Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road is home to the 'Eight Scenic Views of Jadani', a series of scenic valleys and beautiful waterfalls appearing one after another. These amidst the remarkable lush greenery are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated at the foot of Mt. Haku-san in northwest Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Over a hundred traditional thatched roof houses stand together in this quiet mountain village surrounded by rice fields.

Enthralled? This is not just an idyllic daydream—now you have a chance to run here! Organised by Runners Wellness, the 50km and 100km ultra-marathons will both take place on Sunday, 13 September 2015. You are encouraged to go as a group as there are group discounts and exciting official tour packages up for grabs.

100km runners will embark on their long route bright and early before the sun even rises at 4:00 a.m. while the 50km participants will take off at 7:00 a.m. If you are new to endurance running or overseas ultras, don't be put off by the distance or the early starts. Not only will the ultra-marathon take you comfortably along well-maintained roads, the sumptuous food and refreshments served at stations lining the race course together with Hakusan Shirakawa's warm hospitality will keep your spirits up!

All will receive a well-deserved finisher's medal when they finish within the stipulated time—15 hours for the 100km category and 10 hours for the 50km course. To further commemorate their fitness feats, completion certificates will be awarded too. The top six male and female finishers in each category will be commended with special awards.

Limited Sign Ups

While the application deadline is on 31 July 2015, only a thousand spaces are available for each category.

The 100km ultra package costs 18,000 JPY and the 50km one is priced at 13,000 JPY. These consist of an original Descente Ltd. tournament T-shirt, marathon insurance fees and various amenities including water stations set up at every 3-7km interval and rest stations to change clothes at or soak in pools.

Find out more on their Japanese website.