Kaori Niwa

About

Kaori Niwa is a Japanese trail and ultrarunner based in Kyoto and one of the most internationally accomplished Japanese women in the history of mountain ultramarathon racing. Born in April 1978, she is a multi-disciplinary athlete who competed in equestrian dressage and ski mountaineering before adopting trail running as summer altitude training — only to find it transformed her athletic career. In 2016 she became the first Japanese woman ever to climb the podium at UTMB Mont-Blanc — a milestone that placed her among the all-time leaders of Japanese mountain ultrarunning. The following year she competed across the full Ultra-Trail World Tour European circuit and achieved a world ranking of sixth overall, finishing fourth at the 2017 UTMB with a broken wrist — a detail that defined her reputation for toughness — and winning the Ultimate Tsaigu Trail Kuocang 100km in China. She added a fourth place at the 2018 Hardrock 100 in Colorado, runner-up at the 2018 Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji 168km, and third at the SwissPeaks 360km in 2023. A Salomon athlete, Japanese Skyrunning champion, and FKT holder on the Shiga Round Trail, she continues to compete internationally.

Notable Wins

• — UTMB podium 2016 (first Japanese woman to podium at UTMB)
• — UTMB 4th 2017 (with broken wrist)
• — Hardrock 100 4th 2018
• — UTMF runner-up 2018
• — Ultimate Tsaigu Trail Kuocang 100km winner 2017
• — SwissPeaks 360k 3rd 2023
• — Japanese Skyrunning Champion

Race History