Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONJP / RACE GUIDE

Hasetsune Cup (Japan Mountain Endurance Race)

Q: What is the Hasetsune Cup (Japan Mountain Endurance Race) course like?

The Hasetsune Cup (ハセツネCUP) is a 71.5 km mountain race that starts at Itsukaichi Junior High School in Akiruno, Tokyo, loops through the Okutama mountains and returns to the same school. The Tokyo Mountaineering Federation started it about 30 years ago, and the name is said to honor the climber Tsuneo Hasegawa.

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Akiruno
JP

Kishmen246 · CC BY-SA 4.0Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France · CC BY 2.0Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France · CC BY 2.0Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France · CC BY 2.0Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France · CC BY 2.0

Race date Date TBD: Date TBD
City · Distance: Akiruno · 71.5km
Entry fee: ¥24,000Varies by event and entry period
Status: TBDSee how to enter ↗

Official website ↗

Instagram YouTube

D-day as of Nov 14, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

This 71.5 km mountain race with a 24-hour time limit starts at 1:00 p.m. from Itsukaichi Junior High School in Akiruno,

Tokyo, and runs through the Okutama mountains.

After dark you switch on your headlamp and keep following the ridgelines, then return to the school the next day.

The field is 2,000 runners.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 3

寺尾雄二Ran in 2026 · Finish time 23:29:00

“I crossed the finish line at 12:29, with 31 minutes to spare before the time limit 24-hour mark.”

A runner who has taken part almost every year since 2002 started at the very back and finished 31 minutes before time limit. The hardest parts were the crowded road right after the start, the night section run by headlamp, and the climb from Gotō Pass up to Gozenyama.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

ゴール地点の到着時刻は12時29分で、制限時間24時間まで残り31分前でした。

Read the original on 山と溪谷オンライン YAMA-YA

sabrololRan in 2026 · Finish time 9:41:10

“I ran into the school grounds and finish. It wasn't a strong finish. Run or die! Fist bumps with everyone.”

A runner who took up trail running this year ran the 34th edition (start 1:00 pm on 11 October) in 9:41:10. Thanks to collecting course information in advance and practicing fueling, the runner's stomach stayed settled to the end, but came away regretting a lack of downhill technique and power hiking, and remembers the finish at the school sports field.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

学校の敷地内へ、ゴール。ストロングフィニッシュではない。ランオアダイ！みんなとグータッチ。

Read the original on note

ミカン de mikanRan in 2009 · Finish time 15:31:00

“I finished the final Hasetsune. My time didn't match the 13-hour-range finish from three years ago, but I suffered to the very end and enjoyed it to the very end.”

On a fourth start, a 0-night, 2-day trip from Osaka, the runner finished in 15:31. Even when the legs gave out on the climbs, they recovered on the descents, and the runner came in smiling along the Kompira ridge.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

ラストハセツネ完走できました。記録は3年前の13時間台におよびませんが、目一杯苦しめ、そして楽しみました。

Read the original on YAMAP

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

First come, first served

Entry cost ¥24,000

General registration opened on June 1 at 9 p.m. and accepted entries until the field filled.

No lottery was announced (as of the 2026 edition).

Must be 16 or older on race day (under 18 requires parental consent) and carry the designated GPS device

Organizer's page

Qualifying time

Entry cost ¥24,000

To enter the elite category, you must be a past winner or have a reference index of 600 (men) or 550 (women) or higher.

Priority entry covers last year's 30K priority holders and anyone who has volunteered four or more times;

runners with 15 or more finishes get a separate invitation entry.

Verification of elite, priority and 15-finish eligibility

Organizer's page

Other

Entry cost ¥30,000

Akiruno City and the village of Hinohara both offer furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) quotas.

Each requires a donation of at least 30,000 yen, separate from the entry fee.

Furusato nozei donation

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 71.5km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 1:00

Time limit24 hours

24 hours (until 1 p.m. the next day)

Event	Gather	Start	Time limit	Entry fee	Field size	Bib pickup
ハセツネCUP 71.5km71.5km	12:30	13:00	13:00 (+1)	¥24,000	2,000	2026-10-11 12:00

START · FINISH

五日市中学校

Start · Google Maps

Cutoff
Nyusan Pass 3 hours 16:00 (tentative) / Daigomaru 6 hours 19:00 (tentative) / Asama Pass 9 hours 22:00 / Tsukimidai No. 2 Parking Lot 15 hours 04:00 / Naganodaira 21 hours 10:00

Runners start · local time — 1:00 p.m. start for elite and general runners together (opening ceremony 12:30 p.m., 2026 edition)

The Hasetsune Cup is a 71.5 km mountain race that starts at Itsukaichi Junior High School in Akiruno,

Tokyo, loops through the Okutama mountains and returns to the same school.

The Tokyo Mountaineering Federation started it about 30 years ago, and the name is said to honor the climber Tsuneo Hasegawa.

The race starts at 1 p.m. and you have 24 hours to finish, until 1 p.m. the next day, so you spend the entire night in the mountains.

The course climbs from Imakuma Shrine through Daigomaru, Mt. Shoto (990 m) and the Sasao ridge to Mt. Mito (1,527 m),

then descends via Mt. Odake (1,266 m), Mitake Shrine (929 m) and the Konpira-o ridge.

Because it is a hiking-style course that crosses one high peak after another, it feels nothing like a road marathon.

The finish rate swings widely from year to year.

In 2025, 1,738 runners started and 1,269 (73.0 percent) finished, and the men's winner ran 7:49:01.

In 2026, 1,448 of 1,778 (81.4 percent) finished, in heat that reportedly felt like midsummer despite the early-autumn date.

The field is 2,000 including the furusato nozei (hometown tax) quota.

The organizers explain that the race's aims also include mountain safety and nature conservation.

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Bag drop

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

Bib pickup

The official information lists no separate expo, and bib pickup is held at the school.

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startJR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station

Source · checked Nov 10, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station

About a 15-minute walk from JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station (Itsukaichi Line) to Itsukaichi Junior High School. From Shinjuku take the Chuo Line Rapid to Tachikawa (25-30 min), then the Itsukaichi Line to Musashi-Itsukaichi (about 40 min).

No shuttle is published; private cars must use public parking.

Map

Getting to the finish

JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station

The finish is at the same school as the start.

Map

Source · checked Nov 10, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The start is at 1 p.m., with an opening ceremony at 12:30 p.m. (based on the 2026 edition).

Bib pickup is on race day from 8 a.m. to noon at Itsukaichi Junior High School, and latecomers may be turned away, so arrive early.

It's about a 15-minute walk from JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station to the school, and the official information mentions no shuttle.

If you drive, use the public parking lots;

illegally parked cars are towed.

Bring your entry ticket and either your health insurance card or My Number card to bib pickup.

The timing chip you receive must be attached to your shoelace and returned at the finish or at the point where you drop out;

if you lose it, you must pay compensation.

The designated GPS device (IBUKI) is mandatory, and rental costs 2,200 yen.

Poles are prohibited until the first cut-off point, and earphones (including bone-conduction ones) are prohibited.

The organizers recommend carrying at least 2 L of water, a rain jacket that also keeps you warm, food to eat on the run, and a light.

The cut-off point times are: Nyusan Pass at 3 hours, 4 p.m. (provisional);

Daigomaru at 6 hours, 7 p.m. (provisional); Asama Pass at 9 hours, 10 p.m.;

the Tsukimidai parking lot at 15 hours, 4 a.m.;

and Naganodaira at 21 hours, 10 a.m. The finish stays open until 1 p.m. the next day.

Temperatures fall hard after sunset, so pack separate layers for the night.

One report noted that the course narrows about 2 km after the start and causes congestion.

In 2026 there were warnings about suzumebachi (hornets) and notices of a detour around logging work, so be sure to check the official news before the race.

A courier service for shipping your bags was also offered.

Arriving early and wondering where to stay the night before?

Since bib pickup closes at noon, leaving Shinjuku on the morning of the race is enough, but allow plenty of time for transfers.

Times are local to Akiruno. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

紡舎 - BO-SHA - - 古民家一棟貸しVilla

Accommodation · 2.5km

9.9/10(12)

View on Booking.com

Kanagawa Atsugi Relaxation Massage Salon - Shunpu Life

¥9,707

Hasetsune Cup (Japan Mountain Endurance Race)

About Hasetsune Cup (Japan Mountain Endurance Race) — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run