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.

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

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.