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Kyoto's Katsura Boys and Girls Win National Junior High School Ekiden Titles

The 26th National Junior High School Ekiden took place Dec. 16 in Shiga's Hikarigaoka Bunka Park. Kyoto's Katsura J.H.S. girls ran 41:34 to win the five-stage, 12.0 km girls' race, becoming the first team ever to win the national title five years in a row. The Katsura J.H.S. boys ran a 56:33 course record to win the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' race, becoming the first team from Kyoto to win the boys' title and making Katsura the first school in event history to take both the boys' and girls' titles. The champion teams from each of Japan's 47 prefectures took part, with hosts Shiga fielding two teams to make in a field of 48 teams in both the boys' and girls' races.

In the girls' race Katsura's Koko Kamada took the lead late on the First Stage, and after that the team held that position until the Fifth Stage. The Shizuoka J.H.S. team nearly caught anchor Momoka Sano, but Sano was able to fight them off to win by a margin of just 3 seconds.



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Katsura Girls and Hakusan Boys Break Records at National Junior High School Ekiden

The 25th National Junior High School Ekiden Championships took place Dec. 17 in Shiga's Kibogaoka Bunka Park. In the five-stage, 12 km girls' race, Kyoto's Katsura J.H.S. became the first school in history to win four national titles. Katsura fell behind on the First Stage, but moving up to the top position on the Second Stage it held the lead for the rest of the way to win in 41:21.

Chiba's Hakusan J.H.S. won the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' race, breaking the course record with a time of 57:03. Hakusan's lead runner Ken Nojima won the First Stage, giving the team a lead it never relinquished. Despite injury concerns about his left leg, Nojima ran decisively on the ekiden's most competitive stage. "I knew it was important to hand over the tasuki in 1st," Nojima said. "Everything went according to plan." Anchor Kaiki Oyazato was enthusiastic as he said, "Being the one to break the tape as we met our goal of winning was the best!"

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Hirano and Katsura Win National Junior High School Ekiden Championships

http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/201612/0009761574.shtml

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The 24th National Junior High School Ekiden Championships took place Dec. 18 at Kibogaoka Cultural Park in Yasu, Shiga.  Hyogo's Hirano J.H.S. won its first national title in the six stage, 18 km boys' race in 57:31. Katsura J.H.S. of Kyoto won the five stage, 12 km girls' race in 41:01 to become just the second school in history to win three-straight titles, beating rival Arai J.H.S. of Hyogo by 56 seconds.

In the boys' race Hirano did not get off to a great start in the first half.  Its fourth runner Kentaro Kishimoto began in 10th place 24 seconds behind the leader, but passing 9 people over the 3 km stage he put Hirano ahead by 3 seconds.  Fifth runner Masaya Tamai dropped back to 2nd, 2 seconds behind the leader, but Hirano's anchor Yuta Kamikariya turned it around to take the win by 4 seconds.  Ryoke J.H.S. of Kanagawa was 2nd, with Ehime's Niihama Nishi J.H…
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A Quick Guide to Ekiden Season

by Brett Larner

Ekiden season is the peak of the Japanese racing year, the long-distance road relays being the main event for most Japanese runners.  The season is already underway but Monday's Izumo Ekiden marks the start of the championship races.  Below is a quick guide to the season's main high school, university and pro ekidens and related events.  There are more, to be sure.

High School
After the high school season launch at the Kurayoshi Women's Ekiden and Nihonkai Ekiden October sees prefectural high school ekiden championship races across the country, followed up in November by regional championship races.  The peak of the season comes in late December with the National High School Ekiden featuring the top teams from each prefecture, both the girls' and boys' races broadcast live and commercial-free across the country.  It's sometimes the site of the birth of future greats, none more so than the late Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya whose 22:40 record for the 8.1…
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Maebashi Fujimi Boys, Katsura Girls Win National Junior High School Ekiden

http://mainichi.jp/articles/20151215/ddl/k10/050/142000c
http://www.jomo-news.co.jp/ns/2714501114405686/news.html
http://www.jomo-news.co.jp/ns/8814501067456492/news.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The 23rd National Junior High School Ekiden Championships took place Dec. 13 at the Seminar Park Cross Country Course in Yamaguchi.  48 boys' and girls' teams competed, the prefectural champion school from each of Japan's 47 prefectures plus a second team from hosts Yamaguchi prefecture.

Maebashi Fujimi J.H.S. of Gunma prefecture scored its first-ever win in the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' race in 56:37, beating rivals Ohtawara J.H.S. of Tochigi prefecture by 15 seconds.  Following Nakanojo J.H.S. in 1998 and 2000 and Yoshioka J.H.S. in 2009 Maebashi Fujimi became just the fourth school from Gunma to win the national title.  Captain Daiki Arai, 3rd year, said, "I'm so happy it's like a dream.  In long distance running it's really easy to get anemia, so o…
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Kakogawa Yamate Boys and Fujimi Girls Both Defend Titles at National Junior High School Ekiden Championships

http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/201312/0006573246.shtml

translated and edited by Brett Larner

At the 21st National Junior High School Ekiden Championships, Dec. 15 at Seminar Park in Yamaguchi, the Kakogawa Yamate J.H.S. boys' team of Kakogawa, Hyogo, ran 56:55 for the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' course to take its second-straight national title.  Fujimi J.H.S. of Gunma came out on top of the girls' race for the second year in a row, running 40:10 for the five-stage, 12.0 km girls' course.

Kakogawa Yamate's Yuki Sakamoto led off in 6th for the opening stage.  The boys' team dropped to 18th on the Second Stage, but on the Third Stage Kazuki Yamaguchi passed fifteen people to move up to 3rd.  Fourth Stage runner Yuki Harazuka moved up to 2nd, putting Tessei Yamahata into position to steal the lead on the Fifth Stage.  From there Kakogawa Yamate never looked back as it became just the third school in National Championships history to win a second-straight title.
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Kakogawa Yamate, Fujimi Win National J.H.S. Ekiden Titles

http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/sports/article/20121216000045

translated by Brett Larner

The 20th National Junior High School Ekiden Championships took place Dec. 16 on the Yamaguchi Prefectural Seminar Cross-Country Course in Yamaguchi. Hyogo's Kakogawa Yamate J.H.S. won the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' division in 56:51, while Fujimi J.H.S. of Gunma took the five-stage, 12.0 km girls' race in 40:20.

In its sixth appearance at Nationals Kakogawa Yamate's victory was decided in an exciting photo finish with rival Eishin J.H.S. of Saitama, both schools being given the same time after Eishin anchor Daiki Ito ran down a 41-second margin to Kakogawa Yamate's Yuki Sakamoto. Tochigi's Shioya J.H.S. took 3rd, while last year's champion Kushigata J.H.S. of Yamanashi could do no better than 18th.

In its second time running Nationals Fujimi broke the existing course record. Okubo J.H.S. of Hyogo was 25 seconds back in 2nd, while defending champion Niihama Higashi J.H.S. of E…
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Fujioka Girls Score First Victory at National Junior High School Ekiden

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/shizuoka/news/20071215-OYT8T00825.htm

translated by Brett Larner

At the 15th All-Japan Junior High School Ekiden in Yamaguchi`s Seminar Park, Fujioka Junior High School (Gotemba City, Shizuoka Prefecture) ran 40:40 in the girls` race to earn its 1st win in this ekiden. Fujioka`s boys` team finished 9th.

The event hosted both 47 boys` and girls` teams with 1 host prefectural all-star team in each gender division making for a total 96 entries. The boys` course covered 18 km in 6 stages while the girls` course was made up of 5 stages totalling 12 km.

The Fujioka girls` 1st stage runner, Saeko Yuda (3rd year), handed off to Marina Oishi (3rd year) in 2nd place just 2 seconds down from the top spot. Oishi took the lead and Fujioka maintained the top position all the way until anchor Kaede Yamazaki (3rd year) crossed the finish line.

Running with the memory of last year`s race in which they finished 2nd by just 4 seconds, Fujioka defeated its demons. 3rd stage ru…
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