I participated in the Japanese mountain endurance race "Hasegawa Tsuneo CUP," commonly known as Hasetsune 2018. As many of you may know, "Hasetsune" is an old race known as the pioneer of Japanese trail running races. This year was the 26th time it was held. It was a very difficult race, with a distance of 71.5km, a time limit of 24 hours, and a cumulative elevation gain of 4,582m.

Banners from prominent manufacturers

They are lined up without any gaps.

The athlete's oath was taken by Takamura Takako, the two-time consecutive women's champion.

Last year's champion, Rui Ueda, was also in attendance.

The moment of the start finally arrived. The athletes looked calm. We were the ones feeling nervous. As the countdown began, 2,500 athletes ran through the city and into the mountains.

We were assigned to volunteer at Tsukiyomi.

The team supplies 2,500 athletes with sports drinks and water, and with only about 10 people to handle the task, there's no time to relax.

As a rule, 1.5L of water will be provided at this aid station, but assistance is not permitted. Careful consideration must be given to equipment such as measures to deal with temperature differences and nighttime running.

Finally, the top runner arrived. Due to my job, I am interested in the brand of headlamp. It was the MH10 from LED LENSER. Miura was wearing this model, which has a focus control function and is now very popular.

Coming in second after a short delay was this rider dressed in all red. Most of the world's top runners wear PETZL's NAO+.

Obara arrived in third place, also with NAO+.

This is also PETZL.

And PETZL.

The top female athlete, Takamura, also uses NAO+. It seems that the level of reliability is different.

and,

The time has finally come!

A driver wearing the MS-F1:Trailmaster appears!

I was so happy I can't put it into words.

I noticed right away that the shape of the headlights was different from others.

If you think it's bulky, clunky, and heavy, then you should definitely try out the Trailmaster.

Meanwhile, a warm light appeared! This is...


Yuko Tateishi, the third place female athlete. The fit is so good that even women don't notice the weight.

Maybe it was because it was a little foggy, or maybe the warm white light was comfortable.

I put my backpack back on and headed for the goal.

It looks like it would go well with a black headband.

It looks good.

I found a runner using the MS-C2 "distance sensor model." This model is a little heavy, but it's extremely bright. Best of all, you can switch between wide and spot illumination.

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The temperature on this day was unexpectedly over 30 degrees. Even though I was carrying 3 liters of water on my back, if I didn't think carefully about rehydrating, I could still become dehydrated along the way.

A familiar runner!

When I asked Trippers' manager, Asanaga, how was the headlamp, he replied that it was in good condition. However, he said that this was the toughest (most difficult) Hasetsune he had ever experienced.

However, his back tells the story. He can't retire.

This is Dojio from RUN_PLUS in Hiroshima, replenishing his hydration.

We also charge and head straight for the goal.

Although it is an older model, there are female runners who wear the MS-B1 Advanced model,

I found a woman wearing a Trailmaster.

It can be tightened simply with a dial-type wire, so even women can get an excellent fit.

A smile from this runner!

However, Tsukiyomi ended up in this state.

Some runners fall to the ground. As a rule, no one is allowed to help them.

From there, thankfully, Trail Masters from all over the country began to appear one after another.

This was my first time participating in the Hasetsune event, and I was deeply moved by the many dramatic moments. It was also truly exciting to see how many people were wearing our products. While there are still many challenges ahead, I'll take action by taking action and experiencing them for myself. This mission is never-ending. lol. I spoke to the person whose photo I took. "I'm a Milestone member. How's your headlamp going?" I asked, to which he replied, "It's great." He gave me the most compliment I could ask. It's been about three years since development began. With advice from Doi, we finally launched this Trail Master two months ago on August 5th. Approximately 300 units were produced. I was truly happy to meet so many Trail Masters from all over Japan. And then it was 4:00 AM. Tsukiyomi's time limit was up. And our mission was complete.

This time we rented space from Art Sports and set up a stall. We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone involved.

This race made me realize that I definitely want to participate in Hasetsune again in October next year. Thank you.