Deep Japan Ultra a test of strength for mountain runners

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.