I could not believe it was only 4am. The sky was so bright. I put on my fleece jacket and went out with my DSLR. Photo shoot time.
Sun rays breaking through over the mountains and lighted up the quiet lake.
This was Nagahaman Ryokan. Directly facing the lake with the mountains behind.
The ryokan was situated on the western side of Lake Kawaguchi, which was a quiet side of the town. Really quiet.
Flags of fishes (fishes are very important to Japanese) for the good fortunes of the kids in the family.
It was near 7am. The few of us had gathered at the entrance of the ryokan getting ready for the run.
They said it would be an easy pace run.
They always said so.
I am here!
We turned left from the ryokan and followed the road which lead us up a small hill.
Very beautiful.
I was taking my time to run and admire the things around me.
The ground was soft upon each landing of the foot, making it very nice to run on.
A view of the lake.
We came to the top of the hill.
It was a small park on the top of the hill.
We finished the run! Going back for breakfast.
Heading back to the ryokan.
Breakfast was a big spread again.
The folks from UTMB.
Transalpine run crew.
Enjoying our breakfast after a good bath.
We gathered at the hall at around 10am. All of us brought our gear along with us. It was a time to "compare and contrast" with each other. A good time for me to learn from the more experienced on the kind of gear they have compared to mine and how and why they choose to bring certain items.
Harry (sitting on the floor in red) was briefing us on the itinerary of the day.
One of the mandatory items was the course map. Yet it did not specifically state which route map were they referring to. (There were detailed course maps with contour lines posted on the event website) Some of us just printed out the general route map instead. It was even nicely laminated.
As he said it while showing the map to us: "How could I possibly get lost?"
The transport which was hired to bring us around was a "smoker" bus. The table in front of us was full of ash trays.
The bus brought us to a carpark by the lake side. It was the end of the trail section of the race with another 4km by the side if the lake to the finish line. Here Harry lead us up the trail which we would be running downwards.
The course markers. White ribbons with a small reflective squarish tape at the end.
Directional signs of the race.
Descending the slope, we went to the shore side.
It was very beautiful.
Photo taking time.
The couple from Spain.
This is Janet and Steve from Hong Kong. They are also the joint race directors of the Vibram HK100.
The folks from Hong Kong.
This was Catherine Poletti, the race director of UTMB.
Next, we were brought to Ohike Park for the racer check-in. The place was also the finish line for UTMF and STY.
From here, we could see Mount Fuji!
The time was only around 1130am. The racer check-in would start at 1pm so we went to this mall around 10min ride away to have lunch.
Besides buying lunch, we also bought up additional stuff for the race. I bought a few cans of coke to place in the bag drops provided by Avid Adventures.
The group split up for lunch in smaller groups. A few of us bought some food from the mall. Lunch was curry rice with a box of plain inari. We sat at a small table outside the mall. The weather was sunny yet cooling. Lets hope the weather stays this way for the next few days.
We reached Ohike Park at around 1:30pm. Some participants had already arrived for the check-in.
The tent for local participants.
This was for overseas participants.
While participants still could do the check-in the next day, especially for STY runners who had time till Saturday, future runners should take note to complete the check-in early. Otherwise, risk facing a very large crowd and snake-like queue on race day for check-in.
My BIB number 3148. We were given two BIBs for the front and back.
Checking our mandatory items. Emptying our bags onto the small baskets provided, we had to raise each item as the guy shouts it out.
Finally had the chance to meet Seow Kong!
When all of us completed the check-in, we went back to the ryokan to prepare our stuff for the race. As I was packing the stuff, I could not really believe that the race was really approaching. From signing up on 15th Nov 2011, going through the trainings, flying to Japan, and now I am really packing for the race. Its all happening now.
As I was packing, I was still contemplating should I add in the micro fleece jacket into my race gear. While it was a micro fleece, yet it still took up sufficient space in my hydration bag. I was wondering would the waterproof jacket be enough given that I would be wearing a long sleeve thermal compression. Having the micro fleece in the hydration bag meant I would not be able to fill up the bladder to full capacity. So its either having the fleece and risk having not enough water or risk braving the colds of the mountains.
I consulted Tony, a veteran of several 100km and 100M races. He told me for the race tomorrow, the most difficult portion would be the 27km stretch from A8 - A9. Water would be more important than anything.
Alright. The micro fleece was out.
I realised I would need a bigger hydration bag. The Salomon SkinPro 14+3 seems a good choice. :)
The information booklet given out to all particiants.
30cm x 21cm draw string bag. Given to participants.
A multifunctional head gear with map of Mount Fuji. Given to participants.
Event Tee. Given to participants.
There were no medals or finisher tees given out for UTMF and STY. UTMF finishers would be given a black finisher vest though.
This scarf was a door gift at the TNF booth.
Bought this multifunctional head gear at the TNF booth.
This reflective band was also a mandatory item but was given out to us after we passed the gear check at Ohike Park.
The BIB with the time chips. One time chip for each foot.
Top row (L - R):
road ID, race belt with small waist pouch and front BIB, extra race belt for back BIB, Leki trekking pole, Salomon Adanced Skin S-Lab 12 hydration bag
Middle row (L - R):
reflective band, bak gua, Hammer Anti Fatigue capsules, Hammer Endurolytes Fizz tablets, Hammer Perpeteum solids, 2 x portable toilets, gamin charger, emergency blanket, TNF waterproof jacket, TNF waterproof pants, Raidlight water bottle
Bottom row (L - R):
chia seeds, Hammer Perpeteum powder, cup, Tikka XP2 headlight, third party headlight, spare batteries for headlight, bear bell, kinesio tape, plasters, panadol, beanie
not in photo: TNF running gloves, camera with spare battery, eye lubricant, phone, race course map, medical insurance certificate, compass
Race briefing. There was officially no race briefing for all participants. However, since Pauline was in the organising committee and she was also the website translator cum overseas coordinator cum (what else have you), she was able to provide first hand information to us. All oversea participants who signed up for the package with Avid Adventures were thus able to attend an unofficial race briefing.
In addition to the race briefing, the wonderful folks from Avid Adventures would also station themselves at a few of the aid stations. We were able to deposit some of our gears with them like food, drinks or even trekking poles. As a result, those of us doing UTMF would have 6 bag drops including the official bag drop at A7 Kodomono-Kuni. The rest of us doing STY would have 2 bag drops (there were no official bag drops for STY). That really help us a great deal!
There were several such big maps laid on the ground of the common room. We just spread out ourselves and sat around the maps.
Harry briefed us on the weather forecast and the sections which we need to take note of. The weather would be roughly in the mid 10s degC during day time and below 10 degC at night. On the mountains, it would be 0 degC at night. *shivers!*
He also went through the different aid stations which there would be people from Avid Adventures waiting for us and how we were supposed to prepare our bag drops and mark them with the stickers provided to us.
Throughout the briefing, Harry kept stressing on the difficulty of the section A8 Nishi-Fuji to A9 Motosuko. He seemed that he could not stress on it enough.
We learnt that due to the difficulty and technicality of that section, there were new rules set for the "Tenshiyama" section. One additional water point would be set up on the top of Kumamori Mountain. Each runner would be given one 500mL of water. We must carry it to the next aid station to dispose away.
Two additional cut off times were also introduced at the top of Choujya Mountain and Kumamori Mountain. Well, not that I knew exactly where were the places. I would just need to keep moving forward to avoid being "timed out".
Celebrity spotting! Barefoot Ted had arrived before the race briefing.
Dinner was at the Sakura Cafe of the ryokan. There was so much variety of food to choose from.
Andrea and me having a nice beer after the food. What's so special about the beer?
0% alcohol beer! You can find anything in Japan. Hahaha .. :)
Back in our rooms, Tony and I chatted with Ted as he was packing his stuff for the race. Ted also showed us his custom made backpack which he brought along made of leather. Tony had his "Born to Run" book with him so he asked for Ted's signature. Arrgghh .. !! .. I did not bring mine along. :(
Given his nickname, I could not help but looked at Ted's feet. They were large. :p
Tomorrow morning, we would go to the race expo at Ohike Park to see if there were anything interesting. I hope they would have the Salomon SkinPro 14+3 which I saw some of us carrying today. In the afternoon 3pm, we would send off our friends and witness the start of UTMF -- the very first 100M race in Japan!!
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