Junko Kazukawa
Junko Kazukawa was a healthy 42-year-old working in the fitness field when she discovered she had breast cancer in 2005. With a master’s degree in exercise physiology and a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, Junko was a dedicated runner, racing road marathons, and a fitness teacher. Shocked at the uncertainty of life, Junko decided to take on the biggest personal challenge she could find: the Leadville 100-mile trail run. “I was preaching health and fitness this whole time, and boom, I got breast cancer. I thought, I never knew what would happen next… So I decided to find a challenge,” says Kazukawa.
The challenge for this Denver resident was none other than the Leadville Trail 100 Run. It is one of the most iconic and gruesome ultra-endurance races in the world: starting at 10,200 feet, and climbing to 12,600 feet, an out-and-back course in August, when the toughest runners are exposed to nature’s elements. This Race Across the Sky was invented to create tourism traffic and revive a mining town in decline over 40 years ago. Over the years, Leadville has attracted some of the world’s best ultra runners, and even the mythical Tarahumara runners from Mexico.
“I learned that people actually run 100 miles and some people do the mountain bike, so I decided to try the 100-mile race at over 10,000 feet in altitude,” says Kazukawa. “After my first year, I made lots of friends. So each year I come back to it.”
This year, Kazukawa completed her 10th Leadville 100 Trail Run, and received a 1000-mile buckle. “I must finish the 11th time,” says Kazukawa. “Because you will get an embroidered jacket. I don’t know if it’s going to be next year, or another year, but I want to do that.”
Kazukawa’s running started in high school as part of her basketball club in Japan. Her first race was a half-marathon in Japan. After immigrating to the U.S. to continue her academic study in physiology, Kazukawa noticed she was gaining weight from the American diet and pastries. “I was starting to feel heavy, and decided to run.” Eventually, her 10K attempts became marathon races, and marathons became ultra races. “I used to not like any sports. I was always a couple of levels above the worst (PE) student. I was not very athletic (in high school),” says Kazukawa.
Growing up, Kazukawa was unaware of Japan’s vibrant running culture, e.g. the Ekiden or various marathons. “I never followed running. Even to this day, I don’t know who the famous runners are. I know who won certain races but I don’t follow them closely,” says Kazukawa. There were not many role models to follow.
“I was aware of the outdoors scene in Denver, but not running,” says Kazukawa, after moving to Denver after junior college in Japan. Kazukawa worked at a cardiac rehabilitation center at a hospital and in corporate fitness, and taught fitness classes. The combination of her academic training and love of the outdoors eventually led her to personal training, and especially coaching of ultra-endurance athletes.
Battling Breast Cancer Twice and Giving Back
The diagnosis of breast cancer at the age of 42, when Kazukawa was working as a fitness instructor and running road races, came as a shock. She was in perfect health otherwise and had no family history of breast cancer. It was in the early stage, so she underwent lumpectomy and radiation. Four years later, however, her breast cancer returned. She had to receive chemotherapy and opted for a double mastectomy. Despite feeling sick from chemotherapy, she was still teaching health classes at the club.
Through her cancer treatments, she also raised funds for Susan G. Komen for breast cancer research. But Leadville has a special place in her heart. “Leadville 100 was my come-back race from cancer, and I’ve run it almost every year,” says Kazukawa. The only exceptions were 2020, when Leadville was canceled due to Covid, and two years when Kazukawa paced others instead of racing herself.
“This tenth time, I decided to do something special, which is the Lead Challenge: a marathon in early July, a 50-mile mountain bike, and a 50-mile run in the following week; in August, a 100-mile mountain bike, followed by a next-day 10K, and then a week later, a 100-mile run,” says Kazukawa. This is the insane Lead Challenge she had competed in twice in the past. “The toughest, grittiest, gnarliest endurance challenge,” as the Leadville Race Series calls it, covering 282.4 miles, all at 10,000+ feet of elevation. She called it her third and final Lead challenge. In addition to this gruesome challenge, she also decided to raise funds for the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation, for low-income kids. “I wanted to give back. I raised more than $2,000 for one scholarship recipient, so I decided to raise enough for a second recipient,” says Kazukawa.
Coaching Self and Others
Kazukawa has been her own running coach. “When I was going through cancer treatment, I just did what I could do everyday,” says Kazukawa. She’s also not a high-mileage runner, running about 50 miles a week in the off-season, counting her walk to work. While she’s in season, she dials up her mileage while making sure to rest and recover. “I don’t get injured. I’m careful not to overtrain.”
Kazukawa’s training is individualized, based on the athletes’ current mileage, history of injuries, and cross-training preferences. As a 61-year-old athlete and fitness professional, Kazukawa is a big proponent of strength training. “I don’t really worry about getting bigger… My goal for this fall would be upper-body strength,” says Kazukawa. “You want to build muscles as an endurance athlete.”
This is the second year Kazukawa hosted a Leadville training camp, where a handful of her athletes come to run on the Leadville course over a three-day weekend. She also hosts friends when they come into town to try altitude running. Over the years, Kazukawa built a tight-knit community of trail runners. “My pacers, my crew members are all amazing runners. Every time I race at Leadville, I see all my friends,” says Kazukawa.
However, Kazukawa never intended to break any records or barriers. She is also humble about the barriers she’s broken in the ultra-running world, where most finishers are white male with ample time to train in the mountains. “I’m going for personal challenges… I don’t compare myself to other people. I’m just doing this for my own athletic pursuits,” says Kazukawa. “Because of my age, fewer women compete in my age group. If I finish, more than likely, I will get on the podium for my age group. My time is not that fast, but I always have a fun time.”
Going for 200 Miles
Crossing the line at Leadville Trail 100
Kazukawa is going to Italy next to compete in the Tor de Géants. It’s a 200-mile race where runners have 150 hours to finish. “I only wish for a different men’s and women’s cut-off time in ultra races,” says Kazukawa. She had completed this race last year, though her first time meant she was unfamiliar with the course and aid stations. Kazukawa was also encouraged to see a French athlete winning their shared age group. This year, with a better understanding of the terrain and with her own sleep plan, Kazukawa is hoping to win her age group. “Staying awake during these ultras has been my biggest challenge so far… and this year, if I’m not sleepy, I’m going to keep on running or walking,” says Kazukawa.
Kazukawa wishes for her own and others’ longevity in the sport. “I’d like to see people continuing to compete in their 60s and 70s. There was a man in his 80s who finished Leadville 15 minutes ahead of me this year. I was so impressed. I’d like to see more women do that (in their 80s). Maybe it will be me.”
Note about the author: Jinghuan Liu Tervalon is a runner and freelance writer based in Los Angeles. Her writing focuses on marginalized voices and under-covered stories. It spans from BIPOC runner profile stories, book reviews, recipes, to performance-related topics (menopause, grandmaster runners, etc.) You can find her byline in Runner's World, Women's Running, Outside Run, Trail Runner and the Lonely Planet. For her most recent work, check out Substack. She also hosts running-book events at her local running store, Run With Us in Pasadena.
