A running race up a ski-jump ramp has drawn about 1,700 entrants, including teenagers and people in their 70s. The event took place on Saturday in Sapporo City in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido.

Organizers at the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium divided the participants into groups of 60 before sending them scrambling up the slope. The ramp measures 400 meters long and 130 meters high, with a maximum gradient of 37 degrees.

Runners gasped for breath as they struggled for the peak, slowing as the slope grew steeper. Some crawled on all fours, while others paused before resuming.

A local man in his 40s said he almost quit after the first 30 meters or so, but kept going without thinking. He said it feels great to have reached the goal.

Another local man in his 40s said his legs stopped moving at the steep part, and he reached the finish line on his hands and knees. He said it gave him a sense of achievement.