10-13mins.
This is how much more time I would have needed to finish the summit course within 4:30.

At the town hall, near the starting point

The race started off badly for me. Though it wasn’t as hot as Obuse, it was still hot enough for me to overheat really badly. It took me about 6mins to get to where I normally start my practice sessions and about 9mins to the shrine. When I got to the road, I was already walking a few seconds every 2 mins or so. I got to Nakanochaya at 0:47 which was about 3mins off my pace.

Mistake #1: wearing thick socks
My feet were tingling from the tightness

Once I took off my socks, it felt a lot better. Running improved a bit but I was still stopping quite a bit. I managed to get to Umagaeshi at 1:15. I was able to overtake quite a few people on the hike but there were sections where it was a bit congested. I ended up at 5th station with a time of 2:18 just 2minutes before the cutoff.

Mistake #2: carrying a bit too much
I managed to drink all 2L of water/sport drinks that I carried by the time I got to 6th station. The weather was hot so there was no need at all for me to carry an extra shirt, towel, gloves, camera. I think 1.5L, 1 energy gel and some change is probably more optimal.

The second part of the race is something I know I’m pretty good at. Here I managed to overtake a lot of people especially at the sections where you needed to scramble up some rocks. I got to 3250m (where I stopped in my longest practice session) at 3:38. My previous time here was 3:35 (starting from the train station). I was still passing quite a few people and when I got to the final checkpoint, I got there at 3:57, just short of the 4:00 cutoff.

With the pace I was going at, there was still a good chance I could finish within the 4:30 cutoff if I didnt stop. I went slightly faster initially but about 10mins later just after 9th station, I felt really dizzy to the point where I needed to sit down and rest. Up to then, I had a bit of a headache from the high altitude but was able to endure. I ended up resting about 10mins and afterwards I felt really good again. But by then, there was absolutely no way to make that last 800m or so uphill within 10mins.

Mistake #3: not enough training at high altitude
Instead of resting on Monday, I should have hiked up to the top and spent some time there.

Taken below 9th station on the way down

Overall, it was a good experience and someday I will finish the race properly. From the running club, there were 3 other members that attempted the summit race but only one of us finished.