Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 20

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

• 387m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 30% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 452m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 6.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 9.1km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–6.9km · Climb of 172m, high point 472m, descent of 387m averaging 8%. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. 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.
• Work · 6.9km–9.1km · Plus 1 more climb. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Home · 9.1km–19.9km · Descent of 452m averaging 4%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 29% of the distance is uphill, 47% downhill and 24% flat. The longest climb runs 2.3km at an average 7.5% grade (172m of vertical). The longest descent runs 10.8km at an average 4.2% grade (452m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 30.7% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 32.7% over 0.4km. Surface: 47% road, 23% trail, and 10% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 27.4 FlatKM.

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 12 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 6.9km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 9.1km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 2.3–6.9 km · 387 m D−, -8.3% · 13.0 km ahead → control
• 9.1–19.9 km · 452 m D−, -4.2% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 20°C to 25°C, with around 22°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 52%.

Results

469 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Taiga Yamaguchi (Japan) in 1:35:12. Women's winner: Rina Ogake (Japan) in 2:03:43.