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
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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