Team 7hills had a great showing at the recent Orcas Island 50k, led by Masazumi Fujioka’s 4th place finish. It’s his first year as a sponsored team 7hills runner but he wore our gear at lots of races last year like White River 50, UTMB, and TNF 50 San Francisco. We caught up with him after Orcas to see how things went in our 7 questions style:
1) Great Job Saturday at Orcas Island 50k! Which was muddier: Orcas or the TNF San Francisco 50?
Thank you! Muddier race… TNF. At Orcas, I was in a leading pack, so the trail was still relatively fresh. TNF wasn’t too muddy either until 30miles, but the last part was backtracking and hundreds of runners had already run, so it was completely messed up.
2) Thanks for being part of #team7hills! Were you as excited as me to see so many 7s all in one place?
Of course! I am really happy and so excited to be in the #team7hills! 7hills is the hub of PNW trail running community, and to be a part of it is a great opportunity to see and run with people with the same passion.
And, I really like the team photo Glenn took just before the start of Orcas, where everybody [except Jon Robinson] was wearing the same tank top. I feel a sense of togetherness. That’s really cool!
3) Which shoes did you use? Any slips or memorable falls or near misses?
This time I used the Scott Kinabalu. The first time I had used them was at Bellingham Trail Marathon in November 2014. That was a muddy race too. The shoes worked perfectly, and eventually I won the race. So I was pretty confident that it would work at Orcas as well, and yes it did. I really like the responsiveness of the shoes.
I slipped once just at the very beginning of the race when I put my foot in a puddle. That was a good lesson. I never slipped after that.
4) Did you try to run up the power-line trail at all, or was it a power-hike trail for you?
I ran up most of it, but in some parts I had to use my 4 limbs. The uphill was nasty, it was like a climb at mountainous UTMB.
5) What are the big races you have on your schedule for 2015? Was Orcas just a training run for you or were you going for such a great time?
I will run UTMB for the second year in a row. That’s the biggest one. I also plan to run other 100mile races such as Bighorn and La Grand Raid Réunion. I don’t have much experience in 100mile yet, so they will be my big challenges.
Orcas was my first race in 2015, and the main objective was to know my condition. It turned out to be a pretty good result. It’s a good sign.
6) What other shoes have you been using and liking lately?
I am using Altra Lone Peak 2.0 for my daily trainings. I have a wide foot, and I have no stress when I wear these wide toe box shoes.
I also use Hoka Huaka. My plan is to use them for 50 miles (Sun Mountain and White River) and 100 miles if conditions are good. This has good cushion but not too soft and I can still feel the ground.
For a muddy long race, I will use Salomon Sense Ultra 3 SG. I used them at TNF, so it’s proven.
7) I thought of a great nick-name for you: MasaZooooomi. Do you like it?
That’s cool! Call me MasaZooooomi!
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