Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100 by UTMB
Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100 by UTMB
Yamanaka Onsen (Yukemuri Kenkou Village) → Yamanaka Onsen (Yamanaka-za)
Race guide
Updated 19 July 2026
The Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100 by UTMB covers 97 km from Yukemuri Kenkou Village in Yamanaka Onsen to the finish at Yamanaka-za, accumulating 4757 m of elevation gain with a high point of 1367 m. It is a true overnight hundred, run across two calendar days through the forested ridges, river valleys, and hot-spring towns of the Kaga region in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Despite a modest high point by alpine standards, the course is relentlessly rolling, never giving you a long flat recovery, and the cumulative climbing across 97 km means fatigue compounds quietly and early unless you are disciplined from the first step out of Yamanaka Onsen. As a UTMB World Series event the race carries qualifying stones and attracts a competitive international field, but it is equally accessible to strong ultrarunners tackling their first hundred-kilometre distance. The course weaves through cultural landmarks — Kutani Dam, Kutani Shinsui Park, the cedar forests of Kenmin no Mori — and finishes in the heart of the historic hot-spring town, making the journey feel earned in every sense. Cut-offs tighten significantly after the midpoint, so this is not a race you can bank on surviving purely with a strong back half; you need to be moving well and efficiently from the very start.
Course & Terrain Overview
The route leaves Yamanaka Onsen at 78 m elevation and immediately begins climbing toward AS1 at Mt. Kariyasu (8.7 km, 520 m) — a sharp early test that sets the tone. From there the course descends to Ouchi (16.7 km, 257 m) and continues rolling through the Kutani Dam area (27.1 km, 182 m) and along the riverside corridor to Kutani Shinsui Park (38.3 km, 224 m). This first 38 km feels comparatively gentle in altitude profile but the constant up-and-down through forested ridges and valley paths accumulates fatigue deceptively fast. The terrain is predominantly single-track trail and forest road, with rooted and occasionally technical footing on the descents, especially in the mid-race sections around Manago (44.8 km, 406 m) and Sugino-kawa (60.2 km, 449 m), which represent the highest-elevation bracket of the second half. The final 35 km from Kenmin no Mori (63.1 km, 337 m) through Imadachi Aios Square (69.8 km, 112 m) and Takigahara (81.7 km, 85 m) drops progressively toward the coast plains, finishing on comparatively flat ground at Tonoo (90.2 km, 40 m) and then Yamanaka-za (97.4 km, 70 m). The closing kilometres offer no dramatic climbs but legs carrying 90 km of effort will not find them trivial.
Decisive Climbs & Where the Race Is Won or Lost
The most consequential stretch of the course sits between AS4 at Kutani Shinsui Park (38.3 km) and AS6 at Sugino-kawa (60.2 km). This 22 km section carries the bulk of the back-half climbing, pushing up to and through the 449 m mark at Sugino-kawa before the course eventually descends. Runners who have burned through their glycogen reserves by being aggressive in the opening valleys will hit this section in serious trouble. The climb to and beyond Manago (44.8 km) is the inflection point — if you are still feeling strong and controlled here, the race is very much on; if you are already managing a suffer-fest, the cut-offs at Kenmin no Mori (Day 2 12:55) and Takigahara (Day 2 17:55) will become real concerns. The high point of 1367 m is reached somewhere in this mid-race mountain band, and the descent from it onto the lower forest trails requires technical attention — a rolled ankle on tired legs in the back half of a hundred costs far more time than the few seconds saved by descending recklessly. The early climb to Mt. Kariyasu is psychologically important too: go out hard here chasing the buzz of a fresh start and you will pay compound interest across the next 80 km.
Pacing Strategy — Patience Pays
The fundamental strategic truth of this race is that the valleys and gentler early kilometres are a trap. They feel easy, and that ease will tempt you to run faster than your target pace. Resist it completely. A patient, almost social first half — running within yourself through Ouchi, Kutani Dam, and into Kutani Shinsui Park — is the investment that makes the second half possible. Runners who treat the opening 38 km as a deposit rather than a withdrawal consistently find themselves passing people from AS5 onward. The record was set by someone who went out easy, not hard. From AS7 at Kenmin no Mori onward, the terrain flattens and the end becomes tangible — this is the moment to shift gears if your legs have been managed correctly. Break the final 35 km into segments between aid stations and tick them off one at a time: Kenmin no Mori to Imadachi, Imadachi to Takigahara, Takigahara to Tonoo, Tonoo to the finish. That structure prevents the psychological weight of distance from becoming overwhelming in the small hours. Trust that a controlled first half funds a decisive second.
Fueling & Aid Station Strategy
With ten aid stations across 97 km, opportunities to refuel are regular enough that you should never be more than roughly 10–15 km from support. The longest gap is the 15.4 km stretch from AS5 Manago to AS6 Sugino-kawa, which also happens to include the most demanding terrain of the back half — carry extra calories and at least one full soft flask topped up leaving Manago. The overnight nature of the race means body temperature drops and appetite often suppresses; force calories during the night hours even when you do not feel hungry, particularly between AS3 and AS5. Aim for consistent, small intakes at every station rather than large feeds at a few: the rolling profile means your stomach is being jostled throughout and large boluses cause nausea. Sodium and electrolytes become critical from the middle sections onward, especially if temperatures are warm; Kaga sits in a humid inland-coastal climate and summer or early-autumn editions can be significantly warmer than runners from cooler climates anticipate. Arrive at AS9 Takigahara (81.7 km, cut-off 17:55 Day 2) in solid caloric shape — the final 15 km to Yamanaka-za are flat enough to run, but only if the tank is not empty.
Conditions to Expect
Kaga sits on the Sea of Japan coast of Honshu in an area known for high humidity and warm temperatures in summer and autumn, the typical racing window for this event. Expect warm and potentially muggy conditions during daylight, with temperatures dropping overnight on the ridges above 1000 m — a breathable mid-layer in your pack is not optional, especially for runners who will spend more time out after midnight when the air cools quickly in the forested highland sections. Rain is a genuine possibility; the region receives significant precipitation year-round, and wet forest trails become slippery and technically demanding in a way that amplifies the descent hazards around the Manago and Sugino-kawa sectors. Headlamp batteries must be fresh and a spare lamp carried: you will almost certainly be running through a full night cycle, and the forest single-track is not passable safely without reliable light. The finish at Yamanaka-za closes at 21:55 on Day 2, giving the field roughly 44 hours from the start — enough time for most well-prepared runners, but the staggered cut-offs at AS4, AS7, AS9, and AS10 mean time management cannot be an afterthought; build and check your splits before race day.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-05) · official source
0 km · 78 m · —
8.7 km · 520 m · —
16.7 km · 257 m · —
27.2 km · 195 m · —
38.4 km · 222 m · Sun 04:55
44 km · 438 m · —
60.3 km · 449 m · —
63.2 km · 329 m · Sun 12:55
69.8 km · 111 m · —
81.8 km · 81 m · Sun 17:55
90.2 km · 49 m · Sun 19:55
97.4 km · 70 m · Sun 21:55
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