Entry lists are out for what's going to be the biggest road race in history, the 100th edition of the Hakone Ekiden. Over the next few weeks we'll be writing on the history, present, and future of Hakone, and more detailed previews of the 2024 race. But as a quick preview, below are the complete 16-runner entry lists for the 23 Tokyo-area university men's teams in the race. Of these, ten from each school will actually run, five roughly a half marathon distance each on Jan. 2 from central Tokyo to the shores of Lake Ashi near Mt. Fuji, and five doing the reverse on the 3rd.
On first look, the overall level is through the roof, even by Hakone standards. 13 of the 23 teams have a ten-man average under 14 minutes for 5000 m. Three of those have an average under 13:45. 20 of the 23 teams have a ten-man average under 29 minutes for 10000 m, and again three of those average under 28:30. Eight of the 23 teams average under 1:03 for the half marathon, with two under 1:02:30. Seven teams hit all three, sub-14, sub-29, and sub-63, and one stands alone with ten-man averages under 13:45, 28:30 and 1:02:30. That would be defending champion Komazawa University, one race away from becoming the first school in history to win all three major university ekidens two seasons in a row.
On paper, Daito Bunka University, Toyo University, Soka University and Waseda University look good to make the top ten, a prestigious result that scores a team places at the next season's Izumo Ekiden and Hakone Ekiden. DBU won October's Hakone Ekiden qualifier half marathon, technically ranking them 11th in the field, but has improved a lot since then. Toyo has had serious problems this season but looks like it might have pulled it together in time to perform up to its history.
The race to get into the bottom spots in the top ten is usually the highlight of Day 2, a lot of the time more exciting than what's going on up front. It's really close this time. 9th-12th-ranked universities Meiji University, Josai University, Tokai University and Teikyo University aren't far behind the 5th-8th group, and the next tier below that isn't much further behind. If we had to pick right now we'd say Meiji and Tokai won't make top ten. Josai has momentum right now and Teikyo is almost always better than its numbers look, while Meiji has a history of not performing up to potential and Tokai like Toyo has had a very rocky season.
Kanagawa University, Juntendo University, Chuo Gakuin University, Hosei University and Nittai University probably won't make top ten, but they're all close enough to pick off anyone from the two groups above them that gets into trouble. Hosei in particular has a good history of punching above its weight, including a 7th-place finish last year off a #10 ranking.
Rikkyo University, Yamanashi Gakuin University, Nihon University, Kokushikan University, Tokyo Nogyo University and Surugadai University fall into the bottom tier, realistically not in range of a top ten finish without a miracle and mostly hoping to stay ahead of the white sash start that happens when they fall too far behind the leader. But Hakone is a college sport, and what sets it apart from the corporate leagues is that this is where the miracles do happen.
© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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