Runners start · local time — 100 km waves: A 04:20, B 04:25, C 04:30, D 04:35, E 04:40; 60 km wave: F 09:00 (based on the 2026 race)
The Kyotango 100 km Ultramarathon is held every September in Kyotango, at the northern tip of Kyoto Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan.
The 2026 race was the 24th edition, so it has been running since the early 2000s.
The course follows the coastline of the San'in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark, then turns inland and climbs toward Ikari Plateau, at about 400 m above sea level.
You pass cliffs, blue sea and sandy beaches such as Kotobiki Beach, and from the middle of the race on, the course keeps going up and down.
Treat it like a mostly flat 100 km and you're likely to fall apart in the second half.
In the 2026 race, 1,445 of the 2,177 starters in the 100 km finished, a finishing rate of 66.4 percent.
In the 60 km, 815 of 1,016 finished, or 80.2 percent.
At the aid station, local foods such as barazushi, kakinohazushi, crab soup and heshiko rice balls are served, so you eat well even mid-race.
The field is large too: in the 2026 race, 3,192 runners lined up at the start line, making it one of the biggest ultras in western Japan.
Following the course by bicycle or car to cheer is prohibited.
Runners with a visual or hearing impairment may have up to two accompanying runners.
The 100 km starts in the 4 am hour and has a 14-hour limit that closes between 6:20 and 6:40 p.m.,
before dark, so this is a race where the runner who saves energy in the early pace is smiling at the end.
