Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100 by UTMB

The Kaga Spa Trail Endurance 100 by UTMB holds a special place in trail running history as the first UTMB World Series event to be held in Japan. Based in Yamanaka Onsen, a hot spring town in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, the race has its roots in a local trail event founded in 2015 and has since grown into an international fixture drawing thousands of runners from dozens of countries.

The courses wind through a succession of low mountains ranging from roughly 500 to 1,400 metres, blanketed in rhododendron groves and ancient beech forests that explode with colour in autumn and shimmer with green in early summer. The 100 km route accumulates over 5,000 metres of elevation gain across a relentless series of climbs and descents, demanding both endurance and technical skill on rooty, sometimes slippery singletrack. From the high points, runners are rewarded with sweeping 360 degree panoramas over the surrounding peaks and, on clear days, glimpses of the Sea of Japan.

What truly distinguishes this event is the deep integration of onsen culture. Yamanaka Onsen has been a place of healing for over 1,300 years, and the post race recovery in the town's natural hot springs has become an essential part of the experience. The fusion of rigorous mountain racing with Japan's tradition of communal bathing and forest reverence creates an atmosphere that no other UTMB World Series event can replicate.