Skip to main content

Tokyo Nogyo University Outruns Typhoon to Win Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden

With skies hanging heavy in the hours before the impending arrival of Typhoon #24, Tokyo Nogyo University won the 24th Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden to lead the qualifiers for the Oct. 28 Morinomiyako Ekiden university women's national championships.

Always in the top two, Tokyo Nogyo didn't take a definitive lead until the 3.9 Fourth Stage, when 1st-year Yuki Shibahara scored the team's only stage win of the day to overtake 2017 Morinomiyako runner-up Daito Bunka University. From there to the finish it opened a 1:16 lead over Daito Bunka, easily winning in 1:39:05. Daito Bunka's lead over 2017 winner Toyo University was almost as big, finishing in 1:40:21 to Toyo's 1:41:17.

Including teams which earned seeded spots at last year's national championships the top eight teams qualified for this year's nationals. 7th-placer Takushoku University, whose men's team progressively features Ethiopian Workneh Derese as captain, qualified for Nationals for the first time, knocking Hakuoh University out of the qualifying bracket.

Despite the rainy conditions the Kanto Region results were pretty favorable compared to those a week earlier in the 28th Kansai Region University Women's Ekiden, where 2017 Morinomiyako 10th-placer Kyoto Sangyo University outran perpetual powerhouse Ritsumeikan University for the win 1:40:37 to 1:41:03 for the 6-stage, 30.0 km course. Tokyo Nogyo, Kyoto Sangyo and the other top regional teams will face defending national champion Meijo University in just four weeks' time.

24th Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden

Chiba New Town, Chiba, 9/30/18
26 teams, 6 stages, 29.9 km
complete results

Top Team Results top eight qualify for Nationals
1. Tokyo Nogyo University A - 1:39:05
2. Daito Bunka University - 1:40:21
3. Toyo University - 1:41:17
4. Nittai University - 1:41:37
5. Juntendo University - 1:41:51
6. Tamagawa University - 1:41:56
7. Takushoku University - 1:41:59
8. Josai University - 1:42:11
-----
9. Hakuoh University - 1:42:32
10. Tsukuba University - 1:45:18

Stage Best Performances
First Stage (4.8 km) - Wakana Kabasawa (Keio Univ.) - 15:49
Second Stage (3.3 km) - Suzuna Kanno (Hakuohh Univ.) - 10:46
Third Stage (5.6 km) - Natsuki Sekiya (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 17:53
Fourth Stage (3.9 km) - Yuki Shibahara (Tokyo Nogyo Univ. A) - 12:44
Fifth Stage (6.7 km) - Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 22:12
Sixth Stage (5.6 km) - Mina Ueda (Josai Univ.) - 18:44

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...

Mashiko Breaks U20 5000 m NR - Weekend Track Roundup

Saturday's Kanakuri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto was the weekend's main event in Japanese track, but there were good results at the Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama too. Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) led the men's 5000 m A-heat at Kanakuri in 13:14.06, with Tomonori Yamaguchi (SGH) clocking the fastest Japanese time in 13:16.38 in his first race as a corporate leaguer. Waseda University duo Rui Suzuki and Yota Mashiko went 6-7 in 13:20.64 and 13:22.87, the 18-year-old Mashiko shaving 0.04 off the U20 NR. In 8th, Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) ran a PB of 13:23.92. 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) continued to struggle after a weak indoor season, finishing 18th of 20 finishers in 13:45.10. 19-year-old Festus Kimorwo (Kurosaki Harima) was under 13:20 in the B-heat too, winning in a 13:19.59 PB. 2 more collegiate men broke 13:30, Daichi Fujita (Chuo Univ.) 8th in 13:28.93 and Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) 9th in 13:29.09. The top 6 in the men's 800 m A-hea...