Kamimura Gakuen Girls Break Own CR by 28 Seconds - National High School Ekiden Qualification Weekend Roundup

With the National High School Ekiden Championships looking like a go for Dec. 20 at this point, the main action across Japan this weekend came in prefectural high school ekiden championships. In each of Japan's 47 prefectures boys typically raced 42.195 km in seven stages and girls 21.0975 km in five stages, with the top-placing boys' team and top girls' team in the prefectural race set to go on to represent their prefecture at Nationals. Not every prefecture held its qualifying race this weekend or just before, but among those that did here's a quick rundown on the winners.

In Hiroshima, the video above, due to the coronavirus crisis the race was held on a 400 m track instead of its regular road course. The Sera H.S. boys and girls both won, the boys winning the prefectural title for the 17th year in a row and the girls for the 15th. Both teams last won the national title in 2015, when the boys set the still-standing Nationals course record of 2:01:18, but at last year's Nationals both finished off the eight-deep podium.

2nd at Nationals last year after winning in 2018, Kamimura Gakuen H.S. took 28 seconds off its own course record to win the girls' race in Kagoshima in 1:06:04, with new records for the last three stages including a 15:10 for the 5.0 km anchor stage by Kenyan Cynthia Baire. 2010 national champ Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S. took the boys' race in 2:06:13.

Likewise 2nd at Nationals in 2019 after winning the 2018 race, Kurashiki H.S. took the Okayama boys' race in 2:06:09, over seven minutes ahead of the next-best team. 4th at Nationals in 2019, Kojokan H.S. held off the Kurashiki girls by 37 seconds to win the prefectural title again.

Nearby in Miyazaki, the Kobayashi H.S. boys ran a solid 2:03:13 to knock last year's winner Miyazaki Nichidai H.S., 7th at Nationals in 2019, out of a return trip to the big race. The Kobayashi girls also beat Miyazaki Nichidai to join the boys at Nationals.

In Hyogo, Suma Gakuen H.S. was another school to pull off a double win, its girls winning for the third year in a row and the boys for the first time in three years. The Suma Gakuen girls last won the national title in 2006, finishing 6th last year.

In Kyoto, 2012 national champions Ritsumeikan Uji H.S., 7th at Nationals last year, won the girls' race for the 32nd year in a row in 1:10:27. The Rakunan H.S. boys won for the sixth year in a row in a solid 2:05:45.

8th at Nationals last year, Isahaya H.S. won the girls' race again in Nagasaki. Chinzei Gakuin H.S. took the boys' race, which was marred by an accident when an athlete from Keiho H.S. was struck from behind by a car that had entered the course.

In Mie, the Yokkaichi Kogyo H.S. boys won for the second year in a row. 3rd-year Shogo Sakamoto, son of 2016 Osaka Marathon winner Yoshiko Sakamoto, helped lead the team to the win with a stage best on the sixth leg. 2018 winner Tsu Shogyo H.S. returned to the top in the girls' race, beating Uji Yamada Shogyo H.S. by just five seconds.

The list goes on and on, and there's still more to come. Look for another round of prefectural qualifying races this coming weekend before the final buildup to the Dec. 20 national race. Hopefully.

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...

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...

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...

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