think long-term and needs time to fully recover. The big showdown with Australia’s Kim Matthews is therefore postponed to 2018 and the recent winner of CM50 in Philippines is mathematically assured of the championship win! Ruth Theresia, also injured following CM50, ends the season in third place. Kim Matthews started the season with a win at UTKC 70 in Thailand where she was living at the time. Her pace raised the eyebrows of many, and Matthews showed her speed again in Malaysia during Penang Eco 100k. She led the race until the final 10k. Dehydrated, she fell asleep at the last checkpoint and saw China’s Dong Minfei come back to beat her at the very end. With hindsight, it was the last time Matthews did not win a race. While suffering from the heat at Tam Dao Mountain Trail as well, the Melbourne-born runner just kept on winning races and when she did so at the Vietnam Mountain Marathon and MesaStila Peaks Challenge 65 in Indonesia, she became a serious title challenger for Tahira and Ruth. Two weeks ago in Clark, she had the better of Ruth Theresia and collected the SuperTrail bonus points for winning CM50 and in so doing overtook Tahira in the points ranking. 

Kim Matthews will be running the 100 miles in Thailand this weekend without pressure. It is, in fact, her first attempt at the distance. While it may not always feel like it during the race, it certainly will also be a race of honour for her. Kim Matthews is the new Asia Trail Master champion! 

Kim Matthews: the new Asia Trail Master champion!

We are happy to formally announce the entry of Hakuba International Trails in the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship series. Hakuba takes place in and around a major ski resort area near former Olympic host city Nagano and is scheduled for 9 September 2018. 

A Candidate Race this year, Hakuba International Trails is already a very popular classic event in Japan. The 53 km course will largely be the same next year, which implies an elevation gain of approx 2800 hm - implying a tough profile. The long distance race takes place in the mountains. Several rivers need to be crossed as well. About 1700 runners are expected to take part in the event that also offers three shorter distances to cater for the whole family. The first start is at 7:00 a.m. and the COT for the 53km is 10 hours, which does imply participants need to move on during the race. Only the 53 km race offers ATM championship points. 

Read more or on cover page (click on the image)

Hakuba Trails

The Izu Trail Journey is the Japan SuperTrail and on 10 December the last race of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship. The event is quite historic, and the local organiser has released the below press release with significant background information on the origins of Izu Trail. This is a 72 km race that is set to be one of the season's highlights, and if you didn't get in this year or were not ranked high in the ATM championship by the end of October, focus on 2018, because Izu Trail will stay in ATM also next year! 

Our sponsor COMPRESSPORT is helping you everywhere you run. So, of course also for the big Asia Trail Master finale in Japan on 10 December: the IZU TRAIL Journey.  Via Qoolmart.com all runners can benefit from serious discounts on a range of COMPRESSPORT items as shown below. 

That is not all, Qoolmart is chipping in itself and provides discounts on all kinds of trail running accessories useful for IZU TRAIL, including energy nutrition and drinks.

Please note that Qoolmart offers Free International Delivery and No Minimum Purchase Required. 

Go to http://qoolmart.com/izu-trail.html

After Hakuba International Trails in Nagano three weeks ago, the Shinjo-Hiruzen Super Trail in Okayama was the second 2018 Japanese Asia Trail Master Candidate Race in less than a month. A very exciting development, and we are looking forward to opening more doors to Japanese events, because after all, if there is one Asian country that can be associated with running it is the Land of the Rising Sun. 

The Shinjo-Hiruzen is essentially a 74 km race across the Shiruzen Highlands. Total elevation gain is 3200 Hm, which is not nothing yet seemingly unspectacular neither. As usual, numbers never tell the whole story, as several climbs on the course of Shinjo-Hiruzen are so steep ropes are a must, and one cannot imagine what it would be like if it were wet and muddy on race day. The 350 participants on the long course (about 300 took part in a short race as well) certainly felt their legs and feet afterwards. 

The first part of the course is arguably the most scenic, with beautiful horizon views along the hilly trail. Last Sunday, runners even discovered themselves to be above the clouds. The highest peak was 1200m+ above sea level, after all. The second part, especially beyond km 45 is pure forest trail that goes continuously up an down. 

The event was very well-organised and also benefited from the strong local community support, which was illustrated by the nice pre-race welcoming dinner party on Saturday late afternoon. The Shinjo-Hiruzen area proclaims itself to be the most beautiful village are of Japan, and in fact it is indeed a very popular tourist area, particularly in autumn when the forest turns magnificent orange and yellow. For the culinary enthusiasts among the trail runners, Okayama Prefecture is not far away from Kobe, and the beef tastes just as exquisite!  

We are happy to announce a second 2018 Asia Trail Master Candidate Race in Japan. The Shinjo-Hiruzen Super Trail (no link with our SuperTrails) is an exciting introduction to Okoyama Prefecture, which is situated between Hiroshima and Kyoto/Osaka. The event features a 73 km long main race on Sunday, 1 October and has an elevation gain of 3200 hm. An experienced trail running committee is behind the organisation, which expects more than 500 participants this year. The race starts in the early morning at 5 a.m. and has a cut-off at. 8 p.m. in the evening. In other words, you are required to cover the 73 km within 15 hours.

You can expect magnificent mountain vistas and you will run through cedar and cherry trees for an excellent trail experience with sufficient runable sections as well. 

Please stay tuned to our website and social media channels in the next weeks to find out a lot more about this Candidate Race. 

With three races in the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship series, Japan is more than ever open to the international trail running community. The country arguably being the centre of Asian long distance running, we can only applaud this and we are looking forward to discovering more of all these gems of events that have so far been elusive if not outright mysterious. Introducing Hakuba International Trails: a new 2018 Candidate Race taking place this coming weekend 9/10 September in Nagano, former host city of the Olympic Winter Games. 

It will be the second edition of the event after a very successful premiere last year. Hakuba offers a scenic and spicy 53 km course with 2800 metres of elevation gain. As you can see from the images below, the race takes place in the mountains. Several rivers need to be crossed as well. About 1700 runners are expected to take part in the event that also offers three shorter distances to cater for the whole family. The first start is at 7:00 a.m. and the COT for the 53km is 10 hours, which does imply participants need to move on during the race. 

The event is organised by the Hakuba International Trail Run Committee, which includes several experienced ultra runners. We are looking forward to next week's Candidate Race edition, and are confident Hakuba International Trails will also be a great points race in next year's Asia Trail Master Championship. 

Please take a look at the website of Hakuba International Trails for more details (currently only in Japanese). 

Pre-race top favourite Shunsuke Okunomiya won a fast edition of the Echigo Country Trail 52k in just under five hours. The celebrated Japanese runner was pushed forward all the way, though, by his compatriot Hayato Kimura. Kimura was never far behind and took second place just five minutes behind Okunomiya. Niigata's Jun Kaise came back from a modest start to take third place, and after winning Kushigata Wind Trail three weeks ago is now the top Japanese runner in the ATM championship. Kazuyuki Takahashi was a solid fourth place, and Kobe's Yuta Matsuyama completed the top 5. In the women's race, Kayo Siimbo led from start to finish. 

The race was held in good weather conditions with rather cool temperatures at the start. Nevertheless, the 2000 metres of elevation gain are  treacherous, as several forest climbs are so steep ropes are required to reach the top. As a result, there were again a considerable number of DNFs as the cut off time proved rather tight. 

A photo album of the event can be found on our facebook page. 

THe Echigo Country Trail has established itself as one of those unique races on the Asia Trail Master calendar. Not necessarily because of the race course or distance (52 km, 2000 hm), but because of the warm and jolly atmosphere during the event. Festivities already begin this afternoon at race pack collection and are followed by an organised dinner at Oguni Forest Park, close to Nagaoka in Niigata. That is the west coast of Japan's main island and north of the Japanese Alps. Local communities are delighted to have the race and come out to cheer for the runners, as if it were a road marathon. The race tomorrow morning itself promises to be a good one as well again, with several top Japanese runners present, mixed with motivated international runners. Jun Kaise, second last year and recently winner of the Kushigata Wind Trail is a favourite, along with Shunsuke Okunomiya.

Our team is present at the Echigo Country Trail and as usual will be reporting live, signal permitting. Follow the action on our social media channels. 

Japanese trail running is gradually becoming more accessible for international runners with also the IZU Trail Challenge coming up as the Asia Trail Master final and Japanese SuperTrail later in December.  Registration for the Izu Trail is now open but remember only until the end of this month! It is one of the biggest races in Japan and fills up very quickly. 

Lots of green around the course of Echigo