Looking Back at the 2025 Race: The 2.5 km Fun Run!

　Wrapping up our 2025 race recap with the 2.5 km event!
　This year, we welcomed 193 runners (102 boys/men and 91 girls/women), with 192 finishers—an impressive 99.5% finish rate!
Despite the rain turning the course into a muddy adventure playground, everyone gave it their all. Great job!

　The rain let up a bit after 9:00 a.m., so the kids rushed off to warm up… which meant we didn’t get as many photos as usual.

　A big thank-you to the amazing students of Oguni Elementary School, who all participated in the race, the students of Oguni Junior High, who helped out at aid stations and cheered along the course, and of course to our incredible race committee staff!

　Runners aged 3 and up were eligible to join this event. Children not yet in school were required to run with a guardian, making for a very lively and crowded start line!

　At 11:00 a.m., the race started right on schedule!

　Some kids dashed off full speed from the front row, while others started at a more relaxed pace, hand-in-hand with mom or dad. Either way, these are moments to treasure!
　The course quickly led the runners through the forest park and out onto the road.

　It’s always a tough section, but in the rain? Extra slippery and super challenging! Some had to try a few times to make it up, using the ropes for support.

　The finish line looked different for everyone.
Junior high students were seen helping younger runners all the way to the end.
And for the parents running alongside their little ones—what a wonderful memory to share!

　Congratulations to all our podium finishers!

　And with this post, we wrap up our 2025 Echigo Country Trail race recap!
　Thank you so much for following along to the end.
　To all our runners — we hope these stories brought back fun memories of your race!
　And if you couldn’t join us this year, we hope to see you on the trails next year!