Uonuma Skyrun Niigata 2026 - Japan National SKY Championships

Uonuma Skyrun returns to Niigata Prefecture on Sunday, 1 November 2026, with the rugged Uonuma Alps providing a spectacular, demanding setting for Japan's national skyrunning SKY championship. The Japan Skyrunning Association has selected the event as the SKY leg of its 12th All-Japan Skyrunning Championships and part of the pathway for selection to Japan's 2027 national team.

The flagship Expert course covers 25 km with approximately 2,200 metres of cumulative ascent and descent. It sets off from Hibiki no Mori Park before climbing through Dairikiyama and the forested ridges of the Uonuma Alps, taking in Kurohage-no-atama, Kasakurayama, Komano-atama, Kuwaharayama, Karesawayama, Toyano-atama and Narukurayama before returning to the park. Steep climbs and technical descents make this a genuine mountain race, rather than an ordinary trail fun run.

The programme also includes a 14 km Normal course with approximately 1,200 metres of ascent and descent, intended for intermediate runners and youth championship participants, and a 2.5 km Beginner course around the park with about 50 metres of elevation change. The Normal race has a five-and-a-half-hour limit, while the Beginner course allows one hour. The Expert race is limited to five and a half hours for national championship competitors and six and a half hours for general entrants. The 25 km and 14 km events are each capped at 250 runners; the introductory race is capped at 100.

National championship Expert runners who are registered with the Japan Skyrunning Association start at 8:25 am Japan Standard Time. General Expert runners depart at 8:30 am, the 14 km field at 9:30 am, and the Beginner race at 9:45 am. The national championship cut-off and presentations are at 2:00 pm, followed by the final general-runner cut-off at 3:00 pm.

Equipment rules reflect the exposed mountain environment. Runners in the Expert and Normal fields must carry a race bib, mobile telephone, bear bell, drinking cup, trail running shoes and a windproof jacket in fine weather, or waterproof jacket and trousers in rain. Water, nutrition and basic first aid supplies are recommended. Trekking poles may be used with protective rubber tips. Headphones, open footwear and littering are prohibited; runners must respect course signs and volunteers.

The start and finish are at Hibiki no Mori Park beside Uonuma City's cultural hall, near the Uonuma interchange on the Kan-Etsu Expressway. Bibs are collected at the event venue on race morning, with Expert registration beginning at 7:15 am. Entries for the 2026 edition closed on 11 October. The organiser's current-edition event information and the Japan Skyrunning Association championship regulations should be consulted for any last-minute operational notices.