Japanese Marathon Monks

It is March. It is midnight. Snow still covers the trails of Mount Hiei, which lies just northeast of the ancient city of Kyoto, in central Japan. Kakudo Suzuki, an aspiring Japanese Buddhist spiritual athlete or gyoja, attends an hour-long service in the Buddha Hall. He sips a bowl of miso soup and chews on a couple of rice balls. Then he dresses. His outfit is pure white—the color of death—the same thins he would be dressed in at his own funeral. It is cotton and consists of a short kimono undershirt, pants, hand and leg covers, a long outer robe and a priest’s outer vestment.

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https://trailrunnermag.com/people/culture/the-marathon-monks-of-mount-hiei.html

http://jpninfo.com/42543

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaih%C5%8Dgy%C5%8D

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/sports/othersports/10marathon.html