After a long drive I set up my tent in a nearby car park.. Up at 4:30am and packed up raring to go by 5am. The course is flat at the beginning so I could gradually warm up before the climb.. I opted not to take a head torch since the sun was already up.. I filled up my water bottles at the first hut and was presented with brilliant views of Fuji San. Upon reaching the ridge line I wrapped up warm, as a previous trip had taught me that the wind and temperatures here were serious. The run along the ridge line is beautiful, full views on both sides.. 9 kilometers is a long way to go fully exposed to the elements.. fortunately on this day the weather was on my side. I stopped at Notori Hut to refill my water bottles again and continued up and over Aino and then to Kita.
There were few hikers on the course since most catch the bus and approach Kita from higher up the valley.. This long run was perfect training for UTMB .. the hardest thing by far was the drive there and back on the narrow, winding mountain roads.