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Yoshimoto Leads Bukkyo Univ. to Chugoku Women's Ekiden CR

by Brett Larner

2010 National University Women's Ekiden champions Bukkyo University rounded out their season by knocking nearly a minute and a half off course record at the five-stage, half marathon-distance 25th anniversary Chugoku Women's Ekiden, Feb. 13 in Hiroshima. 10000 m national collegiate record holder Hikari Yoshimoto led Bukkyo off with a stage record of 18:58 for the 5.83 km First Stage, and Bukkyo runners took stage best on three of the four remaining legs including an anchor stage record by Shiho Takechi. Only the professional Team Deodeo's Fourth Stage runner Ruriko Kubo broke Bukkyo's domination, running a stage record 7:33 for the 2.4 km Fourth Stage, but even there Bukkyo's Sairi Maeda took second-best. Deodeo took 2nd in 1:09:29, only four seconds off the course record, but Bukkyo was so strong that they were nearly a minute and a half ahead in 1:08:08. Bukkyo's perennial rivals Ritsumeikan University were a distant 3rd in 1:10:11.

2011 Chugoku Women's Ekiden
click here for complete results
Stage Best Performances
First Stage (5.83 km) - Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.) - 18:58 - CR
Second Stage (5.0 km) - Chinami Mori (Bukkyo Univ.) - 16:07
Third Stage (3.0 km) - Hitomi Tamura (Bukkyo Univ.) - 9:45
Fourth Stage (2.4 km) - Ruriko Kubo (Team Deodeo) - 7:33 - CR
Fifth Stage (4.8675 km) - Shiho Takechi (Bukkyo Univ.) - 15:41 - CR

Top Team Results - 21.0975 km, 52 teams
1. Bukkyo Univ. - 1:08:08 - CR
2. Team Deodeo - 1:09:29
3. Ritsumeikan Univ. - 1:10:11
4. Tamagawa Univ. - 1:11:29
5. Suzugamine Gakuen AC - 1:11:42

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
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