This series is a fictional podcast show in which writer Hagiwara (who met the three members of milestone (Nishioka, Yoshida, and Haruka) on #WednesdayBudouzakaRen) listens to and delves into the stories of these three members.

Nishioka (hereinafter, Nishi): Good evening everyone! This is Nishioka from milestone.

Yoshida (hereinafter Yoshi): This is Yoshida.

Omori (hereinafter Haruka): My name is Haruka.

Hagiwara (hereinafter, Hagi): Well then, thank you for your continued support this month.

・Lots of events

Nishi: I think this column will be uploaded three days before "RUN+MUSIC vol.2". I think it will be around the time they are practicing. The milestone TERADACHO 2nd anniversary festival that I mentioned last month will be held on June 28th (Sat) and 29th (Sun). I wonder if Hagi will come too?

Hagi: Of course. I plan to attend both days.

Haruka: You can enjoy the differences in the set lists.

Nishi: It's designed so that you can enjoy it even if you come for two days. Tickets are on sale now on the official online store .

Nishi: First of all, I'd like to tell you about the publication of Doi's book today. It's "Mountain Runner Doi Ryo: The Title of Champion" (Heibonsha). The author, Chiba Yumiko, runs the online media "GRANNOTE: Trail Running, Travel and Mountains," and I was previously featured in her series "People Who Weave Mountain Stories." You can read the article here. He came to milestone TERADACHO, and Fujimaki Sho took his photos. It seems that when you're doing interviews, you often work together as a writer and photographer.

Haruka: The book also talks about how you got from your first 100-mile race to competing in TJAR. It also includes photos of you as a child and about the BAMBI100. Nishioka's photos are also used.

Nishi: It's an honor to be of help. We've always been good friends, but it's amazing that you're releasing a book. To celebrate the publication, we'll be holding a talk event at milestone TERADACHO on Wednesday, July 2nd. We'll be selling the book, and we'll also be doing autograph sessions and taking photos. Applications can be made through Moshi.com .

Yoshi: This is Doi-chan's second talk event. The last time was when she won TJAR for the second consecutive year.

Haruka: It looks like we'll be able to talk about a broader range of topics this time. I'd like to hear about what he aims to achieve after he has achieved the title of "King." I'm interested to see what the future holds for Doi.

Yoshi: I'm sure they'll prepare it thoroughly to match the contents of the book. I'll be the one to talk to them, but last time I mostly just nodded along (laughs).

Nishi: There will also be time for questions, so I'm sure they'll answer a lot of questions.

Yoshi: Doi-chan's events are popular, so last time it was full within an hour.

Nishi: Please check it out as soon as possible.

Nishi: The next event will be held by Futagami Spice on Saturday, July 12th.

Haruka: They come every year, so this is the third time.

Nishi: It's a standard event for us. He went to India this year to train in curry, so I think he'll be able to show the results of his training.

Yoshi: It's always fun because they always decide on a theme and work on it in detail.

Nishi: We'll also be holding a jogging club before the opening, so you can go for a run, work up an appetite, and then enjoy the curry. We'll also have beer and wine with it.

Nishi: We will also be setting up a booth and participating in the "OMM LITE/BIKE HAKUBA, OTARI" race for three days from July 25th (Friday) to 27th (Sunday). This time, we will be competing in a mixed-gender team of five, consisting of Nishioka, Yoshida, Hagi, Massan, and Haruka. To strengthen team unity, we are planning to have the artist Bando of maunawear personally design our team shirts. If you see us there, we would be happy if you could say hello.

Haruka: I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product!

Nishi: It seems to also include products from when Fuji Lighting was first founded.

Yoshi: From carbide lamps to the MS-i1.

Nishi: It seems like you can have short sleeves or long sleeves.

Hagi: It's a tough decision. With the heat in July, short sleeves are the way to go, but if I'm going to use it in the mountains, long sleeves are also hard to give up.

Haruka: At OMM BIKE, I thought the mountain shirts with fluttering hems looked cool and admired them.

Yoshi: The front is open and the shirt is fluttering.

Nishi: It goes well with bikes. That aside, are there any new products coming out in July?

Yoshi: I'm completely absent this month (laughs). June was packed with too many events.

Nishi: Actually, the sample has arrived, so I'd like to show it off for the first time here. Just between you and me, it's a pretty good finish. We're planning to hold an order event at milestone TERADACHO in August, with a limited number of units. More details to come.

・Favorites for the first half of 2025

Nishi: We're already halfway through 2025, so I thought I'd take a look back at the first half of the year. Are there any items that you used a lot this year?

Yoshi: This is mine. The cap I'm wearing now is MSC-022.

Nishi: It certainly does look like it fits well. Do you like it?

Yoshi: I wear it all the time. I really like it. It fits easily even on a big head like mine, and part of the back strap is made of rubber, so it fits perfectly. The logo isn't too flashy, so it's perfect for everyday wear.

Nishi: Fashionista Yoshida also wears it with everyday clothes.

Yoshi: Actually, I haven't bought it yet (laughs). I'm using three of the four sample colors (laughs).

Nishi: I barely managed to get the black back though (laughs).

Haruka: Which is your favorite color?

Yoshi: Kasumi Gray is surprisingly easy to use. I even used it in the Fuji Five Lakes Ultra Marathon.

Nishi: You also used it for mushroom hunting. It was just a sample (laughs).

Yoshi: The mushrooms got all sticky and dried it out (lol), but it'll be fine if I wash it.

Haruka: For me it's the UP-SWING Rain Hoody and Rain Pants. I was caught in the rain a lot when I went to the Omine Oku-Kado Trail during Golden Week, the TDT100 at the end of May, and Nakahechi in June, so they were useful. I also brought rainwear tops and bottoms with me for the Mt. FUJI100, as they are essential items. The temperature dropped to -3°C at night, so I used them to keep warm, and I felt at ease because I didn't feel cold.

Nishi: What color were you wearing?

Haruka: It's ice gray.

Nishi: Following on from the Ice Gray and Sage Green, we're finally running out of Graphite Black. I'm glad to see so many people wearing it at the races.

Yoshi: We will be restocking at the end of August.

Hagi: I missed out on buying it, but I'll still be able to get it in time for the Shinetsu Five Mountains hike in September!

Haruka: It rains in Shinetsu almost every year.

Hagi: I discovered a new way to use the Onion Hoody while walking along Kohechi (laughs). It's not a big deal, so I'm sure there are people out there already using it that I just don't know about.

Nishi: What?

Hagi: When running, people often wear a windshell over their trail running backpack so they can easily take it off if they get too hot. But when hiking, where the backpack is larger, you can't do that. So the back of the windshell gets soaked with sweat underneath the backpack. To prevent this, wear it with the back side facing forward, and you can walk while blocking the wind.

Haruka: I see. In that case, you can take your backpack on and off while walking without having to take it off every time.

Yoshi: Sorry. The Onion Hoodie is also currently sold out. However, we're adding two new colors and plan to release them after the Obon festival in August.

West: New colors Royal Navy and Ash Gray will be added.

Yoshi: Up until now we've used bright accent colors like yellow and orange, but this time we've gone for more subdued colors.

Hagi: Is this information okay to announce now? (laughs) It's a nice color, and I think it will become a standard item.

Nishi: Let's see the reaction and think about it. Well, that's all for today...

Yoshi: No, no, no (laughs) What's your favorite, Nishioka-san?

Nishi: I wear all of them so often, it's hard to decide. If I had to pick one, it might be a minor item, but it's the arm sleeves. I also wore them at Okushinano 100.

Haruka: I also used it all the time with the TDT100 to protect myself from the sun. The fabric is thin too.

Nishi: The arm sleeves are made by Oreno-san, so they have the logo on them, but they're in a special milestone color. It gets hot quickly once you start running, so there are times when you don't even need to wear a wind shell. In a winter full marathon, it's essential before the start, and if you get hot, you can just slide it around your wrist. If it gets even hotter, you can just take it off.

Hagi: It's a convenient item that can help you deal with temperature changes.

Nishi: I get cold easily, so arm sleeves make me feel more at ease.

Yoshi: The fabric is soft, so it can be used to wipe sweat even when it's on your wrist.

Nishi: They're great because you don't have to worry about them tearing when you stretch them, and they don't slip off. I'm thinking about making some leg sleeves for my legs too (laughs). I'll put them on before the start, and when I get hot, I'll just slide them down to my ankles (laughs).

Yoshi: Long leg warmers (laughs)

Haruka: It looks like loose socks (laughs).

Nishi: So, should we put a zipper on it so it can be taken off? (laughs)

Enough joking around here. I look forward to your continued support in the second half of the year. Bye then.

Yoshi: Goodbye.

Haruka/Hagi: Goodbye.

This time, instead of introducing new products, we introduced event information and each member's favorite items. Milestone has a lot of events coming up this month and next, but for the three of us who are always on the go, we thought it would be a good opportunity to look back and reminisce.

I immediately bought Doi's book to prepare for the talk show. I was able to get a glimpse of a side of him I hadn't known before, from his family's perspective and the words of his rivals. And above all, it was packed with the fun of trail running. Why not try reading a book to help you get through the hot, sleepless nights?

Text and composition: Ken Hagiwara