Skip to main content

Hieizan Girls Looking to Use Natural Competitiveness at National High School Ekiden

http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/top/article/20141217000036

translated by Brett Larner

Representing Shiga Prefecture for the second year in a row and fourth time in school history at Sunday's five-stage, 21.0975 km National High School Girls Ekiden Championships is Hieizan H.S.  Hieizan's young team is made up entirely of first- and second-years, but with each member of the team calmly attending to the business of getting the tasuki across the line it won the Shiga Prefecture qualifier to make this year's Nationals.

Targeting the school's 1:12-level record at the upcoming Nationals, head coach Katsuhiro Yoshii commented, "If they relax and use their natural competitiveness then the results will follow."  First-years Mao Sawamura and Saori Fukubayashi are in good shape.  Highly likely to be put on the First Stage, Sawamura said, "I'm good on the uphills.  I want to hang on and try to get the tasuki to the next runner as quickly as I can."  Veterans of last year's race, Moe Kawaharada and Yui Marutani are likely to be used in the middle stages.  The team captain, the second-year Marutani was firm as she commented, "I want us to run with aggression.  Every runner on the team needs to clear their target time for the stage they're responsible for."

Entry Roster
Hana Oki (2nd year)
Chika Osaki (2nd year)
Moe Kawaharada (2nd year)
Yui Marutani (2nd year)
Natsume Yamaguchi (2nd year)
Rina Kobayashi (1st year)
Mao Sawamura (1st year)
Saori Fukubayashi (1st year)

Translator's note: Last year the Hieizan H.S. girls finished 51st of 58 teams. The National High School Ekiden Championships will be broadcast live nationwide commercial for 4 1/2 hours this Sunday on NHK starting at 10:05 a.m. Japan time.  Follow @JRNLive for live coverage.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
1 comment
Read more

Australian Male Arrested on Drug Smuggling Charges After Entering Japan for Osaka Marathon

On Apr. 9 the Kinki Region Bureau of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Division arrested Matthew Inglis Fox , 38, an Australian business owner of no known fixed address, on charges of violating the importation regulations of the Narcotics Control Act by smuggling tablets containing marijuana elements from the United States. The suspect had entered Japan in February to run in the Osaka Marathon . The suspect was arrested on suspicion of smuggling approximately 12 pills containing marijuana by sending them from a U.S. airport to Osaka's Kansai Airport using an international courier service on Feb. 19. The Osaka branch of the Customs Service discovered the tablets in arriving cargo and suspected them to be narcotics. Customs contacted the Narcotics Control Division, which then began its investigation of the case. According to the Narcotics Control Division, the suspect denies the charges.  Translator's note: Fox, who received a lifetime ban from the Ageo City Half Mara...
41 comments
Read more

My Training for 1:00:44

Hi, I'm Ayumu Kobayashi . Today I'm going to write about this year's National Corporate Half Marathon and the training I did for it. I hope other runners will find it even a little bit helpful. At the Corporate Half on Feb. 13 I was 10th in 1:00:44. My goal had been to run 61 minutes, so I hit that target. My Training Menu In January I ran a total of 681 km. Key workouts: Jan. 11: 1000 m x 5 at 2:50/km Jan. 12: 22.5 km Jan. 15: 9 km variable pace Jan. 17: 25 km Jan. 24: 1000 m x 8 at 2:52/km Jan. 27: 1 km + 4 km + 2 km Jan. 30: 16 km at 3:18/km avg. In January I was tired from the New Year Ekiden and had some knee pain after it, so I just jogged for 10 days until I started doing workouts again on the 11th. That's why I only ran 681 km for the month. But even on the jog days I was aware that I had the Corporate Half coming up, so I was doing around 30 km. It's pretty meat and potatoes, but I think it was really important. February (training for the 10 days before...
2 comments
Read more