RACE TRIP
Madarao Highlands Trail Running Race
Trip Guide
To stay over, or not?
Madarao is a stay-over-required race. Check-in is the day before (Sat Oct 17, 13:00–17:00) at Restaurant Heidi at the venue — race-day check-in is for locals only, so plan to be on the kogen by Saturday.
- There's no official lodging allocation: you book your own from ~50 pensions and hotels in the Madarao Kogen tourism association
- The 50K starts at 6:30. Stay within walking distance of the venue and race morning becomes stress-free
- One catch: most lodges serve breakfast from 7:00 — too late for a 6:30 start. Call ahead about early options (onigiri etc.) or stock up the day before
- Mid-October at 1,000 m elevation means 0–10°C mornings. Gloves and a wind shell at the start line
With ~50 small pensions, rooms disappear as entries confirm. The Madarao rule: book your bed the same day you enter.
Runner-friendly places to stay
Madarao Kogen Hotel
長野県飯山市斑尾高原
8 min walk to the start Breakfast from 07:00
✓ Verified July 15, 2026・Auto-collectedWithin the ski-resort base area. Walking time is a map-based estimate
The base-area hotel with its own hot spring (open from 6:00 — a pre-race soak works for 20K runners). Breakfast from 7:00, so 50K runners should stock up the night before.
Hotel Silk-in Madarao
長野県飯山市斑尾高原11492-376
5 min walk to the start
✓ Verified July 15, 2026・Auto-collected2 min to the ski resort (per hotel). Venue walking time is a map-based estimate
Two minutes' walk to the ski resort (per their site), with a private cave onsen. Breakfast times aren't published — confirm early-morning options by phone when booking.
Trip timeline
Day before (arrival & check-in)
Phase 2Saturday check-in sets your whole trip (13:00–17:00)
✓ Verified July 15, 2026・Official source- Check-in: Sat Oct 17, 13:00–17:00 at Restaurant Heidi, Madarao Kogen Ski Resort
- From Iiyama Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen), the event shuttle bus is the way (last year: ¥700 one-way, no booking needed — 2026 times TBA)
- Then settle in for the night on the kogen. Some years there's a welcome party — check the official announcements
Race morning
Phase 3Race morning: walk to the start
✓ Verified July 15, 2026・Official source- Starts: 6:30 for the 50K, 7:30 for the 20K, same venue as check-in
- From any lodge on the kogen you can walk to the start — spend the morning on breakfast and warm layers instead of logistics
- Two cutoffs on the 50K (last year: 23 km at 11:30, 38 km at 13:30 — confirm the 2026 numbers when published)
Browse the whole area
Opens an external booking site with check-in set to the day before the race.
Times and travel durations were accurate when last verified. Schedules change — always check official sources before race day.
Links to external booking sites (affiliate programs may be used). Reservations and payments are handled on each site.
← Back to race page