Japan was one of the very first international races on the XTERRA World Tour when it made its debut in Shiobara back in 2000; and for 10 years, 2004 to 2014, it called Marunuma home. This year the XTERRA Japan Championship, again led by triathlon legend Taro Shirato, is introducing the XTERRA Tribe to a new destination.
After 10 years at the Marunuma mountain resort in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture, the XTERRA Japan Championship race was put on-hold in 2014. Now, with a new venue in Hokkaido, XTERRA Japan returns to kick-start the 2015-2016 XTERRA Asian Tour after a one-year hiatus.
The XTERRA Japan Championship in Hokkaido on 29 August will serve as the first race of the 2016 XTERRA Asian Tour.
During their break, the race organizers secured a new venue that led them to one of the northern most prefectures in Hokkaido. In a region renowned for its snow skiing, cuisine and pristine landscape, this year’s XTERRA Japan Championship promises to offer competitors a new experience.
The swim will start at the snow-fed and remote Lake Kanayama, home to the ancient & mythical Sakhalin taimen flying fish. After a likely fresh morning swim, racers will enjoy a two-loop bike course that climbs over 800m while navigating a floating bridge that leaves little room for error.
Spectators will get to see runners twice on a two-lap course that takes competitors through Lake Kanayama Forest Park, an area commonly occupied by the Japanese brown bear (as many as 2,000 roam the Hokkaido region). No kidding!
Competitors should visit prepared for a wetsuit swim and expect some vicious climbs in the midst of the beauty of Lake Kanayama Forest Park. With bears, floating bridges, flying fish, and icy cold water, the outlook is pure adventure for the 2015 XTERRA Japan Championship!
www.xterraplanet.com
www.xterrajapan.net
