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.
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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.
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.
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.
1st stage 6.795 km for women. 1500m national champ Mika Yoshikawa running for Panasonic, #9. 1st km 3:26.
Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo's Ohira running 3rd stage. Ohira will be in the Yokohama Int'l Women's Marathon in 2 weeks.
Star Blazers!
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.
15 teams in the lead pack. Don't see Zama. Konica-Minolta almost went down.
2nd stage includes 5000m NR holder Takayuki Matsumiya and 27:38 10k guy Yuki Sato.
Yakult's Sato attacking with Zama and Kanebo runner right behind.
Fujitsu makes a break with Zama
1. Nissin
2.JAL
3. Fujitsu
4. Honda
5. Kanebo
6. Konica Minolta
7. Komori
8. Yakult
9. JR Higashi
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.
Yoshikawa and three others off back of pack in women's race.
Yuko Shimizu (Sekisui Kagaku) battling Yamashita (MitSum) up front.
Pack down to six w/300m to go.
Katsumata (DaiSei) and Univ. Ent. leading charge.
1. Uni. Ent.
2. Sek. Kag.
3. Dai. Sei.
4. Mits. Sum.
5. Nihon Chemi.
2nd stage 3.15k for women.
Universal Entertainment (Aruze)'s Felista Wanjugu leading.
Nat'l Champ Toyota Jidoshoki's Aoyama trying to run down Kenyan Wanjugu.
Tanaka of SekKag also overtaking Wanjugu.
Niiya, Ohira, Akaba (?) on 3rd stage for women.
Aoyama (ToyJid) way out front. Tanaka and Wanjugu together for 2-3.
Foreigners restricted to stage 2 (shortest) and 4 for women. Philes Ongori (Hokuren) running stage 4 after Akaba.
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
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).
Niiya through 2km in 6:30.
2nd - Ohira, Mitsui Sumitomo
3rd - Nasukawa, Univ. Ent.
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
JAL in 4th.
Irifune (Kanebo) leads 2nd pack, Fujitsu out of contact.
Akaba (Hokuren), Nojiri (DaiSei) Saito (Shimamura) trying to run down Ohira (MitSum) and Nasukawa (UniEnt).
Niiya overtook last place men's team Yokogawa.
Nojiri, in yellow, was a pro XC skiier until just over a year ago when she started running.
Yuki Sato untouchable. Fujitsu's Fukui in trouble. Yakult also out of contention.
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.
Akaba not looking great. Ran badly in WC marathon and at World Half last month.
Matsumiya blows by rest of chase pack, now including Tokyo Denryoku's Wakamatsu, part of 2009 Hakone Ekiden winner Toyo's squad before grad.
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.
Daniel Njenga (Yakult) is away in 10th.
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.
Niiya 32:57 through 10 km. Headwind. Nasukawa sticking behind Ohira.
Nojiri dropped off chase pack. Akaba and Saitoh battling.
Saitoh (Shimamura) breaks down Akaba (Hokuren) and gets away in 4th.
Akaba fights back!
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.
WC marathoner Fujinaga ran 3rd leg for Shiseido.
4th Stage (Wm.) - 4.0 km. Foreigners allowed again.
Ongori 3:01 for 1st km. About to catch MitSum and UnivEnt.
Ongori in 2nd comfortably but not enough time left to catch Toyota Jidoshoki for lead.
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.
That was Doricah Obare of Hitachi finishing up.
5th stage 10.0 km for women. Wakita (ToyJid) vs. Nejo (Hokuren). Sizeable lead.
I guess we're not going to get to see the result of the Jarso-Ngatuny battle.
Chisato Osaki (MitSum) passes Yukari Sahaku (UnivEnt) for 3rd. Sahaku has been out of form since Nat'l T&F in June.
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.
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.
Nissin has had excellent recruitment the last two years. Many good guys on their team haven't run yet.
Nejo sticking to superior Wakita.
Announcers just called the men's 3rd stage "The foreigner stage."
Gideon handing off to 28:00 10k guy Satoru Kitamura.
Honda 2nd +54
3rd JAL +1;44
4th KonMIn+1:46
Kanebo 5th - pro debut of univ. 1/2 mar record holder Masato Kihara.
Press Kogyo 14th
Shinden Kogyo 15th, 15 sec. behind Press. Top 14 make New Year Ekiden.
Ikegami running for Honda.
4th stage (men) 9.8 km.
Women's race: Wakita gapping Nego. Sahaku sticking to Osaki for 3rd-4th.
Shinden has caught Press for 14th.
If Press makes New Year it will be first time. If Shinden makes it it will be first time in 37 years.
Women: Wakita has safe lead. Nejo is pain. Sahaku passed Osaki on uphill. 1 km to go.
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.
Acom 5th stage runner Kayoko Obata is 38.
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.
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.
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
Nat'l champ Fujitsu 12th, 6:53 behind lead.
Shinden 14th, Press 15th +26 seconds behind Shinden.
Konica Minolta's Yamamoto, in 3rd, was part of Toyo Univ.'s 2009 Hakone Ekiden-winning team.
Yukie Nagata of Toyota Jidoshoki safe for the win.
University star Kazue Kojima will join Toyota Jidoshoki next year according to announced Akemi Masuda.
1. Toyota Jidoshoki - 2:20:18
2. Hokuren - 2:20:38
3. Universal Ent. - 2:20:56
4. Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo - 2:21:11
5th - Daiichi Seimei - 2:21:55
Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo loses 9-yr winning streak. First East Japan win for Toyota Jidoshoki.
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.
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
2:06:51 marathoner Atsushi Fujita ran 6th stage for Fujitsu.
Konica Minolta's Kurosaki (2008 Toyo grad) goes into 2nd past Honda.
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.
Hoshina's been having Achilles tendon trouble but seems to be in one piece. Nobody else in sight. Kurosaki (KonMin) leading Fujiwara (Honda).
Hoshina has it wrapped up.
Nissin's first five runners all clocked stage best times.
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
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.
Shinden comes in 16th, but also has to wait for the time add.
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.
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