Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 994m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 46% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 68.8km, then run your race pace.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–10.4km · Climb of 646m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 10.4km–46.0km · Descent of 356m averaging 10%, descent of 994m averaging 11%, descent of 569m averaging 28%. Plus 2 more climbs. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 46.0km–87.3km · Climb of 955m, descent of 1594m averaging 9%, high point 1358m. Plus 2 more climbs and 2 descents. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 87.3km–95.3km · 8.0km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 41% downhill and 19% flat. The longest climb runs 10.4km at an average 6.2% grade (646m of vertical). The longest descent runs 17.8km at an average 9.0% grade (1594m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 44.4% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 52.8% over 0.2km. Surface: 51% trail, 36% road, and 8% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 168.1 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are strongly recommended: about 13.5km of the course is steep enough for them to pay off.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 55 of 100), with 46% of the load in the first half: 4 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 68.8km, then run your race pace.
• #3 · 10.4–14.0 km · 356 m D−, -9.9% · 81.3 km ahead → control
• #1 · 20.5–29.2 km · 994 m D−, -11.5% · 66.1 km ahead → control
• #4 · 44.0–46.0 km · 569 m D−, -28.3% · 49.3 km ahead → control
• #2 · 51.0–68.8 km · 1594 m D−, -9.0% · 26.5 km ahead → control
• 84.6–87.3 km · 395 m D−, -14.3% · 8.0 km ahead → your pace
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 22°C to 27°C, with around 13°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 52%.

Results

455 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Terunobu Kurokawa (Japan) in 12:49:06. Women's winner: Honoka Akiyama (Japan) in 13:50:07.