The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
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Current standings:
1-Waseda
2-Toyo
3-Chuo Gakuin
4-Meiji
5-Nihon
6-Komazawa
7-Tokai
Looks like Tokai will catch Komazawa.
200 m to go - Hiraga is safe. Yusuke Mita, one of Waseda's best guys, is next.
Meiji 3rd, 13 sec behind Toyo
Nihon 4th 14 sec behind Meiji
Chuo Gakuin 5th another 25 sec back
Tokai rounds out seeded bracket. Daichi Kogyo 7th just back from Tokai. Tokyo Nogyo and Yamanashi Gakuin in range too.
5th Stage - 11.6 km.
Aces: Mita (Waseda) and Chiba (Toyo) - currently 1-2. Both were great in Hakone this year.
Looks like Meiji's Yasuda is catching up to Mita. Mita running 3:00 pace even.
Nihon's Taniguchi moving up on Toyo's Chiba. Daiichi Kogyo likewise making up ground on Tokai for the last seeded spot.
Tokai takes Chuo Gakuin for 5th.
Taniguchi actually doesn't look very good, but if he and the 6th/7th leg guys hold his current position they've got it once Kenyan Gitau runs the anchor stage.
Taniguchi to 2nd.
Aces: Takabayashi (Komazawa), Marubayashi (Nihon)
1. Meiji
2. Nihon +34 sec
3. Waseda +22 sec
4. Toyo +30 sec
5. Tokai +7 sec
6. Daiichi Kogyo +45 sec
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7. Chuo Gakuin +2 sec
8. Yamanashi Gakuin + 20 sec
Takabayashi takes Tokyo Nogyo's Takayama for 10th.
Nihon has made up 7 sec on Meiji's lead.
Komazawa's Takabayashi 8:26 through 3 km.
Takabayashi 14:21 through 5k, Komazawa in 10th. Marubayashi losing ground to Watanabe - Nihon now 46 sec behind Meiji.
Takabayashi takes Chuo for 8th. About to take Chuo Gakuin too. Yamanashi Gakuin in 6th is in sight but probably not in range with just over 2 km left.
Waseda's runner is Kanzawa - my mistake.
Komazawa's Takabayashi into 7th past Chuo Gakuin - coach Oyagi is yelling at Takabayashi to take Yamanashi Gakuin. No chance, though.
7th stage: 11.9 km
Aces: Yokoyama (Aoyama Gakuin)
2. Toyo +1:04
3. Nihon +0:09
4. Waseda +0:05
5. Tokai +0:55
6. Yamanashi Gakuin +0:05
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7. Komazawa +0:33
8. Chuo Gakuin +0:25
9. Chuo +0:13
It's worth nothing that Nittai Univ. is not here because they could not run the qualifying race in June due to the ridiculous marijuana suspension scandal last spring.
Aoyama Gakuin's Yokoyama looking good - tryng to beat their seed of 15th.
Waseda's Maeda has completely fallen away from Nihon's Yokomatsu.
Aces:
Fukatsu (Komazawa)
Ozaki (Waseda)
Nakagawa (Yamanashi Gakuin)
Gitau (Nihon)
2. Toyo +1:04
3. Nihon +0:49
4. Waseda +0:32
5. Yamanashi Gakuin +0:28
6. Tokai +0:16
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7. Komazawa +0:04
8. Chuo +0:30
9. Chuo Gakuin +0:06
Daiichi Kogyo's anchor Kenyan Kariru is moving up from 10th.
Fukatsu into 5th.
Ozaki (Waseda) another 43 sec back in 4th.
Nakagawa has dropped Fukatsu. Chuo Gakuin's Kobayashi about 26 seconds behind Fukatsu - he might make 6th.
Waseda's Ozaki in big trouble in 4th - about to be caught by Yamanashi Gakuin's Nakagawa. Ozaki is holding his left side.
Toyo's Otsu in sight of 2nd place Meiji's Hosokawa with 3.5 km to go.
Toyo's anchor Otsu was the one who really broke Waseda in Hakone this year to make sure Toyo won.
Toyo 2nd in 5:24:39.
Meiji 3rd in 5:24:52 without top member Matsumoto (points to Mika for picking them)
5th - Yamanashi Gakuin - 5:26:05
6th - Chuo does it! - 5:26:26
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7th - Komazawa
8th - Chuo Gakuin
9th - Tokai
...and that's all she wrote.
I didn't realize Japan Running News has a twitter feed? If so will you put the address up?