Earlier this month, I finally got to line up for the Okushinano 100. I’d signed up for this race last year because of its reputation as a “beginner-friendly 100k,” (what an expression huh) but an ankle injury sidelined me and pushed back those plans. With that delay, I ended up tackling my first 100k a couple of months ago down in Hiroshima. That race went surprisingly smoothly despite a tough course, giving me a strong hit of confidence heading into this one.
Going into this event, I expected to finish somewhere between 15 and 18 hours. The stretch goal: sub 15 hours. The course itself is beautiful and incredibly runnable. It begs you to go fast, which apparently can be a massive trap.
The day started off cool and cloudy without any rain—pretty ideal conditions. At 5:00 AM, we took off straight up a ski slope. Having finished my first 100k a couple months prior without ever really finding the “pain cave” or experiencing those dramatic, emotional roller coasters you hear about, I was keen to test my limits. “What am I capable of in 100km?” felt like a super reasonable question. Those thoughts led me to conclude an aggressive strategy made total sense.
I would pay the price for that conclusion.
During the second hour, I locked into a quick pace running and chatting with Maru, a chill surfer who is incredibly positive and an effortlessly fast runner. He eventually finished 7th overall! Matching his rhythm early on would set me up for a much harsher day later. By the time I crossed the 19km mark at the two-hour point, the reality started to set in: I might be ahead of my skis.
By hour four, I was entirely on the defensive. From that point forward, the race became a cautious balancing act to avoid cramping. Here’s a 5 hour check in video. It was incredibly frustrating having to walk uphills—and even some flats—out of pure fear that my legs would lock up entirely. The strange paradox of the Okushinano course is that because it’s so inherently runnable, even when I felt completely terrible and felt like I was crawling, I was still making decent time.
It was a strange mix of emotions out there. I spent much of hours four to fourteen struggling to feel happy or good, questioning my life decisions and genuinely thinking I just need to slow down in life. But at the same time, the scenery was great, the weather was actually a pretty reasonable mix of hot and cool, and I even had a close-up encounter with a cute little wild boar. 10 hour video check in.
What really pulled me through was the community on the trail. The volunteers were so genuine, and there were big smiles and mutual support between the runners as we passed each other. Perhaps best of all was seeing familiar faces: coming across fellow Tokyo Trail Runner friends Alain, Sony, Elodie and Yukiko brought delight and energy.
The final 5k from the last aid station was perfect. I finally felt optimistic knowing I would finish and that the end (and sub 15 hours?!) was in sight. My friend Nikhil even came down to join me in running up the final slope. Approaching the line, our friends were cheering loudly and that meant I was moments away from being done!
In the end, I hit my 15-hour stretch goal, but it honestly felt like a Pyrrhic victory because so much of the day felt brutal and just not that fun. I’m curious to see how my thoughts on the whole experience will shake out as more time passes.
On the bright side, my feet, ankles, and knees held up great. My hamstrings and glutes, on the other hand, suffered. Guess that means it’s time to strengthen them.
And finally, after my Garmin spent the last month stubbornly telling me I was just “Maintaining,” it finally switched to Productive after the race. So maybe it was all worth it. 😂
Thank you everyone for your belief, support and love! The journey continues…
Details
Date: June 6th, 2026
Location: Kijimadaira, Nagano, Japan (Less than 2 hours by bullet train from Tokyo)
Race Time: 14hr 47min
Place: 86th / 597 finishers
Strava link and stats
-97km
-4500m elevation
-6900 calories
-133 avg heart rate
More photos and videos from the weekend
In other races, I’ve paced myself well and felt pretty good throughout the course. In this event, my gradually declining ranking felt appropriate given my struggles. Accordingly, it’s no surprise to me that from the last aid station to the end, I net passed two people.
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