NEWS
Patagonia + Junko Kazukawa on Instagram
@runjunkorun was born in Sapporo, Japan and now lives, coaches and runs in Denver, CO. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Junko was the first runner to complete the Leadville series @ltraceseries and the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning in a single year.
Elevation Outdoors
At 53, Junko Kazukawa is quite simply one of the fiercest competitors in ultrarunning. The Japanese native, knocked off her first Leadwoman in 2014 and completed the Ultrarunning Grand Slam—which includes the Western States 100, Vermont 100, Leadville Trail 100 and Wasatch Front 100—and the Leadwoman series in 2015, the first person to pull off both of those in one summer…
Runners World
By Tonia Smith
Junko Kazukawa has always been a woman who is unafraid to make bold moves in life. Growing up in Japan, she knew that young women were expected to follow a traditional path: Go to college, take a job in an office for a few years and then get married and start a family. While that path was fine for most, it was unacceptable to Junko…
Colorado Runner
There’s a fire that burns deep inside Junko Kazukawa, but you probably wouldn’t realize it upon first glance. Her small frame, spunky personality and humble nature are the perfect compliment to her fierce tenacity, incredible drive and appetite for challenges on and off the trail…
Ultrarunning Magazine
Junko Kazukawa has always been a woman who is unafraid to make bold moves in life. Growing up in Japan, she knew that young women were expected to follow a traditional path: Go to college, take a job in an office for a few years and then get married and start a family. While that path was fine for most, it was unacceptable to Junko…
Denver Post
There’s a common refrain in Junko Kazukawa’s ultrarunning stories. When she ran the Mount Fuji marathon three days after the Boston marathon, “people said, ‘Oh, Junko, you shouldn’t do this,’ ” said Kazukawa, who lives in Denver…