Skip to main content

Top University Teams Join Okukuma Ekiden Field Following Izumo Cancelation

Ten top men's university ekiden teams centered in the competitive Kanto Region are expected to run the first edition of the Okukuma Ekiden in Tanagi, Kumamoto on Oct. 4. The new event will feature high school, university and corporate league teams racing each other over a 42.195 km course. Starting together, the  university and corporate team divisions will be divided into four stages, with the high school division dividing the longer stages to cover the same total distance in seven stages.

In addition to the ongoing coronavirus crisis the Tanagi area has been battered by severe rain and flooding in recent weeks, but race organizers remain determined to stage the event with measures potentially including barring spectators from the course. "The roads on the course suffered no damage from the flooding," commented a race official. "The determining factor on whether the event can go ahead will be the situation regarding the coronavirus. We will make a series of decisions in that regard one month out, two weeks out, and the week before. If we are able to go ahead, we expect to have ten university teams in the race."

On July 27 it was announced that the Oct. 11 Izumo Ekiden, the first race in the Big Three University Ekiden season, had been canceled due to the coronavirus crisis. The decision immediately brought the new Okukuma Ekiden into the spotlight. 2020 Hakone Ekiden winner Aoyama Gakuin University was already planning to take part in Okukuma, but with Izumo's cancelation 2019 Hakone champ Tokai University, 2019 Izumo Ekiden winner Koku Gakuin University, traditional powerhouse Waseda University and others have now also come board.

Top local high school team Kyushu Gakuin will be joined by national-class rivals from Fukuoka, Omuta, Miyazaki and Kobayashi. The corporate league division will feature Kyushu-based teams. Stage lengths in the high school division mirror those in the National High School Ekiden, with a 10 km First Stage, 3 km Second Stage, 8.1 km Third Stage, 8.05 km Fourth Stage, 3 km Fifth Stage, 5 km Sixth Stage and 5.045 km Seventh Stage. The university and corporate division course combines the high school division's Second and Third Stages into a single 11.1 km stage, the Fourth and Fifth into an 11.05 km stage, and the Sixth and Seventh stages into a 10.045 km stage.

Scoring and awards will be divided into two different classes, but both divisions will run together with a single start. AGU head coach Susumu Hara, 53, commented, "High school students may find it challenging to keep up on the long First Stage, so after that they will be chasing. It will be very interesting to see the competition between corporate league, university and high school teams. I'm looking forward to this ekiden."

The organizers of the Okukuma Ekiden announced the new event in late April in the midst of a wave of race cancelations across the country. "I'm impressed with the work the Okukuma Ekiden organizers have put into making this happen," said Hara. "I hope it can go ahead as planned. I hope all the local residents will watch the Aoyama Gakuin University athletes run."

There is still concern over the continued spread of the coronavirus, but with the decision to cancel the Izumo Ekiden the Okukuma Ekiden stands to gain. There's no doubt it'll be an exciting new start to ekiden season.

source article:
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/e05dcd835a5a8919e976420a2617068ad4ed3b14
translated and edited by Brett Larner

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
3 comments
Read more