Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONJP / RACE GUIDE

Shimanto River Ultramarathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Shimanto
JP

京浜にけ · CC BY-SA 3.0鍋太郎 · CC BY-SA 4.0四万十人 · CC BY-SA 3.0京浜にけ at Japanese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0四万十人 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Race date Date TBD: Date TBD
City · Distance: Shimanto · 100km · 60km
Entry fee: ¥22,000Varies by event and entry period
Status: TBDSee how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Nov 16, 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 ultramarathon in Kochi Prefecture runs 100 km and 60 km along the Shimanto River, known as Japan's last clear stream.

The course crosses submersible bridges and forest paths, and about 1,500 volunteers cheer you on in a warm, welcoming race.

The 100 km is a JAAF-certified course and is held every October (2026 edition).

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: 4

no_a24Ran in 2026 · Finish time 10:19:00

“The moment I crossed finish, what poured out wasn't tears but a sense of accomplishment and joy. I just found myself smiling.”

A steep climb 700 m from the finish drew a shout of "What the hell is this?!", but the runner pushed through the rain-soaked, muddy Nakamura High School track to the cheers of the crowd and finished in 10:19.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

ゴールした瞬間にあふれてきたのは涙ではなく、達成感と喜び。自然と笑顔になっていました。

Read the original on note

shimamurunRan in 2026

“I don't regret taking part by even 1 mm. The fun of having had a rare experience, pain and frustration included, outweighs everything else.”

The runner slept in a car to make the 5:30 am start, but foot pain forced a DNF at the 90.9 km aid station. The report still ends with a promise to come back for revenge next year.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

参加したことに後悔は1ミリも無くて、痛さや悔しさを含めて稀有な経験ができたことの面白さの方が大きい。

Read the original on note

6th_planet9755Ran in 2026

“Just before the finish venue, the 13-hour pacers were waiting and spoke to me.”

The runner reports barely finishing within 13 hours in on-and-off rain. The school sports field at the finish was muddy, and the 8-hour train journey to get there had been a worry.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

ゴール会場手前では、13時間ペーサーの方々が待っていて声をかけてくれた。

Read the original on note

Roberto De VidoRan in 2021 · Finish time 9:44:47

“Look for food at every stop. Look hard.”

Based in Hong Kong, this runner chose the race for a 100km debut and finished in 9:44. The support from the 1,500 volunteers stood out, though food at the aid stations was sparse after 62km, and the rain came down hard in the later stretch.

Read the original on Run Magazine Asia

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.

「100kmの部・60kmの部あわせて2082人が挑んだ！四万十川ウルトラマラソンゲストランナーは猫ひろしさん」2025/10/20放送
View on YouTube

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 · ultra60

Entry cost ¥17,000

Entries are first come, first served through RUNNET.

Age 18 or older (high school students excluded)

Organizer's page

First come, first served · ultra100

Entry cost ¥22,000

Entries are first come, first served through RUNNET and close once the field is full.

The 100 km requires an 11-digit JAAF ID.

Age 18 or older (high school students excluded), able to finish within the time limit, and a JAAF ID

Organizer's page

Other

Entry cost TBD

There is a separate entry route through hometown-tax donations that waives 50% or 100% of the entry fee (for the 100 km, 50% for a donation of ¥44,000 or more, 100% for ¥88,000 or more).

Donate to whichever of Shimanto City or Shimanto Town is not your place of residence

Organizer's page

tour agency

Entry cost TBD

JTB West Japan and Tobu Top Tours sell dedicated accommodation tours for the 100 km and 60 km.

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 100km

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

Runners start · local timeFrom 5:30

Time limit14 hours

100 km: 14 hours (cutoff 19:30 for the 5:30 start)

Event	Gather	Start	Time limit	Entry fee	Field size
100km	05:00	05:30	19:30	¥22,000	1,600
60km	09:00	09:30	19:30	¥17,000	500

START

In front of the former Warabioka Junior High School, Shimanto City

FINISH

高知県立中村高校・中学校補助グランド

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
16.5km 13:54 · 21.8km 14:36 · 31.3km 15:40 · 36.6km 10:55 · 39.5km 16:42 · 46.9km 17:48 · 53.9km 18:46 · 56.5km 13:54 · 60km 19:30 · 61.8km 14:36 · 71.3km 15:40 · 79.5km 16:42 · 86.9km 17:48 · 93.9km 18:46 · 100km 19:30

Runners start · local time — 100 km starts at 5:30 (opening ceremony 5:00); 60 km starts at 9:30 (opening ceremony 9:00)

The Shimanto River Ultramarathon is held every October in Shimanto, Kochi Prefecture.

The 100 km course is JAAF-certified.

The race starts at 5:30 a.m. in front of Warabioka Junior High School in Shimanto, heads up toward the upper Shimanto River and returns,

and finishes at the auxiliary grounds of the high school in the Nakamura area of Shimanto.

You run along the riverbank of what is called Japan's last clear stream,

and partway along the course you cross a chinka-bashi (沈下橋, a low bridge built to be submerged), where the water is right beside you.

Participant profiles put the total elevation gain at around 1,000 m, so this is not a flat riverside course.

Reports from overseas runners mention a long climb early on and a steep hill around 56 km.

The 100 km time limit is 14 hours with 8 cut-off point, so managing your pace in the second half matters.

In the 2025 edition, 1,603 runners ran the 100 km and 479 ran the 60 km, and the whole town is in a welcoming mood.

Finishers receive finisher medal, and finish supporters running at 12-, 13- and 14-hour pace help you to the line.

It is far from Tokyo and Osaka, so many runners combine it with a trip.

Thanks to the pre-race party the night before and the support of the town, it is popular with runners attempting their first 100 km (2026 edition).

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Pacers

Restrooms

Water stations

Aid stations

Finisher medal

Finisher certificate

Finisher T-shirt

Start shuttle

Changing rooms

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 materials list no separate expo, only the bib pickup venue and the pre-race party
The day before the race, 11:00–18:00 (2026 edition)

Shimanto Citizens' Sports Center

bib pickup venue

Google Maps

Free public transit

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startTosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station (土佐くろしお鉄道中村駅)
Free public transit

Source · checked Nov 8, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station (土佐くろしお鉄道中村駅)

Free shuttle buses run from Nakamura-area hotels to the 100km start between 3:30 and 4:30 on race day. Nakamura Station is 3.2 km from the registration venue (12 min by car).

A free Shimanto circuit bus connects 7 stops (sports park, hotels, station, finish) on the day before, race day and the day after. Check-in for the 100km is only on the day before (11:00-18:00).

Map

Getting to the finish

Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station (土佐くろしお鉄道中村駅)

The finish field is about 1.3 km from the reception/hotel area; free circuit buses run 13:30-20:30 on race day.

Map

Source · checked Nov 8, 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.

Packet Pickup for the 100 km runs only on the day before the race (Saturday), 11:00–18:00, at the Shimanto Citizens' Sports Center.

There is no race-day pickup, so be sure to arrive before the 18:00 close.

Overseas runners collect their bib and chip at the help desk in the same place.

The pre-race party is held at the Shin Royal Hotel Shimanto from 17:00 to 18:00 the same day.

On race morning, a free circuit bus runs between 3:30 and 4:30 from stops near the hotels to the start.

It is convenient to book a hotel near Nakamura Station, close to these bus stops.

With a 5:30 start, the first cut-off point is at 36.6 km at 5 hours 25 minutes (10:55), and the final 100 km mark is at 14 hours (19:30).

The intermediate cut-off point are closely spaced, so holding back too much in the first half can leave you stuck in the second.

Aid stations are roughly every 2–3 km, alternating water, sports drink and snacks.

At the 61.5 km rest stop (near the Canoe House) you can change clothes, and one race report says food ran short after this section, so carry gels.

The race goes ahead in the rain.

Bring a long-sleeve shirt, a large clear plastic bag and a cap.

Most roads are not closed to traffic, so you must always run on the left.

Avoid wearing earphones.

After the finish, the awards ceremony is at 16:30, and the circuit bus runs until 20:30, making it easy to get back to your hotel.

Please tell supporters that following a runner by car or bicycle gets that runner disqualified;

they should use the paid support bus offered by the travel agency (2026 edition).

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

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

PacerTrip connects you to races, stays, flights and tours. You book and pay on each service; when you go through these links we earn a commission.

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.

Hotel Sunriver Shimanto

Hotel · 2.2km

8.7/10(647)

View on Booking.com

Matsuyama Castle & Dogo Onsen Half-Day Private Tour

¥19,365

View on Klook

Beppu: Authentic Cooking Class with a Local Host

¥22,956

Shimanto River Ultramarathon

About Shimanto River Ultramarathon — 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