‘World’s Toughest’ 400m Sprint Up Okurayama Ski Jump Draws 1800 Competitors in Sapporo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:47 JST, May 18, 2025

A race charging straight up the large-hill ski-jump at Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium in Sapporo was held Saturday, with a total of about 1,800 people taking on an elevation gain of roughly 130 meters and a maximum gradient of 37 degrees.

Nicknamed “the world’s toughest 400-meter sprint,” the event was in its eighth edition this year. Men’s and women’s individual races and four-person relays were contested, with competitors clawing their way to the finish line by gripping safety nets and wooden beams installed to prevent falls. Some runners, spent of strength, had to withdraw.

First-time participant Takahiro Shimoyama, a local resident, said, “I felt a level of fatigue I’d never experienced before, but the sense of accomplishment unique to this race was incredible.”