National University Men's Ekiden Kanto Region Qualifier Preview and Streaming

November's National University Men's Ekiden is the second of the Big Three University Ekidens that make up the peak of the year for Japanese collegiate men. The top eight teams auto-qualify for the following year, and every year it's a given that they're all going to be from the Tokyo-centric Kanto Region. Another 17 schools have to run regional qualifiers to make it back, and of those another seven come from Kanto. The Kanto Region Qualifier happens Saturday at 17:15 Japan time, four heats of 10000 m on the track with two runners from each of the twenty schools in each heat. Teams are scored on the combined times of all eight runners, with the seven fastest total teams going on to Nationals in November.

On paper Chuo Gakuin University and Kanagawa University are the favorites with seven entrants each with bests under 29 minutes, in CGU's case led by sub-28 3rd-year Reishi Yoshida. Tokai University, Daito Bunka University and Josai University are next with six sub-29 men apiece, and with five each Meiji University and Rikkyo University make up the rest of the top tier. But Teikyo University and Nittai University are close behind at four each, and Tokyo Kokusai University's sub-13:20 1st-year Amos Bett adds enough to its lineup of three runners sub-29 to put it into contention too.

Top individual entrants this year include:

Amos Bett (1st yr., Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 13:16.85 (5000 m)

David Shun'qeya (2nd yr., Reitaku Univ.) - 27:46.08

James Mutok (2nd yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 27:50.54

Reishi Yoshida (3rd yr., Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 27:58.60

Shotaro Ishihara (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 28:05.91

Duncan Kisaisa (2nd yr., Senshu Univ.) - 28:11.79

Yoshiteru Takatsuki (4th yr., Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 28:11.99

Johnson Mogeni (1st yr., Asia Univ.) - 28:12.55

Shadrack Kipkemoi (1st yr., Nihon Univ.) - 28:13.10

Hisaya Hanaoka (2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 28:15.65

Neo Namiki (4th yr., Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 28:16.30

Atsuki Kobayashi (4th yr., Kanagawa Univ.) - 28:21.10

Peter Kamau (3rd yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 28:21.49

Masaki Kodama (4th yr., Meiji Univ.) - 28:22.27

Tasuku Yamazaki (2nd yr., Nittai Univ.) - 28:23.69

Victor Kimutai (2nd yr., Josai Univ.) - 28:24.57

Shota Morishita (2nd yr., Meiji Univ.) - 28:24.84

Peter Wanjiru (3rd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 28:25.20

Yuito Yamamoto (4th yr., Josai Univ.) - 28:25.21

Yusuke Shirai (3rd yr., Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 28:27.45

Yudai Katakawa (3rd yr., Asia Univ.) - 28:27.51

Koki Matsuo (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 28:27.77

Godfrey Musanga (2nd yr., Surugadai Univ.) - 28:28.36

Safumi Sugi (4th yr., Meiji Univ.) - 28:28.94

Kenta Sekiguchi (4th yr., Rikkyo Univ.) - 28:29.24

Toru Kubota (4th yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 28:29.75

Complete entry lists are here. Heat One starts at 17:15 Saturday local time, with the other heats starting every 40 minutes.

Waseda Leads Top 7 Teams Under Izumo Ekiden CR, Ivy League Best-Ever 3rd (updated)

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Back for the first time in 21 years after a disastrous 14th-place finish at the 102nd Hakone Ekiden this past January, Toyo University hit one out of western Tokyo's Showa Kinen Park with a solid win at the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai, the half marathon that serves as the official qualifying race for the 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The top 10 teams in the Hakone auto-qualify for the following year, with the rest having to run the Yosenkai in October with a squad of 10 to 16 runners out of which the top 10 score on aggregate time, with the 10 fastest schools joining the Hakone field and top individuals from non-qualifying teams names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team to make up the complete Hakone field of 21. Driven in large part by an aggressive run from 3rd-year Yu Miyazaki , one of only 2 Japanese athletes to go with the big African contingent up front, Toyo won in 10:31:30, 1:03:09 or 2:59.6/km per athlete. As the first team to have broken the 3:00/km average pace barrie...

Ngetich and Mutiso Take Down Tokyo Legacy Half CR

In its 5th edition the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon scored 2 new course records via Kenyans from the Ikaika agency, with 10 km WR holder Agnes Ngetich blasting 3 minutes off the old record to win by over 4 in 1:04:23, and Alexander Mutiso skimming just 1 second under the CR for the win by 5 seconds in 59:51. The 2 races played out completely differently, even if the paydays were the same for the winners. Surrounded by an envelope of male runners all the way to the final 100 m, Ngetich was out hard on the downhill in the first 5 km, hitting it on sub-64 pace in 15:08 before leveling out on the flat middle 10 km. Her next 2 splits projected to 1:04:09 and 1:04:17, and even with the uphill back to the stadium in the last 5 km she didn't fall far off from that, winning in 1:04:23. Runner-up Tabitha Njeri Kamau was nearly a mile back in 1:08:28, with Kamau's Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo teammate Kazuna Kanetomo dropping a 1:10:17 PB for 3rd. Now an independent, track Olympian Kaede Ha...

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