Some of the world’s leading trail runners will compete in Myoko this September as the Golden Trail World Series makes a new stop in Niigata Prefecture.
Myoko will welcome some of the world’s leading trail runners this September when the Golden Trail World Series arrives in Niigata Prefecture for the first MYOKO TRAIL.
The international event will be held at Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort on 19 and 20 September 2026, with the main Golden Trail World Series race taking place on Sunday, 20 September. Myoko will form one of eight stops on the 2026 global circuit, placing the Japanese mountain destination alongside established trail-running locations around the world.
The headline course will cover approximately 23.6 kilometres with 1,935 metres of accumulated elevation gain, presenting a demanding challenge even for the professional field. Starting from Myoko Suginohara, runners will climb towards the Myoko mountain range before descending back towards the resort, with views across the surrounding mountains and Lake Nojiri.
The course then continues towards neighbouring Ikenotaira, sending competitors up towards the mountains for a second major climb and descent. The Golden Trail World Series describes the route as being particularly suited to top-level athletes, with its repeated steep climbs leaving little opportunity for recovery.
Alongside the professional race, the event is expected to include shorter 11-kilometre and 5-kilometre courses open to general participants. This will give recreational runners an opportunity to experience the event alongside the international athletes, while making the weekend more accessible to a broader range of visitors.
The Golden Trail World Series is one of the sport’s leading international competitions, bringing together elite mountain and trail runners across a global calendar. The Myoko race is expected to welcome up to 400 participants in its main event.
Patience Capital Group helped coordinate the event’s arrival in Myoko, working with the Golden Trail Myoko Executive Committee, Niigata Prefecture, Myoko City and local race operator NPO Hokushinano Trail Freaks. Salomon and Kinomap are listed as event partners.
The organisers plan to hold athlete presentations, press conferences and community exchange programmes alongside the competition itself. Patience Capital Group said the race is intended to serve as a starting point for developing Myoko into an internationally recognised outdoor-sports destination and supporting a more sustainable, year-round tourism economy.
Myoko is already internationally known for its winter snowfall and ski resorts, but the surrounding mountains, forests and established resort infrastructure also provide a natural setting for hiking, cycling and trail running during the warmer months.
Bringing a major international trail-running series to the area could help introduce Myoko to a different group of active travellers while giving existing winter visitors another reason to return outside the snow months. It also adds to wider efforts across Japan’s mountain destinations to build stronger green-season tourism rather than concentrating demand almost entirely in winter.
The combination of an elite international race and public events should also create opportunities for spectators, families and local businesses to take part in the weekend, rather than limiting the event to professional runners alone.
The first Golden Trail World Series MYOKO TRAIL will take place at Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort on 19 and 20 September 2026.