July 2026 The New Yoshida Times "A 100-mile race accessible to everyone"

Hello everyone. This is Yoshida from milestone.

This time, I'd like to write about the untold story and the thoughts behind BAMBI100, a 100-mile event I'm participating in as a project member, not as milestone, but as an individual in my private life.

The first BAMBI100 was held in October 2022, and the journey to get there was a series of connections.

First, the person who proposed this event was none other than the "Doi-chan of the world," Takashi Doi, whom everyone knows. The project started when he consulted Mr. Nishioka of milestone in 2021 about wanting to hold a 100-mile race in Kansai. Soon after, Nishioka-san realized that it would be difficult for just the two of them to run the event due to capacity constraints, so he approached me, as we often ran together at the time.
I had met Doi-chan when he was picked up by our car in the Northern Alps and driven home after the TJAR (Trans Japan Alps Race) that year was canceled midway due to bad weather. I knew he was a polite, nice guy.

This is a rare photo from that time, showing Doi-chan wearing my Budosaka T-shirt because he didn't have a change of clothes due to the sudden race cancellation. Lol

Returning to BAMBI100, I initially imagined that with Mr. Doi's name attached, they would want to hold a 100-mile race that emphasized speed and harshness, so I intended to decline the invitation to join the project team.

However, when we actually talked, it turned out that they wanted to lower the bar for 100-mile races and expand the base of people who experience the joy of long-distance running. So, I agreed to join the project team by sharing the following values:

・It will be an "event" aiming for all participants to complete, not a "race" competing for speed.
・There will be no sponsorship by athletes, manufacturers, or shops. Each project member will participate as an individual,
　and everyone will have equal decision-making power.
・The event will be non-profit, and all individuals and organizations involved, such as athletes, manufacturers, and shops, who share the same philosophy,
　can participate on a volunteer basis.

After that, Mr. Fukuyama (a staff member of Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, who has completed TJAR twice!!) joined, whom Doi-chan greatly trusts, and at my recommendation, Mr. Toyoda, the owner of the outdoor shop Yosemite in Nara, also joined. This completed the project members for the first BAMBI100.

The first meeting took place on February 7, 2022, in the conference room of the building where the milestone office was located. It's only been 5 years, but everyone looks so young! Lol

After this, the core framework of the event was decided through monthly meetings leading up to the October event.

【Concept】
-A 100-mile race easy for anyone to challenge- We decided to limit participation to those who have never run a 100-mile race before, or those who have not run a 100-mile race in the last 5 years or more.

【Number of Participants】
We decided on 30 participants, as this was the maximum number that could be managed by 5 project members and volunteers. These 30 participants were divided equally by gender, and then evenly across age groups from 20s to 70s, proportional to the entry numbers. From there, each project member recommended one participant, and safety marshals were added, forming the base number of participants for BAMBI100.

Also, for participants, after submitting an essay, those who met the participation requirements would be selected through a fair lottery.

【Course】
As it was to be a 100-mile event that could be held on low mountains not far from urban areas, we decided on a course circling Mt. Ikoma and the Yata Hills, and Mr. Fukuyama was appointed as the course director. We asked Mr. Kodama of "Power Craft," who operates a motorcycle trial practice area near Mt. Ikoma, if we could borrow the venue for the start/finish during the BAMBI100 period. He kindly agreed, saying, "Let's help each other out, as we're both niche sports." This completed the general course image. The course is 40km per lap, with an cumulative elevation gain of approximately 1500m, to be completed in 4 laps. To allow anyone to test run it any number of times, we decided to release the GPX in advance.

If you haven't run it yet, please try one lap. It's a very well-designed course that's good for running.

【Participation Fee】
I often hear that running a 100-mile race is expensive, which makes it difficult for some people to commit. So, we decided to set the participation fee at 8,000 yen, believing that we could significantly reduce it by running the event on a volunteer basis. (However, the completion buckle is sold separately)

We planned to somehow cover operational costs, such as food and drinks at aid stations, through merchandise sales. But this is just between us: for the first event, we didn't even have that initial capital, so the project members each personally contributed tens of thousands of yen to cover the expenses. Lol

【Event Name】
Given that it was for 100-mile beginners (fawns) and would take place in the Ikoma mountain range and Yata Hills, which border Osaka and Nara (where there are many deer), the event was named "BAMBI100." (We brainstormed various names among ourselves, and Te-san's suggestion of BAMBI was ultimately chosen.)

Just between us, there was a moment during a meeting when Doi-chan's suggestion, IKOQ100 (Ikoma and Yata Hills, pronounced "Iko-Kyu"), almost got chosen, and Nishioka and I exchanged worried glances. Lol

【Sponsors】
As mentioned earlier, BAMBI100 operates without sponsors. Therefore, both Mr. Nishioka and I participate as individuals, not as milestone, and Mr. Toyoda participates as an individual, not as Yosemite. Mr. Yamane (Yamanenko), who later joined the project team, also participates as an individual, not as ROCK STEPPERS.

While operating without sponsors might make the event financially challenging, it also means that any manufacturer, any shop, can participate freely as a runner or volunteer. I believe this fosters a great atmosphere for industry interaction and has a positive impact on general runners.

【Aid Stations】
Since the event is ultimately for participants to "learn to run the 100-mile distance themselves," and project members and volunteers are there to support them, we decided to have runners plan their own strategies, not relying on course marking, guidance, or food/drink provisions at aid stations. Nevertheless, we decided to provide as much hospitality as possible to runners at the main aid station and Heguri Aid, the only aid station on the course.

【Promoting Trail Manners】
We decided to promote and disseminate good trail manners, such as not littering (and even picking up trash), greeting others, and walking when passing hikers and mountain bikers, so that everyone can enjoy using the trails together. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, we have noticed that the local community's perception of BAMBI100 participants has become much warmer compared to when we held the first event.
We want to continue these activities in the future.

【Trial Runs and Cleanups】
At BAMBI100, project members organize multiple trial runs (1 lap, 40km). By holding these trial runs, participants can directly hear from project members about pacing, nutrition, and training methods for running 100 miles, which was initially an attempt to increase the completion rate.

When we actually started, it not only increased the completion rate but also led to participants becoming friends at the trial runs, running the actual BAMBI100 together, and then participating in other races or training together. The network of interaction continued, and it was a pleasant surprise to see them naturally start referring to each other as first-generation, second-generation, and so on.

In addition, participants and project members also conduct course cleanups every year. This is also an activity that embodies the philosophy of BAMBI100, so we definitely want to continue it in the future.

【After Party】
Inspired by the peaceful atmosphere of American 100-mile races, where the winning runner greets the last runner (this is just an image, as neither Doi-chan nor I have run an American 100-mile race, lol), the project members unanimously decided to hold an after-party and hear everyone's thoughts on their first 100-mile race.

This after-party always became a wonderful time that deeply moved everyone present, and it later became a signature feature of BAMBI100.

The provision of food and drinks (and cooking for the first event) at the after-party was also covered on a volunteer basis, so we managed to operate it by borrowing 200% of the power from our friends at Budosaka. I can't thank them enough for their help every year.

【Announcement】
For the first event, we, the project members, didn't have the technical skills to create a website, so announcements were made only on Instagram and Facebook. We also had no images for the announcement, so we took announcement photos with Mr. Nishioka as the photographer and Mr. Doi and other volunteers as extras (I also sneakily got in, lol). This is a good memory now. After this photo, we started using photos from the event in our posts.

This is how we solidified the framework and started BAMBI100 with our own resources. However, it's thanks to everyone who sympathized with our ideas and cooperated that we were able to hold the first event and, I believe, satisfy all the participants.

I am confident that this first step, when we sought participants and volunteers, led to the growth of this now popular event, attracting many applicants.

Well, I've chronicled the journey from the formation of the BAMBI100 project team to the holding of the first event. Next time, I'd like to introduce Mr. Yamane (Yamanenko), everyone's favorite who joined the project team from the second event, and the updates we've made over the past five years, as BAMBI100 celebrates its fifth anniversary this year.

Yamanenko (far left), who actually participated as a volunteer photographer from the first event. At that time, his beard was so clean that you couldn't tell who he was. Lol
And Mr. Yamaguchi (Yama-san, far right), also a first-time finisher, who has been working incredibly hard as a photographer since the second event. I'm very happy that these connections continue to be made.

Your feedback, opinions, and topic suggestions are greatly encouraging. Please feel free to send me a message.
See you next month, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.