The North Face Mont-Blanc Ultra Tra

TNF Japan runner impresses with early placing

The North Face Mont-Blanc Ultra Trail is an individual, one-stage event, divided into two categories: The Full Tour is 163km, with 8900m of ascent, at an altitude ranging between 1012m and 2537m, over 10 high mountain passes and along the beautiful valleys surrounding Mont Blanc. The route passes through France, Italy and Switzerland, and a maximum 46 hours is allowed for completion.

The Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix allows 24 hours to cover 86km, with 4500m of ascent, from the heart of Italy's Aosta valley, through Switzerland, to Chamonix, France. Both courses are very demanding.

The longer event is usually dominated by athletes from Europe and the United States. All present were therefore impressed by the achievement of Tsuyoshi Kaburagi. He crossed the Full Tour finish line in 12th place out of the more than 2,000 participants from 44 nations who completed the course. The 38-year-old Tsuyoshi is no stranger to racing success at home. He came first in both the Tokyo Mountain Associate Train Run Race and the Osaka Mountain Marathon in 2004; in the Mt Fuji Marathon and the Japan Mountain Endurance Race in 2005; and in the Mt Fuji Eki-Den Marathon and the Higashi-Yama Mountain Marathon in 2006. He achieved very respectable results in a number of other events in Japan over the same period, as well as placing 16th in the Sky Runners World Series in Malaysia in 2005 and 10th in the Sky Runners World Series in Spain in 2006.

The North Face® Mont-Blanc Ultra Trail was in its fifth year and is a major feature of the ultra trail calendar. This year it had 3,500 entrants, the Full Tour had 2,500 entrants, while the shorter course had 1,000.

The North Face Japan was represented, in addition to Tsuyoshi Kaburagi, by Chigaya Mase, Hiromi Sato and Minehiro Yokoyama. These four were the first home in “The North Face Endurance 50km OSJ Hakone Trail Race 2007,” held in Tokyo on 27 May this year. This is an event organized by TNF Japan to promote endurance running sports. The winners are rewarded with the opportunity to enter the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail and to fly to France to take part in the race.

Since both trail categories include many climbs and racing at night, with the possibility of very difficult weather conditions (wind, cold, rain, snow), a high level of training and a genuine capacity for self-reliance are indispensable. To enter the Full Tour there is an obligation to have acquired beforehand good experience in this type of racing. One must have already completed a minimum of two mountain trails of at least 50km or one trail of at least 80km. For the shorter race, good experience is advised but not obligatory. Each athlete is also required to submit a medical certificate as proof of physical capacity to undertake such a race.

The Full Tour started from the centre of Chamonix at 1830 on 24 August. The participants followed a challenging but well-marked course. Weather conditions were the best the event had seen, and they ran through the night under a full moon. Over 1000 volunteers manned around 30 control and safety points day and night. There were also refreshment posts where runners could obtain food and drink. The fastest runners arrived back in Chamonix on the afternoon of 25 August, in well under 24 hours. Others ran through a second night, and some through most of a third day, the final arrival time being 1630 on 26 August.

The Full Tour was won by Italian Marco Olmo, aged 59. TNF athlete Nikki Kimball of the United States was the first woman home, having led from the start.

Many TNF athletes took part in the events. For the 86km course these included Barbara Zwerger and Wilco Van Roojen. Others taking part in the Full Tour in addition to Nikki Kimball included Diane Van Deren and Dean Karnazes, the world-renowned ultramarathon man.

Tsuyoshi Kaburagi, like all the participants in The North Face Mont-Blanc Ultra Trail, exemplifies what TNF means by practicing the spirit of endurance.

About The North Face®
The North Face, a subsidiary of VF Corporation, was founded in 1966. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the company's website, www.thenorthface.com.

The North Face® is the world’s premier outdoor brand with global distribution network. Our Asia distributions include China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Philippine, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.