Mt. Mitake Trail Race

Athlete Entitlements

Samurai Sports Advantage

  • Easy registration

    Register in English without creating an account

  • Translated English athlete guide

    The information you need to complete your race safely

  • English email support

    Ask questions - and get answers!

  • Race packets mailed via Japan Post

    Int'l registrants pick up race packets on race day

  • Post race follow-up

    Receive links to results, photos

Race Standard

  • Age Group awards

  • Event insurance

  • Long sleeve race t-shirt

  • Free onsen entry

  • Free bag check, transport (start to finish)

  • Free race photos

  • Timed race results

    View official results online

About the Race

Out in the wild west, the Mt. Mitake Trail Run shows you the more nuanced, natural shades of Tokyo that you just can’t get downtown. Just an hour from the concrete jungle, the trails of west Tokyo await you!

The KFC Triathlon Club brings the 23rd edition of the Mt. Mitake Trail Race for a brisk 13km run in west Tokyo. Run, quick, see before the trails become impassable during the winter!

The course starts at the base of Mt. Mitake at Takimoto station, where one can board cable cars up to Mt. Otsuka and enjoy the views of west Tokyo’s vast woods. Runners will start with a steep climb on pavement before hitting the trail. Throughout the course, you’ll encounter a technical – almost scary – descent but also run through the quaint local neighborhoods bearing Buddhist influence. Runners will climb Mt. Nabewari, traverse Okunoin, and a cross a canyon with plenty of rocks and stepping stones before finally reaching the short climb up stairs (fast feet!) and crossing the finish line at Musashi Mitake Shrine.

In recent years, the course has been clocked as closer to 13KM (rather than the race organizer advertised 15KM). Overall, the course is a gradual but steady ascent with several steeper climbs mixed in – cumulative elevation gain is just about 914 meters (about 3,000 feet). You’ll encounter a broad range of terrains from concrete steps and snow-dusted rocky crags to woody trails and short asphalt sprints. Some segments are narrow and present potential for bottlenecks. Faster runners will want to start at the top of the pack to avoid congestion. After the race, runners will pick up their bags at a designated onsen – have a soak and freshen up free of charge! To go home you’ll simply need to show your bib for a free cable car ride back down to Takimoto station where you started!

Difficulty: 2 stars (intermediate)

サムライスポーツでの参加申込は外国人参加者を対象としたものです。 日本人の方がエントリーされた場合は無効となり、参加費については、返金事務手数料を差し引いた上でご返金となります。ご了承ください。

  • 00Days

REGISTRATION PERIOD

September 1 - October 31, 2023

December 10, 2023 (Sun)
at Takimoto Station
until 0815…bag check
0930…race starts
1100…10km cut off time
1200…race cut off time

General Entry (14km)
¥9,000 (¥10,000 incl. transaction fees)

Additional Surcharges
・If total cost is ¥10,000 or less, you will incur a flat fee service charge of ¥1,000. 
・If total cost is ¥10,001 or more, you will incur a service charge amounting to 12% of total cost.
Why the additional charges? They help us cover the cost of operating the registration platform, translation of athlete guides/event information, labor hours required to answer your event inquiries, etc. Depending on the event, the surcharges help to cover the cost of our physical presence at the event.

Eligibility
・Must be 18 or older

Time Limit
・2 hours 30 min
10km checkpoint: 1 hour 30 min

Thinking of registering? 
・Participants should be in good health with the ability, fitness and energy to complete the entire race without getting lost.
・Participants should have a strong understanding of trail running etiquette and hold themselves accountable to the surrounding natural environment, the trail course, and others on the course, including hikers.
・Demonstrate good manners, be respectful of the natural course environment, and be mindful of other climbers and hikers on the trail.
・Please ensure you have lodging and transportation plans figured out BEFORE registering for this race.

Race Day Requirements
・Gloves
・At least 1,000ml of water
・Proof of health insurance
・Cellphone w/ data and call connectivity in Japan

Recommended
・Trail running shoes

View course map and elevation profile

Elevation profile: +914m or +2,997ft

Please note that the course map and advertised distance may not align perfectly. According to the race organizers, this is due to the fact that the area does not always ping well using GPS or GLONASS. Additionally, the course map calculates distance between several geographical coordinates that do not account for irregularities in the surface of the route nor changes in elevation relative to the idealized surface.

Should you find a discrepancy between the advertised distance and the map, you may reasonably expect to run a maximum of the distance advertised but may also find that the distance actually covered more closely resembles that of the course map provided.

Mt. Mitake Takimoto Station (start)
2 Chome Mitake, Ome, Tokyo 198-0174
Google Maps

Musashi Mitake Shrine (finish)
176 Mitakesan, Ome, Tokyo 198-0175
Google Maps

 By Car 
From Tokyo, about 1 hour 30 minutes (83.5KM / 52 miles)
From Yokota AB, about 45 minutes (22KM / 13.7 miles)
From Yokosuka, about 2 hours (111KM / 69 miles)

For car navis, use the following address and phone number:
Mt. Mitake Takimoto Station 
2 Chome Mitake, Ome, Tokyo 198-0174

 By Train 
From Tokyo station, about 1 hours 30 min.
・Take the JR Chuo Line to Ome station (about 90 min depending on service). At Ome station, transfer to the local JR Ome Line bound for Oku Tama to Mitake station (about 20 min). Alight at Mitake station and take 御10 towards “ケーブル下” (“cable bottom”) to the Cable Car station (about 10 min), then walk about 100 meters to Takimoto station. Extra buses will be made available on the morning of the race.
・You may also alight at Ome station and take 御11 towards  “ケーブル下” (“cable bottom”) to the Cable Car station (about 30 min), then walk about 100 meters to Takimoto station.

Parking
Free; 150 available spots

13km
Top 1-6 overall men/women
Top 3 age group men/women

2022 Results
・13km winning time: 1:10 (men) | 1:23 (women)
View 2022 results

・Free bag check will be available at the start. All items deposited will be transported by the race organizers to the finish area.
・Do not stray from the course. For your safety, gloves and at least 1,000mL of water are mandatory.

General
・ No refunds, deferrals, or credits will be issued. This applies to incidents in which the event is cancelled for any reason including personal participant circumstances of the participant (including illness and injury) and incidents in which the event is cancelled due to unforeseen weather conditions or natural disasters.
・Depending on the event, transfers and certain modifications to your entry may be permitted. Generally, entries may be transferable and/or permit modifications until 3-5 days before the last day of registration. After this period, all transfers are considered illegal and modifications will not be accommodated.
Participants determined to be violating the policies below may be disqualified without a refund:
・Any person found to be bib-swapping (illegal transfer of bib); the person will be held responsible in case of an accident arising from or provoked by the other person during the event.
・Any person found to be registering with inaccurate information, i.e. false declarations of the participants name, age, or gender.

・You will not sue the event organizers nor its affiliates (including Samurai Sports) for any injury or death caused during the event.
・ You consent to and will give all authorities and copyright to the event organizer and affiliates for the use of photography, motion pictures, articles, recordings or any other record of this event (including personal information such as name, age, gender, personal record, portrait, and etc.) for legitimate purposes and use in newspapers, TV, magazines, internet and any media publishing such as Facebook posts, Instagram posts, and pamphlets.

Insurance
・ Those participating and coming from abroad must be enrolled in medical and/or travel insurance in case of accident, injury, and medical emergencies.
・ Before signing up, please carefully read all rules and regulations of the event. If the rules and regulations cannot be followed, participation may be denied by the event organizers. If anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to contact us – it is your responsibility to be prepared.

Athlete Guides
・In most cases, athlete guides in English will be sent via email approximately 2-3 weeks before the event. However, the delivery of athlete guides is entirely dependent on the timeliness of the event organizers. Samurai Sports takes approximately one to two days from receipt of the Japanese athlete guide to translate into English.

Accommodation
Add-on accommodation option can be selected during registration. Please note that the accommodation is Japanese-style and very simple – you must bring your own towel and sleep in large gender-separated rooms on futons. Accommodation is at the race site and includes meals (dinner, breakfast). Limited to 150; first come, first served.

Additional Surcharges
・If total cost is ¥10,000 or less, you will incur a flat fee service charge of ¥1,000.
・If total cost is ¥10,001 or more, you will incur a service charge amounting to 10% of total cost.
Why the additional charges? They help us cover the cost of operating the registration platform, translation of athlete guides/event information, labor hours required to answer your event inquiries, etc. Depending on the event, the surcharges help to cover the cost of our physical presence at the event.

KFC Triathlon Club
kfc triathlon club logo

English​
info@samuraisports.co.jp

Japanese
0428-31-4911
info@kfctriathlon.com

Official Website (Japanese)
http://www.kfctriathlon.com/html/event_trail.html#2009_mitake_trail