GO ASIA TRAIL 
I have been trail running for about 14 years now. I started around 2009. I have run trail running races all over the place, both in Japan and abroad.
Trail running races are a sport that takes place in the mountains. Therefore, you go to the mountains, which is basically the countryside. Especially when it comes to races larger than 100 km, they are often held deep in the mountains of Nagano, Shizuoka, Yamanashi, Shiga, and Kumamoto, rather than in the suburbs of major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Major races include the Mt.
The recently announced Mt. FUJI 100 starts and finishes at a place called "Fuji-Hokuroku Park," which is not very accessible. Also, Shinetsu Gogaku, which is based in the Ikarao Kogen Plateau, is also difficult to access without a private car.
https://www.yamakei-online.com/yama-ya/detail.php?id=125
Of course, there are races near urban areas such as HACETSUNE (Akiruno City, Tokyo) and Hieizan International Trail (Kyoto and Otsu Cities), but even these races are located deep in the mountains, so access is surprisingly difficult.
The biggest challenge is securing lodging.
The most difficult part of participating in a trail running race is securing lodging. Because some races are held in the countryside, there are no accommodations near the venue, and even if there were, there may not be enough rooms to accommodate all the competitors. I am sure you have experienced this before.
I, too, am most concerned about securing a hotel for both domestic and international races. At worst, you can get there by car or rental car, but there are only a limited number of hotels. And it is even more difficult if you are not familiar with the area.
I once participated in the Fairy Trail in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, in 2015, and had a really hard time finding accommodations. At that time, I rented a car, secured lodging in Otsu City, and departed early in the morning (around 4:00 AM). Although pensions and bungalows were officially provided around the venue, they filled up quickly and could not be secured.
While there may be adequate lodging available in tourist areas, Takashima City in Shiga Prefecture is not famous for its tourist attractions. Therefore, the number of lodging facilities is limited.
The Race Begins at Home
You may have often heard the phrase "the excursion starts at home," but the opposite is also true: "the excursion starts at home. In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that "the race begins at home.
Fatigue also accumulates during transportation to the race venue. How you make the most of this time will affect your performance on the next day of the race. The best thing to do is to make the travel time as short as possible, and then to improve the quality of the transportation. I would say that the train is better than walking, the bullet train is better than the local train, and full-service carriers are better than LCCs when it comes to air travel.
However, the most important factor is travel time. No matter how many bullet trains, airplanes, or automobiles are used, the longer the travel time, the more fatigue accumulates. When I visited Kending, the southernmost tip of Taiwan, from my home in Osaka in April this year, it took about 11 hours in total, and I was quite tired when I arrived at the local inn. I think I should have originally stayed overnight in Taipei or thereabouts (see the article below for details).
I don't think it would take this long to travel within Japan, but it could take 7-8 hours. Living in Kansai, access to the Izu Peninsula, northern Kanto, Nagano, and the foot of Mt. Fuji is not so easy and takes a good amount of time.
Trail running races take place in the middle of large cities.
Considering transportation and accommodations, the ideal race would be "a race held in a major city. It is difficult to find a race that meets these conditions, but the "Hiroshima Wangan Trail Run" held in Hiroshima is an ideal model.
The starting point of the Hiroshima Bayshore Trail is the "Hiroshima Gate Park," right in the middle of Hiroshima City. Since the venue is in the middle of downtown Hiroshima, with the Hiroshima Prefectural Government Office, Hiroshima Castle, and the Atomic Bomb Dome nearby, there will be no need to worry about lodging or food.
Transportation access is also very good, with the Shinkansen Nozomi bullet train stopping at the site. It is only 1 hour and 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station. And since it is only about 3 km from the Shinkansen station, the location is too good to be true.
To be honest, there are not many conventions with such a good location in the world. As far as I know, the Seoul 100k in South Korea and the Dalian 100 in China meet these conditions, and the Souel 100k is also held in front of the Seoul City Hall in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, so access to the venue is by far the best and accommodation will be no problem. For reference, the Seoul 100k course is shared here.
Hong Kong is also a big city, but many races are held in surprisingly remote areas, such as Mui Wo on Lantau Island, the venue of the TransLantau by UTMB, which is only 40 minutes by ferry from the Central Ring on Hong Kong Island. There is a small resort hotel near Mui Wo, but it does not have the capacity to accommodate all the runners.
The venue of THE NORTH FACE 100 Hong Kong is also almost at the edge of Hong Kong, so it is necessary to take not only trains but also buses.
According to Google Maps, the urban area of Hong Kong is surprisingly small, mostly mountainous, and the location of the event venue is surprisingly inaccessible from the city.
Internationalizing the Hiroshima Bay Trail would be well suited
The Hiroshima Wangan Trail is currently recruiting mainly Japanese runners, but it would be sufficient to attract international runners as well.
- Good transportation access
- Accommodations
- Food and beverages available
- Large scale with a total of 1,000 runners to be recruited
- International tourist city (Peace Memorial Museum, Miyajima, etc.)
On the way back from the Akiyoshidai Karst Trail in May 2023, I stopped by Hiroshima and saw many tourists from overseas. I was particularly surprised at the number of foreign tourists visiting the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum. I think that the sightseeing before and after the race will be enough to fulfill their needs.
I believe that the Hiroshima Bay Trail Run has a lot of potential. The first event was successfully held last September and has a good track record. I believe that this event will become a representative event of the Chugoku region in the future.