Skip to main content

Comody Iida Breaks Okutama Keikoku Ekiden Course Record


One of the only non-championship ekidens to happen this season, the Okutama Keikoku Ekiden was held for the 82nd time Sunday on its traditional hilly road course along a river gorge in the mountains west of Tokyo. One of the oldest and most old-fashioned ekidens in Japan, 43 women's teams of three runners each and 152 men's teams of six runners each competed, women covering a total of 11.1 km and men 44.8 km.

In the women's race, running less than 48 hours after racing the 10000 m at Friday's National Championships, Futtsu Select Team anchor Haruka Yamaguchi started 49 seconds back from the lead in 5th. With only 3.8 km to work with she ran a new stage record of 12:34 to move into 1st and open a 40-second margin of victory.

In the men's race, Akihiro Kaneko got New Year Ekiden-bound Comody Iida corporate team off to a good start with a 21:07 record for the 7.4 km First Stage. Comody Iida held the lead start to finish against Hakone Ekiden regulars Takushoku University and Chuo University, third runner Shun Gorotani also breaking his stage's record to help set an overall course record of 2:11:38. Takushoku's A-team was 2nd in 2:13:57 to take the top spot in the university division. With its fifth runner Yuzen Kuroiwa breaking into the top three on his stage, Musashi Ogose H.S. was 6th overall for 1st in the high school division in 2:19:18.

82nd Okutama Keikoku Ekiden

Ome, Tokyo, 06 Dec. 2020
women: 3 stages, 11.1 km, 43 teams
men: 6 stages, 44.8 km, 152 teams

Top Women's Team Results
1. Futtsu Select Team - 38:35
2. Bebe B - 39:15
3. Tokai Shoin - 39:19
4. Bebe A - 39:21
5. Hachioji Fujimori RC D - 39:56

Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (3.7 km): Yukari Yasutome (Bebe B) - 12:44
Second Stage (3.6 km): Shiho Okumura (Tokai Shoin) - 11:08
Third Stage (3.8 km): Haruka Yamaguchi (Futtsu) - 12:34 - CR

Top Men's Team Performances
1. Comody Iida - 2:11:38 - CR
2. Takushoku University A - 2:13:57
3. Chuo University - 2:15:49
4. Takushoku University B - 2:17:09
5. Takushoku University C - 2:17:41
6. Musashi Ogose H.S. A - 2:19:18

Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (7.4 km): Akihiro Kaneko (Comody Iida) - 21:07 - CR
Second Stage (8.4 km): Bernard Kimani (Comody Iida) - 25:00
Third Stage (6.6 km): Shun Gorotani (Comody Iida) - 19:58 - CR
Fourth Stage (6.6 km): Ryo Doimori (Comody Iida) - 19:22
Fifth Stage (8.4 km): Tsubasa Kudo (Takushoku Univ. A) - 24:29
Sixth Stage (7.4 km): Hirohide Terada (Comody Iida) - 21:38

© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...
3 comments
Read more

Osaka Marathon Preview

The Osaka Marathon is Sunday, one of Japan's biggest mass-participation races and the next stop on the calendar for its elite marathoners hoping to qualify for the L.A. Olympics marathon trials in the fall of 2027. Last year it snowed mid-race, but this year is looking warmer than ideal given the season, with sunny skies, almost no wind, and temps forecast to be 11˚ at the start and rising to 19˚ by the time the winners are finishing. NHK is broadcasting Osaka with a heavy emphasis on the men's race, and if you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it from overseas. There's also official streaming on Youtube starting at 8:30 a.m. local time, although it doesn't look like it's the same as what NHK will be showing. Given Osaka's history at the elite level as the continuation of the men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, the women's field is small relative to the men's, just enough to tick World Athletics' label requirements and with almost no do...
1 comment
Read more

Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

Last year's top 3 Sheila Chepkirui , Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba are back for this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon on Mar. 8, but things are being set up more for it to be a race between Chepkirui, 2:17:49 in Berlin 2023, Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda , 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024. Aynalem has the freshest sub-2:20 of the 3, with neither Chepkirui nor Maeda having done it in 2 years. Maeda's only recent result is a 1:10:07 from Houston last month, but when she ran her NR she didn't have any kind of tuneup race to indicate her fitness so it's probably best not to read too much into that. If it goes out as a 2:18 race those are the only 3 who can probably hang with it. If it turns out to be more of a 2:20 race like when Chepkirui won in 2:20:40 last year then there's a group of 7 at the 2:20-2:22 level who will be in the picture, including Chumba, Selly Chep...
Post a Comment
Read more