Mt. Fuji Trail Run - From Base to Summit in a Single Day
- Alex
- Aug 31, 2025
- 4 min read
A completely unnecessary, deeply painful, wildly satisfying morning mission up Japan’s iconic mountain.
For Context..
I missed the official Zero to Summit Mount Fuji race this year. I think it was in June.
But after hiking Mount Fuji for sunrise with my sister in July, I knew something immediately.
I wasn’t done with Fuji.
I needed to summit again.
But this time… faster.
This time… stupider.
This time… running.
So a couple of weeks later, I called my good mate, Yuuta. Another Australian living in Tokyo. A proper weapon.
And pitched the idea.“Mate. What are your thoughts on a Sunday long run up Mt Fuji??”
Without hesitation, he replied. “Fck yes. Sign me up.”
What a man.
The Night Before: Tonkatsu, Bread, and Zero Sleep
In classic fashion, I caught the highway bus down to Fujiyoshida the day before, same as when I climbed with my sister.
I walked around town. Ate the exact same tonkatsu set meal at the exact same little diner.
Tucked myself into bed early…
And then lay there wide awake until past midnight because I was so excited.
You know that feeling before a big adventure where your body is begging for sleep but your brain is screaming: “WE’RE CLIMBING A VOLCANO TOMORROW!”
Yeah. I had that.
Race Morning Fuel: Electrolytes and Mild Panic
I woke up buzzing.
Had the hostel’s insane handmade (yes, handmade, not homemade) bread again. Toasted. Buttered. Jam-ed. Heaven.
From last month’s hike, I knew one thing for certain. If you start from the bottom, you need food.
Lots of food.
So I packed like I was going into battle. Gels, bars, onigiri, fruit, electrolytes on electrolytes on electrolytes.
I loaded everything into my little Salomon pack.
Yuta rolled in around 5am like the legend that he is, had a quick breakfast, and we were ready.
At 6/6:15am, we passed under the first torii gate.
Game fkn on.
The Early Kilometres: Casual Jog Through Town (Before the Suffering)
The first few kilometres are just road through the Fujiyoshida town.
We were running a steady pace, around 8 minutes per kilometre, feeling fresh, feeling smug, feeling like,“Yeah this is easy. Trail running Fuji? No worries.”
Another little insight at 5kms in. Spirits were high. But little did we know it was about to get tough, and fast lol.
Around kilometre 7 or 8, you duck onto the Yoshida Trail.
And Fuji immediately reminds you “Oh… you thought this was going to be a fun little jog?”
The gradient kicks up and the trail gets steep. Suddenly it’s not running.
It’s running-ish.
Then hiking.
Then just survival.
Fifth Station Split: Time to Send it
We hit the 5th Station checkpoint, got the wristbands, cruised through security.
And I made the decision to push ahead.
I had this goal in my head, "could I summit in 4–5 hours?"
It’s something like 20km total. Nearly 3,000m vertical ascent.
A literal volcano.
Why am I doing this again?
So I just sent it
The Grind: Cramping, Clouds, and Refusing to Stop
From 5th Station upward, it got hard.
Like… very hard.
My legs started cramping.
Both legs.
At the same time.
Quads specifically. Rock hard.
Which is honestly rude.
The cramps would come, go away, and the second they disappeared I’d try to run…
And they’d come straight back.
The pace slowed.
20 minutes per kilometer. 25 minutes. Not exactly Usain Bolt stuff. But I did not stop.
Just a steady jog-hike-jog-hobble situation, talking to myself, filming little clips, fully in the pain cave.
The Summit: Ecstatic… and Absolutely No View
Eventually, I made it.
Summit.
I was absolutely ecstatic.
I’d run from the first torii gate to the top of Mount Fuji in a single morning.
Unreal feeling.
Unfortunately, zero view.
Completely cloudy.
Which was kind of nice because it wasn’t roasting hot. But also, Fuji, mate, throw me a bone.
I did a quick run around the rim, then headed back down to meet Yuuta so we could finish at the summit together.
Summiting together was the best part.
We took photos, had Japanese curry at the top, met some lads up there, shared the moment. Stuff for the soul.
The Descent: Seven Hours Total and Legs Fully Deleted
Then came the long descent.
I knew from the sunrise hike with my sister:
Getting down is no joke.
It’s still 2–3 hours of gravel sliding and delirium.
We jogged, walked, shuffled, suffered.
By the time we hit the 5th Station shops, we’d covered 31km.
Total time, seven hours and some change.
Absolutely insane.
We caught the bus back down, Yuta peeled off to his car, and I went straight to a local sento.
Hot water. Silence. Heaven.
I sat there for an hour decompressing like a boiled noodle.
Then ate a massive Japanese meal in the sento restaurant, hopped on the bus home, and just thought to myself "what a crazy fucking experience that was".
Final Thoughts
I can’t wait to do it again.
Sunrise hike? Every year..
Fuji summit run? Absolutely.
And next year, 2026, I’m hoping I can actually register for the official Zero to Summit race and give it a proper red hot crack.
Mount Fuji is brutal, beautiful, and running up it is completely unnecessary.
But I love it.
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