SHINETSU FIVE MOUNTAINS TRAIL 2026 100MILE/110KM
Shinetsu Five Mountains Trail 110km
Madarao Kogen (Iiyama City, Nagano) → Iizuna Kogen (Plaza Aurora, Iizuna Town, Nagano)
Race guide
Updated 1 July 2026
The Shinetsu Five Mountains Trail 110km links Madarao Kogen in Iiyama City to Iizuna Kogen's Plaza Aurora, tracing a chain of Nagano's Shinetsu highland peaks over 112 km and 3832 m of climbing. It's a point-to-point mountain traverse that tops out at 1736 m, with a course profile that keeps rolling between roughly 600 m and 1700 m for most of the day and night. This is a race built around sustained climbing and technical descending across five distinct mountain areas rather than one or two headline ascents, and the generous overall cut-off structure — finishing at 03:30 the day after the start — signals a long day and night out on foot.
Course & Terrain Overview
The route starts at Restaurant Heidi on Madarao Kogen at 923 m and immediately works through a sequence of named waypoints — Banfu at 19 km (1342 m), a drop to Kanemata Forest Road at 30 km (1130 m), and a further descent to Kumagasaka at 36 km, the lowest point on the course at 639 m. From there the terrain trends upward again into Kurohime (49 km, 920 m) before climbing steadily through Sasagamine Greenhouse (60 km, 1183 m), Ohashi Forest Road (76 km, 1462 m) and Togakushi Ski Area (89 km, 1228 m), then rising to the course's high point of 1736 m before Iizuna Forest Road (98 km, 1568 m) and the final descent into Plaza Aurora at 1115 m. The net effect is a saw-tooth profile: no single monster climb, but a relentless accumulation of ascent and descent across five mountain massifs that adds up to nearly 3900 m of vertical gain over the full distance.'
Where the Race Is Decided
The early section between the start and Kumagasaka (0–36 km) drops nearly 300 m net despite the climb to Banfu, meaning runners who go out too hard on the initial ascent will pay for it on the technical descent into Kumagasaka's valley floor at 639 m. The middle third, from Kurohime through Sasagamine Greenhouse to Ohashi Forest Road (49–76 km), is where the course turns properly mountainous again, climbing from 920 m up past 1183 m to 1462 m — this stretch, likely tackled in fading light or darkness depending on pace, is where positions shift as fatigue meets sustained gradient. The final quarter, from Togakushi Ski Area (89 km, 1228 m) up through the course's 1736 m high point and over Iizuna Forest Road (98 km, 1568 m) before the finish, is the last major test: a high-altitude push late in the race that separates runners still climbing well from those just surviving to the 112 km line at Plaza Aurora.
Pacing & Fueling Strategy
With three checkpoint cut-offs at Kurohime (49 km, Day 15:00), Sasagamine Greenhouse (60 km, Day 17:00) and Togakushi Ski Area (89 km, Day 23:30), plus a 03:30 finish cut-off, the race is structured to be run well into the night and potentially through it. Treat Banfu (19 km) and Kurohime (49 km) as the first real checkpoints to assess whether your pace matches the cut-off buffer — the roughly 6-hour window to reach 49 km suggests a moderate early pace is essential given the technical descents built into that section. Crew access exists at Banfu, Kurohime, Sasagamine Greenhouse and Togakushi Ski Area, so plan your drop-bag and refueling strategy around these four points rather than carrying excess weight between them; the longest gap without crew support is the 27 km stretch from Kurohime to Sasagamine Greenhouse and the 29 km push from Sasagamine to Togakushi, both of which climb significantly and demand you carry enough fuel and layers for extended time on exposed forest roads and ridgelines.
Conditions to Expect
The course spans elevations from 639 m to 1736 m across Nagano's Madarao, Iiyama and Iizuna highland areas, meaning temperature swings between the low valley sections and the high points near Togakushi and the 1736 m summit will be significant, especially if you're moving through the night toward the 03:30 finish cut-off. Forest roads (Kanemata, Ohashi, Iizuna) feature prominently in the course data, suggesting long unpaved stretches that can be firm underfoot in dry conditions but demanding in wet weather given the accumulated 3832 m of descent as well as ascent. Given the point-to-point nature from Madarao Kogen to Iizuna Kogen and the overnight cut-off schedule, runners should prepare for a full night of racing with the layering, lighting and navigation considerations that come with mountain terrain in darkness.
Race Shinetsu Five Mountains Trail 110km with Crux
Get the strategy, fuelling and crew plan dialled for this exact course — built from the real route, climbs and cut-offs. Your first race is free.
Plan this race — freeCourse profile
Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-05) · official source
0 km · 923 m · —
19 km · 1342 m · —
36 km · 639 m · —
48 km · 892 m · Tue 15:00
60 km · 1183 m · Tue 17:00
76 km · 1462 m · —
89 km · 1228 m · Tue 23:30
112 km · 1115 m · Wed 03:30
More races
More in Japan
Similar distance (100 km–100 miles)
Racing Shinetsu Five Mountains Trail 110km?
Get a complete race strategy — pacing, fuelling, crew plan and the crux moments — built on this exact course.
Plan your race in Crux →Strava is your training. Crux is your races.