japan running news

2025 Ueda Sky Race Ueda, Nagano, 4 May 2025 26 km, 3050 elevation change Men 1. Ruy Uuda (Japan/Redbull) - 3:33:12 2. Tsubasa Fuji (Japan/Nnormal) - 3:52:31 3. Marcel Hoche (Germany/Adidas Terrex) - 3:55:53 4. Kesete Habtetsion (Eritrea) - 4:02:44 5. Shota Matsumoto (Japan/The North Face) - 4:06:05 6. Lucas Mouret (France/Inverse) - 4:08:05 7. Fujio Ichige (Japan/Skywolf Kyoto) - 4:08:11 8. Tomofumi Miyagawa (Japan/Merrell) - 4:08:16 9. Blake Turner (Australia/ADCO Cons.) - 4:10:24 10. John Ray Onifa (Philippines/T8) - 4:13:42 Women 1. Takako Takamura (Japan/Skywolf Kyoto) - 4:19:55 2. Iris Bessey (France/Scott) - 4:41:20 3. Suzuha Kusuda (Japan/Sky Kyoto) - 4:53:05 4. Nikola Matkova (Slovakia) - 4:53:19 5. Simone Brick (Australia/Salomon) - 5:07:00 6. Kaede Hayashi (Japan/Ssessionzz) - 5:17:43 7. Mami Saito (Japan) - 5:31:19 8. Chihiro Aibara (Japan/Merrell) - 5:31:45 9. Akari Samata (Japan) - 5:42:38 10. Rachel Hebaus (U.S.A./Hagan SkiMo) - 5:45:02

Part of the 2022 Skyrunner Japan Series (SJS), the Ueda Vertical Race and Ueda Sky Race took place May 3 and 4 in Ueda, Nagano. Put on by the Japan Skyrunning Association, SJS is the peak of the domestic mountain running circuit. Founded in 2015 and now in its 8th season, the series has made a fresh start with the Swiss company Norqain as its official timekeeper. The first day of racing featured the Ueda Vertical Race, 5 km with 1000 m of climb. Honoka Akiyama won the women's race in 54:31, Karen Kobayashi taking 2nd and Suzuha Kusuda (Team Sky Kyoto) 3rd. In the men's race Ryunsoke Omi (Team Sky Kyoto) took the top spot in 43:47, with Tomofumi Miyagawa 2nd and Miki Ushida 3rd. The 2021 National Sky Champion, Akiyama joined last year's SJS during its 2nd half. Ueda was her 5th win, 3 of which came in Vertical Kilometer races. "I'd been targeting the course record of 49:54 (set in 2017 by Yuri Yoshizumi ), but I wasn't even close," she said post-race...