I won the first round of the 2017 Ultimate Tsaigu Trail Kuocang (UTGK) 100km race in a stunning upset! For this 100 km race, I took two bags of KatsuoStamina before the start of the race. During the race, I took two bags every 20 km.
This time I arrived at the 30km mark an hour ahead of schedule. This was unexpected: During the first half of the race, I had been allowing my heart to run at a faster pace than I had planned; I also had a leg problem for two weeks before the race. I wasn't able to run at my best, and I was worried about my muscles holding up to the end.
Usually in the second half of a long race, my body can't process lactic acid into energy any longer, and it builds up gradually, causing muscle soreness in my legs and hips. Strangely enough, that didn't happen at all this time.
I took two bags of KatsuoStamina at the 80km aid and was off. There, I passed the woman in second place. That meant there was one more to go, yet I felt like I was so far away, and I knew I might not be able to catch up. Even so, I was determined to close the gap as much as possible.
The two bags of KatsuoStamina had a great effect, and the 1,200m climb from there was over in no time, and I was on my way down. My legs were in good spirits, and I was able to hold on. After a long descent, I was finally able to catch the leader in the last 13km or so.
My legs felt only lightly fatigued by the end, and I was able to run the last road section well and finish the race.
The day after the long race my muscles usually ached so much that I couldn't go straight down the stairs. I would walk weirdly, and my legs would swell up like an elephant. But that wasn't the case at all this time: I was very surprised to find that my muscles were taut, but not too damaged. I think KatsuoStamina definitely helped with this.
Athlete Profile
KAORI NIWA ( Trail runner living in Kyoto )
Kaoru Niwa, the first Japanese woman to climb the podium in the 2016 UTMB, the world's premier ultra-trail race. She challenged a series of races in Europe in 2017, and achieved a world ranking of sixth in the Ultra-Trail World Tour. She continues to push herself as a global competitor.
<2018>
2018 Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji 2018 168km [Runner-up]
2018 Hardrock 100 160km [4th Place]
<2017>
UTMB 170km [4th]
The 3rd Ultmate Tsaigu Trail Kuocang (UTGK) Race in China, 100km [Winner].
<2016>
UTMB 170km [8th]
<2014>
UTMF [8th] (Japanese Women’s 2nd)