An American Runner in Japan

XTERRA Trail Run aficionado Richard Burgunder recently traveled from New York to Marunuma, Japan, to compete in the XTERRA Japan Xduro 30K race on Aug. 29.

Burgunder is an experienced trail runner - he placed sixth in his age group at last year's XTERRA Trail Run National Championship in Bend - so if he described the course as the most difficult he's ever competed in, it must have been a monster.

As proof, his finishing time was 5 hours, 24 minutes, 7 seconds. There were around 200 runners in the race, and half of them needed six hours or more to complete the course.

Here is Burgunder's take:

"My overall experience in Japan was amazing! Marunuma was beautiful and I was able to feel the ancient history behind it. I was in complete awe as the shuttle from the lodge descended down into the valley. The first thing that struck my attention was the turquoise blue crystal clear lake and the fog hovering the surrounding mountains. It was so surreal."

"The trail run course itself was by far the most scenic and difficult race that I've ever competed in! It was much harder than XTERRA Trail Run Worlds and some of the views of the valleys and mountains were breathtaking! The course was a real meat grinder and definitely did your body in. I was completely in shock after we broke the first tree line only to see an extremely steep and narrow single track trail proceed up to a peak set at 8,850ft!"

"The climb up the first mountain was exhilarating and the surrounding beauty took my mind off of the grueling race course. It was difficult to even focus on the race with the eye-catching views of a deep crater lake below, fog-filled valleys and lush-green forest throughout. Ascending the peak was a huge relief itself, and the descent was extremely challenging (unless you were a mountain goat)! There were large jagged rocks found everywhere that created hurdles for us as we descended the mountain via the run-off channels.'

"However, the most unexpected part of the race came several kilometers later when we had to ascend another very large and rugged mountain! Most of the trails were very narrow with abundant loose rock, and many jagged boulders that created all kind of obstacles. The first climb that started shortly after the start of the race began at roughly 1,300m and went up to 2,700m or almost 9,000ft!"

"The first 10k was so technical that it took us almost 1 hour, 45 minutes to reach (I was running with about 15 others who made up the lead pack at this point). We hit the first aid station here and then continued into the forest via root and rock filled muddy trails for several kilometers, before heading onto an exhilarating single track switch back trail up the mountain to the first tree line. The trail was very narrow and had many small cliff faces along the edges. There were also a lot of hikers on the trail and the camaraderie was exceptional. Despite language barriers, I had no problem telling that many people were giving us an immense amount of encouragement along the way. Many of the Japanese hikers were smiling at us, along with giving occasional thumbs up. I think that they were either impressed with us, or thought we were all completely insane!"

"The race was long, and provided all kinds of excitement and suspense along the way. There were several unique aspects about the course and it took us through some spectacular country. One of the cool things about the race was that most of the course went through very remote areas, including an active volcano. The final 10km was mostly downhill and differentiated greatly from the first 20km. At the second of two aid stations, we then descended the mountains via steep ski trails, hit a single track dirt trail, and then circled the beautiful turquoise blue lake before heading back into the resort area to finish."

"I must say that I never thought this course would have been this challenging and totally underestimated it. The consecutive and extreme climbs took quite a toll on my body, along with not having access to nutrition. I should have known when the vast majority of athletes lined up at the start with hydration packs and various nutrition/food supplements! There were only two aid stations due to the remoteness of the race. However, the natural spring water along the way was like an oasis in the middle of nowhere!"

"The XTERRA Japan staff was awesome and very helpful - especially Mai and Miwa. Miwa took us to the race from Tokyo station via shuttle. I stayed in a nice little lodge in Marunuma, which the owner made us a five course Japanese meal the night before the race, and also breakfast. Additionally, he also took us to the start the next morning. He was very nice, and the hotel gave us authentic Japanese robes as a gift."

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