Skip to main content

East Japan Corporate Ekiden English Commentary

For the time being I'll be using this post for English commentary on today's East Japan Jitsugyodan Ekiden Championships. Reload article to see updates. Race broadcast starts at 1:55 p.m. Japan time. Click here to watch TBS' broadcast online.

Comments

Brett Larner said…
1st stage 11.6 km. Bene Zama, Team Nissin Shokuhin - #3 wearing sunglasses, won the stage last year in 33:52 but is sitting in back right now.
Brett Larner said…
Guest announcer is Katsuhiko Hanada, Olympian and Jobu Univ. head coach. Women's race is about to start. Men through 1k in 2:50, then sudden pace down. Approaching 5 k in over 16 min, JAL's Anzai lost patience and just took off suddenly. Nissin's Zama went after him along with Konica-Minolta.
Brett Larner said…
Women's team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo going for 10th str. E. Jpn win. Lost Nationals to Toyota Jidoshoki last year. Mitsui's Yoko Shibui still injured, not running along with two other key members.
Brett Larner said…
1st stage 6.795 km for women. 1500m national champ Mika Yoshikawa running for Panasonic, #9. 1st km 3:26.
Brett Larner said…
Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo's Ohira running 3rd stage. Ohira will be in the Yokohama Int'l Women's Marathon in 2 weeks.
Brett Larner said…
Not sure what has happened to the men's race. More updates when they're available.

Mitsui's Yamashita doing all the work up front in the women's race, but everyone is still together.
Brett Larner said…
15 teams in the lead pack. Don't see Zama. Konica-Minolta almost went down.
Brett Larner said…
2nd stage includes 5000m NR holder Takayuki Matsumiya and 27:38 10k guy Yuki Sato.
Brett Larner said…
Yakult's Sato attacking with Zama and Kanebo runner right behind.
Brett Larner said…
Fujitsu makes a break with Zama
Brett Larner said…
1. Nissin
2.JAL
3. Fujitsu
4. Honda
5. Kanebo
6. Konica Minolta
7. Komori
8. Yakult
9. JR Higashi
Brett Larner said…
Top 14 men's teams qualify for New Year Ekiden.

2nd stage 15.1 km

Yuki Sato (Nissin) leads pack of 5. WC marathoner Satoshi Irifune (Kanebo) running 6th. Matsumiya (KonMin) 5th.
Brett Larner said…
Yoshikawa and three others off back of pack in women's race.
Brett Larner said…
Yuko Shimizu (Sekisui Kagaku) battling Yamashita (MitSum) up front.
Brett Larner said…
Pack down to six w/300m to go.
Brett Larner said…
Katsumata (DaiSei) and Univ. Ent. leading charge.
Brett Larner said…
1. Uni. Ent.
2. Sek. Kag.
3. Dai. Sei.
4. Mits. Sum.
5. Nihon Chemi.
Brett Larner said…
2nd stage 3.15k for women.

Universal Entertainment (Aruze)'s Felista Wanjugu leading.
Brett Larner said…
Nat'l Champ Toyota Jidoshoki's Aoyama trying to run down Kenyan Wanjugu.
Brett Larner said…
Tanaka of SekKag also overtaking Wanjugu.
Brett Larner said…
Niiya, Ohira, Akaba (?) on 3rd stage for women.

Aoyama (ToyJid) way out front. Tanaka and Wanjugu together for 2-3.
Brett Larner said…
Foreigners restricted to stage 2 (shortest) and 4 for women. Philes Ongori (Hokuren) running stage 4 after Akaba.
Brett Larner said…
1. Toyota Jidoshoki
2. Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo
3. Nihon Chemicon
4. Univ.Ent.
5. SekisuiKag
6. Shimamura
7. Starts
8. Hokuren
9. Daiichi Seimei
10. Shiseido
Brett Larner said…
3rd Stage (Wm) - 11.95 km

Hitomi Niiya (ToyJid) has big lead. Chased by Ohira (MitSum), Akaba (Hokuren).

Akaba already moved up from 8th to 5th. Less than 10 sec to Ohira (2nd).
Brett Larner said…
Niiya through 2km in 6:30.

2nd - Ohira, Mitsui Sumitomo
3rd - Nasukawa, Univ. Ent.
Brett Larner said…
Yuko Sato (Nissin) way out in front in men's race. 22, ran 27:38 this spring in CA, 3rd-fastest Japanese mark ever.

2nd Honda - Ishikawa
3rd KonMin - Matsumiya
Brett Larner said…
JAL in 4th.

Irifune (Kanebo) leads 2nd pack, Fujitsu out of contact.
Brett Larner said…
Akaba (Hokuren), Nojiri (DaiSei) Saito (Shimamura) trying to run down Ohira (MitSum) and Nasukawa (UniEnt).
Brett Larner said…
Niiya overtook last place men's team Yokogawa.
Brett Larner said…
Nojiri, in yellow, was a pro XC skiier until just over a year ago when she started running.
Brett Larner said…
Yuki Sato untouchable. Fujitsu's Fukui in trouble. Yakult also out of contention.
Brett Larner said…
Sato was left off the WC team despite running the 27:38. Possibly connected to Athletics Kenya banning Nissin's Gideon Ngatuny from the WC team and asking Rikuren to take action against Nissin for letting Gideon run the Sapporo Half Marathon.
Brett Larner said…
Akaba not looking great. Ran badly in WC marathon and at World Half last month.
Brett Larner said…
Matsumiya blows by rest of chase pack, now including Tokyo Denryoku's Wakamatsu, part of 2009 Hakone Ekiden winner Toyo's squad before grad.
Brett Larner said…
3rd stage--

Foreigner stage. Sato hands off to Gideon Ngatuny. Honda's Yacob Jarso getting ready.
Konica Minolta 2nd.
JAL 3rd.
4th Tokyo Denryoku.
5th Honda.
Brett Larner said…
Daniel Njenga (Yakult) is away in 10th.
Brett Larner said…
9.5 km for 3rd stage. Foreigners again restricted to shortest legs to minimize their advantage over Japanese runners.

Yacob Jarso (Honda) going after Ngatuny.
Brett Larner said…
Niiya 32:57 through 10 km. Headwind. Nasukawa sticking behind Ohira.

Nojiri dropped off chase pack. Akaba and Saitoh battling.
Brett Larner said…
Saitoh (Shimamura) breaks down Akaba (Hokuren) and gets away in 4th.
Brett Larner said…
1. Toyota Jidoshoki
2. Mits. Sum. +0:26
3. Univ. Ent. +0:30
4. Hokuren +0:59
5. Shimamura +1:07
6. Daiichi Seimei +1:20

Philes Ongori is away. Good chance for Hokuren to take the lead.
Brett Larner said…
WC marathoner Fujinaga ran 3rd leg for Shiseido.
Brett Larner said…
4th Stage (Wm.) - 4.0 km. Foreigners allowed again.
Brett Larner said…
Ongori 3:01 for 1st km. About to catch MitSum and UnivEnt.
Brett Larner said…
Ongori in 2nd comfortably but not enough time left to catch Toyota Jidoshoki for lead.
Brett Larner said…
Current 5th place women Shimamura's parent company is this broadcast's main sponsor, hence the unbalance in women's coverage.

Whoa, Ongori just squeezes by for the lead.

Wakita, Sahaku, Osaki etc. on 5th stage.
Brett Larner said…
That was Doricah Obare of Hitachi finishing up.
Brett Larner said…
5th stage 10.0 km for women. Wakita (ToyJid) vs. Nejo (Hokuren). Sizeable lead.
Brett Larner said…
I guess we're not going to get to see the result of the Jarso-Ngatuny battle.
Brett Larner said…
Chisato Osaki (MitSum) passes Yukari Sahaku (UnivEnt) for 3rd. Sahaku has been out of form since Nat'l T&F in June.
Brett Larner said…
Wakita ran 10k at 2007 WC but was injured last year. Now leading Hokuren's Nejo. Toyota Jidoshoki has excellent runners left, but Hokuren has used its best two.
Brett Larner said…
The men's race:

Gideon leads by a minute and a half. Jarso doing his best.

26 min guy Ndambiri (Komori) in 8th, has passed 5 people, about to take Subaru. Njenga (Yakult) close behind.
Brett Larner said…
Nissin has had excellent recruitment the last two years. Many good guys on their team haven't run yet.
Brett Larner said…
Nejo sticking to superior Wakita.
Brett Larner said…
Announcers just called the men's 3rd stage "The foreigner stage."

Gideon handing off to 28:00 10k guy Satoru Kitamura.
Brett Larner said…
Honda 2nd +54
3rd JAL +1;44
4th KonMIn+1:46

Kanebo 5th - pro debut of univ. 1/2 mar record holder Masato Kihara.
Brett Larner said…
Press Kogyo 14th
Shinden Kogyo 15th, 15 sec. behind Press. Top 14 make New Year Ekiden.

Ikegami running for Honda.
Brett Larner said…
4th stage (men) 9.8 km.
Brett Larner said…
Women's race: Wakita gapping Nego. Sahaku sticking to Osaki for 3rd-4th.
Brett Larner said…
Shinden has caught Press for 14th.
Brett Larner said…
If Press makes New Year it will be first time. If Shinden makes it it will be first time in 37 years.
Brett Larner said…
Women: Wakita has safe lead. Nejo is pain. Sahaku passed Osaki on uphill. 1 km to go.
Brett Larner said…
6th Stage - 6.3 km (anchor)

1. Toyota Jidoshoki
2. Hokuren +0:37
3. Mits. Sumi. + 0:47
4. Univ. Ent. +0:51
5. Dai. Sei. +1:25

No Yoshimi Ozaki for DaiSei.
Brett Larner said…
Acom 5th stage runner Kayoko Obata is 38.
Brett Larner said…
Toyota Jidoshoki looks pretty safe for the win to break Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo's 9-yr streak. Toyota Jidoshoki and Universal Entertainment are coached by Yoshio Koide.
Brett Larner said…
Konica Minolta and JAL have chance to take Honda for 2nd in men's race. Nissin Shokuhin's Kitamura still way out front with 200 m to go.
Brett Larner said…
5th Stage

1. Nissin Shokuhin
2. Honda +1:51
3. Konica Minolta +1:58
4. JAL +2:07
5. Kanebo +4:48
6. Yakult +4:50
7. Tokyo Denryoku +4:51
Brett Larner said…
Nat'l champ Fujitsu 12th, 6:53 behind lead.

Shinden 14th, Press 15th +26 seconds behind Shinden.
Brett Larner said…
Konica Minolta's Yamamoto, in 3rd, was part of Toyo Univ.'s 2009 Hakone Ekiden-winning team.
Brett Larner said…
Yukie Nagata of Toyota Jidoshoki safe for the win.
Brett Larner said…
University star Kazue Kojima will join Toyota Jidoshoki next year according to announced Akemi Masuda.
Brett Larner said…
1. Toyota Jidoshoki - 2:20:18
2. Hokuren - 2:20:38
3. Universal Ent. - 2:20:56
4. Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo - 2:21:11
Brett Larner said…
5th - Daiichi Seimei - 2:21:55

Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo loses 9-yr winning streak. First East Japan win for Toyota Jidoshoki.
Brett Larner said…
Back to the men:

Nissin Shokuhin 2:08 guy Yuzo Onishi running 6th leg - 10.6 km. Safe lead over Honda. Konica Minolta gaining on Honda.
Brett Larner said…
Nissin anchor Kosaka Hoshina won the 7th stage (13.5 km) last year in 39:22.

2nd - Honda +1:57
3rd - Konica Minolta +2:00
4th - JAL +3:02
5th - Kanebo +5:18
6th - Tokyo Denryoku +6:17
7th - Subaru - 6:34
8th - JR Higashi - +6:53
9th - Yakult - +6:53
Brett Larner said…
2:06:51 marathoner Atsushi Fujita ran 6th stage for Fujitsu.
Brett Larner said…
Konica Minolta's Kurosaki (2008 Toyo grad) goes into 2nd past Honda.
Brett Larner said…
12 teams get the white sash start - 10 min after leader. 2 of them will qualify for the New Year Ekiden. There are so many that they didn't have enough sashes.
Brett Larner said…
Hoshina's been having Achilles tendon trouble but seems to be in one piece. Nobody else in sight. Kurosaki (KonMin) leading Fujiwara (Honda).
Brett Larner said…
Hoshina has it wrapped up.
Brett Larner said…
Nissin's first five runners all clocked stage best times.
Brett Larner said…
1. Nissin Shokuhin - 3:48:31
2. Honda - 3:50:05
3. Konica Minolta - 3:50:22
4. JAL Ground Service - 3:52:24
5. Kanebo - 3:55:13
6. Subaru - 3:55:47
7. Tokyo Denryoku - 3:55:48
8. JR Higashi Nihon - 3:56:02
9. Fujitsu - 3:56:13
Brett Larner said…
Press Kogyo came in 13th but has to wait for the time add from the white sash start to see if it made its first-ever New Year Ekiden.
Brett Larner said…
Shinden comes in 16th, but also has to wait for the time add.
Brett Larner said…
Press makes it in along with the Self-Defense Force Academy team. Shiden misses out on its first New Year Ekiden in over 30 years.

And that's all for today.

Most-Read This Week

Weekend Racing Roundup

  China saw a new men's national record of 2:06:57 from  Jie He  at the Wuxi Marathon Sunday, but in Japan it was a relatively quiet weekend with mostly cold and rainy amateur-level marathons across the country. At the Tokushima Marathon , club runner Yuhi Yamashita  won the men's race by almost 4 1/2 minutes in 2:17:02, the fastest Japanese men's time of the weekend, but oddly took 22 seconds to get across the starting line. The women's race saw a close finish between the top two, with Shiho Iwane  winning in 2:49:33 over Ayaka Furukawa , 2nd in 2:49:46.  At the 41st edition of the Sakura Marathon in Chiba, Yukie Matsumura  (Comodi Iida) ran the fastest Japanese women's time of the weekend, 2:42:45, to take the win. Club runner Yuki Kuroda  won the men's race in 2:20:08.  Chika Yokota  won the Saga Sakura Marathon women's race in 2:49:33.  Yuki Yamada  won the men's race in 2:21:47 after taking the lead in the final 2 km.  Naoki Inoue  won the 16th r

Japan's Olympic Marathon Team Meets the Press

With renewed confidence, Japan's Olympic marathon team will face the total 438 m elevation difference hills of Paris this summer. The members of the women's and men's marathon teams for August's Paris Olympics appeared at a press conference in Tokyo on Mar. 25 in conjunction with the Japan Marathon Championship Series III (JMC) awards gala. Women's Olympic trials winner Yuka Suzuki (Daiichi Seimei) said she was riding a wave of motivation in the wake of the new women's national record. When she watched Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) set the record at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon on TV, Suzuki said she was, "absolutely stunned." Her coach Sachiko Yamashita told her afterward, "When someone breaks the NR, things change," and Suzuki found herself saying, "I want to take my shot." After training for a great run in Paris, she said, "I definitely want to break the NR in one of my marathons after that." Mao

Takeuchi Wins Niigata Half in Boston Tune-Up

Running in cold, windy and rainy conditions, Ryoma Takeuchi (ND Software) warmed up for April's Boston Marathon with a win at Wednesday's Niigata Half Marathon . Takeuchi sat behind Nittai University duo Susumu Yamazaki and Ryuga Ishikawa in the early stages, then made a series of pushes to pick up the pace. Each time he tucked in behind whoever went to the front, while behind them others dropped off. Before 15 km only Yamazaki and Riki Koike of Soka University were left, and when Takeuchi went to the front the last time after 15 km only Koike followed. By 16 he was gone too, leaving Takeuchi to solo it in to the win in 1:03:13 with a 17-second negative split. "This was my last fitness check before the Boston Marathon next month, and my time was right on-target," he said post-race. "Everything went as planned. I'm looking forward to racing some of the world's best in Boston, and my goal there is to place in the single digits." Just back from tr