The Hakone Ekiden is traditionally only open to university men's teams from within Kanto. Teams from other parts of the country will have to meet the same criteria as Kanto Region schools in order to take part in the qualifying race, the minimum of which is currently having at least 10 athletes with 10,000 m bests under 34 minutes at certified competitions.
There are precedents for universities from elsewhere in the country to take part. Kansai University competed three times in Hakone's early history, and at the 40th running in 1964 both Ritsumeikan University and Fukuoka University ran. At the 80th running in 2004 a National University Select Team made up of top collegiate athletes from across the country took part.
Along with the decision to go nationwide, it was also decided not to have a Kanto Region University Select Team for the 100th running. No decisions were made regarding the 101st running and beyond. KGRR executive Masahito Ueda commented, "All the way back to the first running, there was originally no intention of the Hakone Ekiden being limited to Kanto. I'd like to revisit that starting point and take this opportunity to re-examine the Hakone Ekiden."
Translator's note: No sign of the truly progressive step of having a university women's division at the 100th Hakone Ekiden being taken.
translated by Brett Larner
Comments