2026 LAKE BIWA 100 Overview

Schedule

October 29, 2026 (Thu)

14:00-20:00 Bib distribution at Yunoyamaonsen Kibosou 
　　　　　　　Shuttle bus is available from Yunoyamaonsen station
　　　　　　　Free parking available

October 30, 2026 (Fri)

07:30-08:30 Race Day Registration
　　　　　　　Receive GPS device ＆ Deposit drop bags

by 08:45 Gathering at Start Line
　　　　　First and second wave runners gather at the start line by 8:45
　　　　　Third wave stands by

08:45-09:00 Opening Ceremony and Final Briefing

09:00-09:10 Wave start
　　　　　　　110 runners in 3 waves departing every 5 minutes

November 1, 2026 (Sun)

10:00 BBQ

13:10 Goal Cut-off (52hours)

13:30 Award ceremony 
　　　On the beach in front of Pension Lake Side

Race Location
Mountain areas starting in Mie prefecture, passing through Shiga and Kyoto prefectures.
(Suzuka Mountain range, Konan Alps, Hiei Mountain range, Hira Mountain range)

Venue
Bib distribution & Start at Yunoyamaonsen Kibosou Komono-cho, Mie
(Shuttle bus service is available between Yunoyamaonsen station and Kibosou, free parking available)

Finish & Award Ceremony at the beach in front of Pension Lake Side Otsu, Shiga

Distance 100mile（170km）　Cumulative elevation:D+10,500m

Cut-off time 52 hours

Number of bibs 330 bibs

Entry
*All dates are Japan time

[Lottery Registration]
1-19 May 2025
The link to the lottery registration will be posted here on 1st May.
*No participation fee needs to be paid at this stage

[Lottery]
Announcement of lottery results: 24 May 2026
*Lottery results will be notified individually via email.

[Race Registration after Announcement of Lottery Results]
If you win the lottery, in order to secure a place in the race, a final registration form must be submitted by 10 June 2026 and entry fee payment must be made by credit card. Details will be included in the email.
Both form submission and payment are required to secure your place in the race after you receive the link with your result notification of lottery on 24 May 2026.

Participation Fee

JPY43,000+transaction charge

• The registration fee will be refunded according to the refund policy if you cancel after payment
• Bus fare to the start area from the finish area or Otsu station (fare will be announced when bus booking starts) is not included

Donation-based Entry

Limited to 10 entry bibs
Entry fee: 100,000 yen (entry fee 43,000 yen + donation 57,000 yen)
Participation will be confirmed without the lottery. (Must meet participation requirements).
Registration opens on May 1st, 2026 at 7am Japan time on a first-come, first-served basis.
A link to the entry screen will be posted here.

Your donation will go to the relevant authorities who carry out the maintenance and upkeep of the entire trail along the course, and be used for maintenance activities carried out by the LAKE BIWA 100 Executive Committee, with the aim of making the event sustainable.

• Please note that the donation is not tax deductible.

Refund Policy

• 35,000 yen will be refunded if you cancel by July 30 2026
• 25,000 yen will be refunded if you cancel by August 30 2026
• 10,000 yen will be refunded if you cancel by September 30 2026
• Whatever the reason, no refund will be available for cancellations made from October 1, 2026.

Eligibility for Entry
Runners who meet all of the following [Eligibility] and [Conditions for Participation] are eligible for the race

[Eligibility]
• Must be 18 years of age or older (as of the date of the race)
• Meet one of the following criteria by the time of entry

Completed LAKE BIWA 100 in 2022 – 2024

Completed a trail running race with a distance of 100 miles or more since 2022

450 or higher in the UTMB or ITRA performance index 100M category

[Conditions for Participation]
• Must comply with rules set by Lake Biwa 100 organizers.
• Must be in possession of personal accident insurance that covers the cost of search, rescue and evacuation in the mountains. It must also cover hospitalization expenses. The insurance must cover the sport of trail running and the participation in long distance races.
• Must be capable of dealing with various situations which may occur during the race (physical condition, injury, inclement weather conditions, distress, etc.) at your own risk.
•Must be capable of using a GPX file and GPS navigation device on one’s own, as well as downloading the offline map App on your smartphone, as well as being able to self-navigate on trails and city areas with little course marking.
• Must complete a medical check list, sign a waiver form, and submit them online by the required date.
• Must be able to watch briefing videos uploaded to YouTube by the day before the race.
• Must be able to communicate in Japanese or English

Invitations for Elite Runner
*All the above eligibility criteria need to be fulfilled
3 male runners who have a UTMB® Index above 840 and 3 female runners who have a UTMB® Index above 720 are invited as elite runners. Lake Biwa 100 organizer will cover the participation fee, transportation expenses (up to JPY130,000 for oversea participants), and four nights accommodations.

Additionally, Lake Biwa 100 organizer covers the participation fee for 5 male runners having a UTMB® Index above 780, and 5 female runners having a UTMB® Index above 660.

Please contact info@lakebiwa100.com if you are interested.
Bibs are available on a first come, first served basis.

Priority Entry
Priority entry without lottery is available for 2025 finishers (first 140 entrants). This becomes immediate entry. Please apply having understood the refund policy. Priority entry notifications will be emailed to 2025 finishers by 15 April. (Please contact us if your email address has changed.) Priority entry runs from 15 to 30 April but will close once all the priority bibs are sold out.

Awards
The top 5 male and female runners will be rewarded on the podium with a trophy and gift prize.
Both Male and Female first place finishers will also receive prize money of JPY 100,000.

All runners who finish the race get a buckle, a finisher’s jacket, a finisher’s certificate and qualification to register for Hardrock 100 and Western States 100.

Both Male and Female oldest finishers will receive gift prize.

5 times finishers will receive gift prize

Race Director
Kaori Niwa (Salomon Athlete)

Sponsors

Main Sponsor Salomon

Gold Sponsor Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., Asuka Foods, LUC+, raun

Silver Sponsor Inner Fact, Shigakenki, Moriya Ophthalmology, IBUKI, finetrack, Eco Trade, Kobe Match,ALIVAL

Supplier Heiwado

Event Organizer
LAKE BIWA 100 Committee
LAKE BIWA 100 Organizing Office
（ info@lakebiwa100.com）

Qualifying race for Hardrock 100