Skip to main content

Honda Takes First Asahi Ekiden Win

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/general/news/20100112k0000m050027000c.html

translated by Brett Larner

17 teams competed in the 61st Asahi Ekiden on Jan. 11, a seven-stage, 99.9 km elite competition stretching from Fukuoka to Kita-Kyushu. Team Honda ran 4:47:33 to take its first-ever Asahi Ekiden win. Honda's Sixth Stage runner Yacob Jarso of Ethiopia started the stage in 3rd place 1:40 behind the leader but broke the existing stage record on his way to taking the lead. Honda anchor Suehiro Ishikawa managed to hold on to the lead to bring the team home on top. Trying for a fourth-straight win, Team Asahi Kasei anchor Tomoya Onishi ran the stage's best time but could not catch Ishikawa and had to settle for 2nd. Team Kyudenko finished 3rd, while last year's Kyushu Jitsugyodan Ekiden winner Team Yasukawa Denki was 4th. Alongside Jarso's mark, Kenyan student runner Kiragu Njuguna (Daiichi Kogyo Univ.) also set a new record on the first stage.

2010 Asahi Ekiden - 7 Stages, 99.9 km
Stage Best Performances
First Stage (14.6 km) - Kiragu Njuguna (Daiichi Kogyo Univ.) - 41:06 - new stage record
Second Stage (9.9 km) - Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) - 29:50
Third Stage (11.2 km) - Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) - 30:37
Fourth Stage (14.8 km) - Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko) - 42:26
Fifth Stage (15.9 km) - Minoru Okuda (Team Honda) - 46:09
Sixth Stage (16.8 km) - Yacob Jarso (Team Honda) - 46:11 - new stage record
Seventh Stage (16.7 km) - Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 46:48

Top Team Results
1. Honda - 4:47:33
2. Asahi Kasei - 4:48:00
3. Kyudenko - 4:48:43
4. Yasukawa Denki - 4:51:56
5. JFE Steel - 4:55:03
6. Nishitetsu - 4:56:02
7. Toyota Kyushu - 4:56:46
8. Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki - 4:57:29
9. Daiichi Kogyo Univ. - 5:04:20
10. Kurosaki Harima - 5:04:35
Labels:

Comments

Simon Phillips said…
Interested to know a little background to the Asahi Ekiden: Is it a case of the corporate teams peaking for the New Year Ekiden and then trying to hold onto that form for a couple more weeks or does it take equal priority as part of ekiden season? Do the teams have to qualify? Info appreciated.

Enquiring minds et cetera...
January 13, 2010 at 12:54 AM
Brett Larner said…
To be honest I don't know too much about it. I believe it predates the New Year Ekiden, and being in Kyushu it has a lot of local prestige. Kyushu is the heart of old-school men's distance running, with a large number of elite local races many of which, like the Asahi Ekiden, are only broadcast in Kyushu and the surrounding area.
January 13, 2010 at 6:20 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

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...
3 comments
Read more

Mashiko Breaks U20 5000 m NR - Weekend Track Roundup

Saturday's Kanakuri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto was the weekend's main event in Japanese track, but there were good results at the Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama too. Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) led the men's 5000 m A-heat at Kanakuri in 13:14.06, with Tomonori Yamaguchi (SGH) clocking the fastest Japanese time in 13:16.38 in his first race as a corporate leaguer. Waseda University duo Rui Suzuki and Yota Mashiko went 6-7 in 13:20.64 and 13:22.87, the 18-year-old Mashiko shaving 0.04 off the U20 NR. In 8th, Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) ran a PB of 13:23.92. 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) continued to struggle after a weak indoor season, finishing 18th of 20 finishers in 13:45.10. 19-year-old Festus Kimorwo (Kurosaki Harima) was under 13:20 in the B-heat too, winning in a 13:19.59 PB. 2 more collegiate men broke 13:30, Daichi Fujita (Chuo Univ.) 8th in 13:28.93 and Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) 9th in 13:29.09. The top 6 in the men's 800 m A-hea...
Post a Comment
Read more