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Hakone Ekiden Course Shortened 800 m After Changes and Remeasurement

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/ekiden/2015/news/20141008-OYT1T50130.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

On Oct. 8 the Inter-University Athletic Union of Kanto (KGRR) announced that a remeasurement of the complete Hakone Ekiden course undertaken following changes to its Fifth and Sixth Stages due to new road construction revealed a discrepancy between the Seventh Stage's listed distance and actual distance, and that with the changes the distance actually run would be a total of nearly 800 m shorter than in past years.  The official new distance of the Hakone Ekiden will thus change from 217.9 km to 217.1 km.

The KGRR had previously announced that due to the changes on the Fifth and Sixth Stages, their stage records along with the Day One record, Day Two record and Overall record would all be considered historical marks with the official records to be rewritten at the 2015 race.  The KGRR clarified that the records of other stages that had not undergone course changes would be maintained despite the change in overall course distance.

According to the KGRR, the complete Hakone Ekiden course is remeasured once every ten years, and the previous measurement before the 2005 race had resulted in changes to the distance.  The current course measurement was performed by bicycle in mid-September.  KGRR officials said that the differences from earlier measurements were due to the straightening of previously winding roads.

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