■Why did you decide to participate in this event?

I wanted a challenge to see if I could walk 100 km, to feel the joy of success with my buddies, to be at least a small help in reducing poverty, and to experience a world-famous event.

■Were you concerned about your physical capacity before the event?

No, because all of our team members (2 men, 2 women) have already experienced full marathons and three members have done trail runs. But, I was a little anxious for myself in view of having had no experience of walking more than 42.195 km.

■How often and how did you train?

As pre-training, I did a dry run of the route with experienced members to find out their skills, abilities and physical capacity. We selected the portion from CP7 to the finish line which is the route we will be walking at night.

It was a very good way, in training, to get to know each other. It is ideal and important to train with at least four team members. We were allowed to walk the route once before the event. Because it is very difficult to match up times among teammates, I strongly recommend training with at least four team members at least once.

Personally, I trained myself for a half-marathon, a full-marathon and a trail run¬-- I participated in these just before the trail walker event. I developed my upper leg muscles to be strong on the upslope.

■What did you pack in your bag?

We had no support crew so we had to carry all that we needed ourselves.
In our backpacks we had a sports drink, socks, head lamp, shoes, T-shirt, long tights, cut-off gloves, long-sleeved shirt, compact Windcheater for the trail run, rain gear, gloves for the rain, and extra clothes for after the race.

I brought along both sweet and salty snacks like dried mango, gummy sweets, chocolate, three rice balls, power gel, and dried plums.

■ Could you explain how you raised 120,000 JPY? Was this　difficult?

As all our team members work for foreign companies, gaining support from
our colleagues abroad for an Oxfam event wasn’t difficult. Fortunately I was
sent to Hong Kong on business during this period so I had the opportunity to
inform my colleagues directly of my intentions. They showed great interest
and co-operation.

From within Japan we needed to provide more information about the nature of
the event so two team members set up a web site to explain the purpose and
encourage people to donate. I contacted family, friends and co-workers who
all obliged willingly.

■While hiking at night how often did you take breaks?

Our team took a nap for about one hour at CP4 and then a little later
between CP 5 and 6 for about 30 minutes because one of our team members got
drowsy.　Further along at CP7 we rested for about 45 minutes. Staying awake
during this time was difficult however I had a supply of caffeine tablets to
prevent me from feeling drowsy.

■At which point were you assured of completing the course?

On seeing Lake Yamanaka we knew there wasn`t much further to go. In the
training prior to the event our team had covered this area from CP7 to the
finish so I was familiar with the location. As soon as we reached CP7 did we
feel certain of achieving our goal despite the fatigue.

■Where was it most challenging? How did you deal with this?

Going downhill between CP5 and CP6 I sensed that it was going to get
more challenging, given my already fragile state. What with the rain causing
the track to become muddy and slippery, such conditions only added to the
physical and mental strain. There were moments when I contemplated giving up
especially as the soles of my feet began to ache. With the encouragement of
my team members I persevered. Realizing that they too would have been in
pain I pushed forth in the hope of completing the course with my team. The
spirit of mutual support is what drove me to finish: this being the most
important motivating factor in our trail walk.

■How did your support crew help your team.?

Unfortunately we didn’t have a support crew.

■How did you feel going through the event?

What impressed me most

A friend of mine is a member of another team's support crew. We saw each other at CP 4 and CP7, where I kept and bought some food for our team. They refreshed me a lot and supported me mentally by listening to my complaints. I was getting fed up with my team, seeing the same faces during the walk. They also carried our baggage from CP7. Since we could walk with a much lighter load, we could reach the goal within our targeted time. Through this experience I learned a lot about myself and the value of my friends, and the importance of a support crew.

On the route

The 100 km is not short, but we were able to enjoy taking photos at each CP and on the road. We looked very energetic at the start, and worn out in the middle, being equipped for night and rain. The photos show us in various situations. It is a very good memory. Other teams asked us to take photos of them, we also started conversations, and became friendly. Taking photos gave us more opportunities to enjoy this event. I saw other teams that didn't go well together, a fast person left a slow person behind. It isn’t good. I think that it is very important, and means more, to go together as a team. Of course, in our team, there were fast members(2 people) and slow members(2 people), but we kept only a short distance between the fast team and the slow team, and valued personal trust in the team and with our teamwork.

Honestly speaking 100 km is really long, it is very hard to stay together with same person and even team for the whole time. Each person has their ups and downs and feels tired at different times. I think you need to be patient when you feel like crying or get angry. You might think its best to cry when you want to cry or release anger when you feel angry, but how will the others feel? I think that the key to the 100km trail walker success is how much you work together as a team. I believe that our team could successfully complete the trail without problems among it’s members because of patience. It is very important to think of the rest of your team’s feelings.

I also recommend having a support crew. Without them, we would have had to carry equipment all the time, which is a big burden and makes you more tired. Weight saving is also an important point. Food is prepared at each CP, so it helps save weight a lot. I started the walk with lots of my favorite Japanese snacks in my bag but it ended up being burden.

There was a team who left the started really quickly, I wondered if they could safely finish. You should consider your physical ability and pace of walking. It is very important. Our team set an allocation of pace and time. We kept our pace as planned so could finish without stress or injury.
To be honest, I had confidence in completing this trail because I have run a full marathon. But still, my feet were sore around CP5. I even wanted to cut off my feet because of the pain. It was unexpected, as I had been training everyday. Think about yourself and consider if you are being to optimistic about your limits.

Also for the trail, I recommend you avoid using brand new shoes, clothing or equipment. Use comfortable things you are used to using. I say again that 100 km is really long way to go. Good luck!