REPORT

The rainy season came to an end this year around 7/20 (Mon., public holiday), just two days after Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort opened for the summer on 7/18 (Sat.). This report will take a look at the Nozawa Trail Fes, an event I had been looking forward to visiting for some time. Following the Kids race for elementary school students and the subsequent awards ceremony at the base area at 7:45 a.m., the gondola began operating at 9 a.m., carrying a steady stream of runners participating in the Long (27 km) and Short (12 km) race categories to the starting area on Uenotaira Kogen (pictured).
[Nagasaka Gondola Base Station]

This year’s event attracted a total of 1,233 entrants: 621 in the Long division, 496 in the Short division, and 116 in the Kids division. The Long race got underway at 10:30 a.m. (pictured) with a pleasantly cool temperature of 21°C. The runners powered away from the start to warm encouragement from family, friends, and competitors waiting for the Short race to kick off. (※The Short race started at 11:30 a.m.)
[Uenotaira Kogen・Uenotaira Picnic Garden]

The course first loops around the Lake Sutaka area before returning to Uenotaira Kogen, then descends to the base via the MTB (pictured) and other trails. Runners in the Short division finish at the base, while those tackling the Long course continue through Lake Hokuryu and Kosuge Shrine, located southwest of the ski resort, before making their way back to the resort.
[MTB Trail・Intermediate Course]

Earlier that morning, the Uenotaira Picnic Garden was alive with runners warming up and making their final preparations. I spoke with two participants from Tokyo (pictured) with the one on the right telling me, “We came out just for the day. This is my second trail-running race, and his first,” referring to the runner on the left. “We’ve been training at Mt. Takao for today. Our goal is to finish!” (Continued in Nozawa Trail Fes, Pt. 2.)
[Uenotaira Kogen・Uenotaira Picnic Garden]

　　
[Nozawa Onsen Opening Information]
*Period … 6/13 (Sat.) － 6/21 (Sun.), 7/18 (Sat.) － 10/25 (Sun.) *8/25 (Tue.) – 9/17 (Thu.) Closed on Tue., Wed., and Thu.
*Hours … Nagasaka Gondla (9:00 －)
*Fees … Nagasaka Gondla Roundtrip / Adults JPY2,500, Under 15 y/o JPY1,500, preschool children free

*To Visitors Requesting Original Data of Our Photographs

reported by Snownavi