The Community That Supports Echigo Country Trail NEW

　Echigo Country Trail is held in Oguni, a small mountain town located in the southern part of Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. Surrounded by mountains and neighboring Ojiya, Kashiwazaki, and Tokamachi, Oguni is a quiet rural area where daily life and nature are closely connected.

　What makes this race truly special is not only the course itself, but the people who support it.
　Some aid stations are located deep in remote mountain villages.　In those places, the energetic voices of local middle school students make a huge difference. Their cheers encourage runners to keep going — and at the same time, bring life and smiles to the local community.

　Oguni Middle School students have been supporting the race for many years.
Despite their busy schedules filled with classes and club activities, they participate in cheering, helping at aid stations, and creating banners that you will see at the start, finish, and throughout the course.
From the beginning of the school year until race day in June — just about two months — they work hard in their limited free time to prepare these handmade banners, one by one.

Echigo Country Trail will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2027.
Since the very first edition of the race, Oguni Middle School has been involved as part of its community contribution activities. When the race first began, the school had more than 100 students.Today, the number has decreased to around 60.
Yet, their commitment has never changed.They continue to support the race not as spectators, but as members of the community.

　Echigo Country Trail exists because of this kind of local support.
It is a race built not only by runners and organizers, but by an entire community coming together.