Fujitsu and Kurosaki Harima Win East Japan and Kyushu Region New Year Ekiden Qualifiers

The first two regional qualifiers for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden corporate men's national championships happened Nov. 3 in Saitama and Kyushu. At the East Japan Race in Saitama, 2021 New Year Ekiden winner Fujitsu outran 2022 champ Honda by 40 seconds for 1st. Honda started and finished strong with stages wins from its lead and anchor runners Hideto Kosode and Naoki Koyama, but Fujitsu had a solid lineup mid-race led by a stage record win on the Fourth Stage by Ken Yokote that gave it the lead it needed for the win.

Most of the big names qualified without any surprises. Local supermarket chain Sunbelx did surprise, spending much of the race as high as 3rd before finishing an excellent 5th overall. Down near the 12th-place cutoff for New Year qualification, Saitama Ika Daigaku Group had a nail-biter as it dueled with the Comodi Iida supermarket team, ND Software and Komori Corporation to stay in the ring for its second-ever qualification. Despite a sub-par run from #1 man Kenta Uchida it came through, beating the usually-strong Komori for 12th by 1:13.

In the Kyushu region, both of the main two powerhouses Asahi Kasei and Mitsubishi Juko struggled, finishing only 5th and 6th out of the eight qualifying teams. The ascendant Kurosaki Harima team dominated, sub-61 half marathoner Yusuke Tamura leading off with the first of the team's four stage wins and 2:06 marathoner Kyohei Hosoya making a quick turnaround from his 6th-place finish at the Chicago Marathon last month to win the Fifth Stage.

Down in the race for the final qualifying spot at 8th, Togami Denki easily held off Hiramatsu Byoin by over 6 minutes to make the cut. Qualification continues Nov. 13 with the Chugoku, Chubu, Kansai and Hokuriku regional qualifying race.

63rd East Japan Corporate Men's Ekiden

Kumagaya, Saitama, 3 Nov. 2022

31 teams, 7 stages, 76.9 km

complete results

Top Individual Stage Results

First Stage (11.6 km) - Hideto Kosode (Honda) - 34:27

Second Stage (8.0 km) - Benson Kiplangat (Subaru) - 21:17 - CR

Third Stage (16.5 km) - Akito Terui (Subaru) - 48:01

Fourth Stage (9.5 km) - Ken Yokote (Fujitsu) - 27:09 - CR

Fifth Stage (7.8 km) - Tetsu Yokoyama (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 22:25

Sixth Stage (10.6 km) - Yuya Yoshida (GMO) - 30:10

Seventh Stage (12.9 km) - Naoki Koyama (Honda) - 37:26 - CR

Top Team Results

top 12 teams qualify for New Year Ekiden

1. Fujitsu - 3:42:01

2. Honda - 3:42:41

3. Hitachi Butsuryu - 3:42:57

4. Yakult - 3:43:11

5. Sunbelx - 3:43:16

6. GMO - 3:43:56

7. Subaru - 3:45:07

8. Kao - 3:45:36

9. JR Higashi Nihon - 3:46:39

10. Konica Minolta - 3:47:09

11. Comodi Iida - 3:48:19

12. SID Group - 3:48:31

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13. Komori Corp. - 3:49:44

14. Press Kogyo - 3:50:49

15. SDF Academy - 3:52:10

59th Kyushu Corporate Men's Ekiden

Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 3 Nov. 2022

19 teams, 7 stages, 80.2 km

complete results

Top Individual Stage Results

First Stage (12.9 km) - Yusuke Tamura (Kurosaki Harima) - 36:58

Second Stage (7.0 km) - Benard Koech (Kyudenko) - 18:40

Third Stage (10.9 km) - Keito Makise (Toyota Kyushu) / Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 31:21

Fourth Stage (9.5 km) - Tomonobu Tamura (Kurosaki Harima) - 27:21

Fifth Stage (13.0 km) - Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima) - 38:03

Sixth Stage (10.9 km) - Masami Nagakura (Kurosaki Harima) - 31:39

Seventh Stage (16.0 km) - Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 47:01

Top Team Results

top 8 teams qualify for New Year Ekiden

1. Kurosaki Harima - 3:52:29

2. Kyudenko - 3:54:03

3. Toyota Kyushu - 3:54:23

4. Yasukawa Denki - 3:55:49

5. Asahi Kasei - 3:55:53

6. Mitsubishi Juko - 3:56:48

OP - Corporate Select Team A - 3:57:37

7. Nishitetsu - 3:59:01

OP - Corporate Select Team B - 4:00:29

8. Togami Denki - 4:00:41

OP - Corporate Select Team C - 4:02:22

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9. Hiramatsu Byoin - 4:07:07

10. Hioki City Hall - 4:16:03

Kobe Marathon Elite Field

Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani , Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help. On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech , Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, wh...

Kenyan Graduate Student Athlete Posts Job Hunt for Ekiden Team on Twitter

A Kenyan runner who had tried to help lead his team to the Hakone Ekiden has taken an unusual approach to finding a post-graduation sponsor. Last week Patrick Kamau posted his job hunt on his Twitter account , saying, "I am looking for a club team or a corporate team where I can run in ekidens. I would be happy to run for any team that gave me a chance. I would be grateful for any opportunity and take it on with a positive attitude!" Kamau was 5th at the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai qualifying race half marathon in 1:01:10 last year during his 4th year at Jobu University . But despite his efforts, Jobu never qualified for Hakone during his 4 years there. He is currently working on a graduate degree while looking for "a team that will let me continue my competitive career." Fans responded to Kamau's job search posting, saying, "I hope it works out for you!" "Good luck comes to those who work hard" and "Kamau is going to graduate school? Given...

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite Field (updated)

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