Last weekend, we set up a booth and raced at the "ASO VOLCANO TRAIL 2024" held in Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Since we had luggage for setting up the stall in the car, we decided to take the ferry. From Osaka to Oita Beppu. We departed at 19:05 with a view of the Rokko Mountains.

Perhaps due to the fatigue of the day, after a toast and meal, I collapsed. I was basically sunk. When I woke up, I was at Oita Beppu Port! I went to a convenience store to buy some food for the race. I turned down a back street and saw a long line, but I had time to go and looked closer, and it turned out to be a bakery.

Tomonaga Bakery was founded in 1916. I wrote down my order number and what I wanted on the paper provided. I ordered two of their famous anpan (smooth red bean paste), two anpan (red bean paste), a chocolate french bread, a cheese french bread, a melon bread, and a slice of bread. I ate it all by myself. The people in front of me in line were also buying 20 anpan or so. I wonder if the flour is different. It was incredibly delicious. If you're in the area, be sure to give their anpan a try!

On the way to the venue, we came across a beautiful view! We couldn't help but stop the car and take a photo.

After arriving at the venue, we set up our booth. In addition to headlamps, caps, and merchandise, we also exhibited the sleeveless shirt "DooBop Sleeveless Shirt" and the "dayBreak" series, which will go on sale this weekend. Many people came to our booth. One person who made us especially happy was Mr. Yuichiro Taniguchi, also known as "Prince."

Speaking of Prince, he was a model who helped us out with the shoot of the promotional video for "Natty Shorts 5 inch" two years ago. I was happy to see him wearing a rare T-shirt.

And since we had a stall at the venue, Ryo Doi also went to buy some soft serve ice cream from "ASO MILK" across the street, but even though he rushed back, even the fast Doi couldn't beat the heat, and his soft serve ice cream had melted. lol. Thank you, Doi-san!

The pre-party will be held in the greenhouse of ASO MILK, the main sponsor of the tournament.

Course director Morimoto (left) and Abe-san, who taught us the key points of the course. He was actually the representative of ASO MILK. He was a very friendly person.

On the day of the race, we took a commemorative photo with our usual friends. From left to right: Yoshi, Yuki, Haruka, Kazuki, Maki, me, Non, and Moto.

As for the course, the first half was a very pleasant run through the caldera plains. A ranch was opened just for this day, giving us a special feeling as we ran.

Mr. Yoshida and I were running separately, but we ended up entering the A1 and A2 aid stations at the same time. I thought I was getting heatstroke! I asked the staff if there was a water source, and Mr. Yoshida heard that there was a river below this point, so he decided to cool down a bit before running, and so we went ahead.

Yoshida was the first to arrive at the A4 aid station. The outside temperature had dropped, and perhaps his body had cooled down, but he felt better. Yoshida was happily eating curry rice. My stomach was completely destroyed. I decided to take a longer rest at this aid station, which had drop bags, to get my mind in order.

Yoshida gave me some advice: "Eat well," and "Long races have their ups and downs, but you'll definitely bounce back!", and left the A4 aid station first. I followed his advice and ate a little bit of chicken minced rice, but my position continued to fall further and further behind. At this point I was in 39th place. I felt like I had run the race as well as I had in the past. I was feeling a bit impatient, but I decided to change my mindset and run from here on out. I turned on my headlamp and the night session finally began.

I was feeling better and running comfortably when I got caught on a tree root, tripped, and fell over. My calves stiffened with a sharp pain. It was my first time experiencing this, and I was extremely anxious, but an angelic runner behind me came up to me and asked, "Are you OK?" and "Did you get a cramp?" I was truly saved by the presence of this angel trail runner behind me, who stretched my legs out with his bare hands over my dirty shoes. I didn't know there were people like this, and I wanted to follow his example, so I thanked him and let him run ahead.

This time, both of my thighs were cramping, and I couldn't move my legs the way I wanted. I felt someone coming up behind me, so I told him, "Go ahead without even looking at me!" and he gave me a stern slap on the waist. Wondering who it was, I looked up and saw none other than the YouTuber Gachio . He gave a talk at our concept store during the Osaka Marathon in February this year, so we're on friendly terms, and I knew I had to follow him! If I missed this opportunity, the journey to the finish line would be long, arduous, and painful. I think it was the 95km mark. We kept talking and kept going at the same pace. I'm so grateful to Gachio for pulling me along. I was hoping he'd go ahead at the end, but he said, "Let's finish together!" It was a memory I'll cherish forever, stomping through the final 10km together. Thank you, Gachio!

Overall result: Yoshida came in 24th and Nishioka came in 51st. I think it was a great result! Click here for the results.

Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers of this event, all the project members, and everyone involved. Aso is amazing! The volcano was amazing.

Then, on the evening of the day I finished, I had some time before the ferry from Oita Beppu Port to Osaka South Port, so I went in the opposite direction to say hello to Stride Lab Kumamoto , a running shop in Kumamoto City. Inside the shop, I found the same angelic trail runner who helped me when I got a cramp on the trail along the way! Does something like that even happen? It really surprised me.

A commemorative photo with Angel Trail Runner Nakao. Once again, I realize that I was able to reach the finish line thanks to the help of so many people.

Now, let me introduce you to this outfit.

Cap: milestone original cap MSC-019 gray khaki

T-shirt: DooBop Sleeveless T-shirt in Copper Brown ( Available this weekend from May 17th)

Shorts: Natty Shorts 5_inch Kinako Beige

Socks: MSS-003 Tabi-style socks, Volleyball beige

Headlamp: MS-i1 Endurance model 1000 lumens

Number belt: milestone original race belt

Dust pouch: Keep clean your local trail

Backpack: The North Face TR ROCKET

Shell: Onion Hoody Sunset Yellow

Shoes: milestone x pentapetalla collaboration shoes (We will be holding an exhibition and order event at milestone TERADACHO on Saturday, July 6th!)