Skip to main content

Meijo Makes it Six at Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden


Coming off a seventh-straight win at October's Morinomiyako Ekiden, five-time Mount Fuji Women's Ekiden national champion Meijo University led start to finish to win it again for the sixth year in a row Saturday in Shizuoka. Meijo's first four runners, Azumi Nagira, Nanaka Yonezawa, Miyu Yamada and Asuka Ishimatsu all won their stages to give Meijo what was pretty much an unbreakable lead. Undefeated in collegiate ekiden competition up to this point in her career, Meijo 3rd-year Nanase Tanimoto lost to Daito Bunka University 1st-year Sarah Wanjiru by 24 seconds on the 10.5 km Fifth Stage but still handed off to captain Yuka Masubuchi 1:04 ahead.

Masubuchi ran a CR 19:27 for her 6.0 km to hand off to anchor Saki Harada on course record pace. On the tough anchor stage, 8.3 km climbing 175 m mostly in its second half, Harada proved the weak link on the team at only 5th-fastest in the field, but while that wasn't enough for Meijo to better its own CR Harada had no problems bringing Meijo home for the win in 2:22:42 for the complete 43.4 km course.

The race for 2nd was a close one almost the entire way between Daito Bunka, Nittai University and Ritsumeikan University. Less than 30 seconds apart at the start of the anchor stage, Nittai's Haruko Hosaka was 2nd-fastest in the field, bringing Nittai home 2nd in 2:24:04. Daito Bunka was next in 2:24:24, with Ritsumeikan dropping back to 4th in 2:25:13. Last year's runner-up Osaka Gakuin University and Josai University battled back-and-forth for 5th over the last five stages, with Osaka Gakuin anchor Chihiro Sato bettering Josai's Hinata Kaneko to finish 2:26:23 to 2:26:37.

The race for the bottom of the podium is usually one of the most exciting parts of an ekiden. Last year's Second Stage winner Hikaru Kitagawa made it interesting on the Sixth Stage by dragging Osaka Geijutsu University up from 13th to 7th, positioning four teams in range of the last two podium spots in 7th and 8th. At the start of the anchor stage Chuo University, Tohoku Fukushi University and Osaka Geijutsu were all within 30 seconds in 7th through 9th, with Tamagawa University another 17 seconds behind in 10th and Takushoku University 1 second behind Tamagawa in 11th.

Tohoku Fukushi anchor Amisa Murayama and Osaka Geijutsu's Anna Suzuki worked together to overtake and then drop Chuo's Reina Kato, and it looked like both would be rewarded with podium spots after finishing 10th and 11th last year. But out of nowhere Takushoku anchor Saki Arai flew by on the steepest part of the climb to the finish, running the fastest time on the stage and moving Takushoku up to 7th and its first podium finish without collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa. Murayama hung on to finish two seconds behind, giving Tohoku Fukushi the last spot on the podium, with Suzuki falling seconds behind for a 9th-place finish for Osaka Geijutsu. Chuo another 5 seconds behind in 10th.

Interestingly, out of the top ten teams all but last year's top two Meijo and Osaka Gakuin were faster this time, almost three and a half minutes faster in Daito Bunka's case. But even though Meijo wasn't up to the level of past years' teams it was still in another league from the competition. And there's no sign of an end to its dynasty. Out of the seven women who ran this year, only Masubuchi is a 4th-year, and only Tanimoto a 3rd-year. Yamada, only 6 seconds off Yonezawa's Third Stage CR from last year, is a 1st-year. It would take very little for next year's Meijo lineup to be stronger, meaning that even though almost all their competition was better this time around, it'll take even more to try to break Meijo's control of the collegiate women's ekiden circuit.

Mount Fuji Women's Ekiden

National University Women's Invitational Ekiden
Shizuoka, 30 Dec. 2023
24 teams, 7 stages, 43.4 km

Top Individual Stage Results
First Stage (4.1 km) - Azumi Nagira (2nd yr., Meijo Univ.) - 13:01
Second Stage (6.8 km) - Nanaka Yonezawa (2nd yr., Meijo Univ.) - 20:57
Third Stage (3.3 km) - Miyu Yamada (1st yr., Meijo Univ.) - 10:09
Fourth Stage (4.4 km) - Asuka Ishimatsu (2nd yr., Meijo Univ.) - 14:08
Fifth Stage (10.5 km) - Sarah Wanjiru (1st yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 34:15
Sixth Stage (6.0 km) - Yuka Masubuchi (4th yr., Meijo Univ.) - 19:27 - CR
Seventh Stage (8.3 km) - Saki Arai (2nd yr., Takushoku Univ.) - 29:48

Top Team Results - 8-deep podium
1. Meijo University - 2:22:42
2. Nittai University - 2:24:04
3. Daito Bunka University - 2:24:24
4. Ritsumeikan University - 2:25:13
5. Osaka Gakuin University - 2:26:23
6. Josai University - 2:26:37
7. Takushoku University - 2:26:59
8. Tohoku Fukushi University - 2:27:01
-----
9. Osaka Geijutsu University - 2:27:29
10. Chuo University - 2:27:34
11. National Select Team - 2:28:07
12. Kansai University - 2:28:49

© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite Field (updated)

Another big race on the MGC qualifying calendar has posted its elite fields, the Dec. 6 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon . It looks like a good race for the single MGC spot up for women under 2:27, and the 6 spots for men sub-2:09. Yuka Ando is the favorite in the women's race with a 2:21:18 in Nagoya 2 years ago, with her only real competition coming from Ayumi Morita , who broke 2:27 in Hofu last year but missed qualifying by not being the first Japanese woman across the line. CR holder Workneh Derese is back after his 2:06:58 win last year, leading Kenyan veteran Bedan Karoki and 4 Japanese men with a solid chance at sub-2:09, Tatsuya Maruyama , Ryoma Takeuchi , Shuho Dairokuno and Kento Nishi . Takeuchi set his 2:08:20 PB at Gold Coast in July, and Dairokuno is fresh off a great run at the final Kyushu Corporate Ekiden. Masatoshi Sakata , Yota Ifuku , Madoka Tanihara and Daiji Kawai have both come close to sub-2:09 in recent races and could factor in. 57th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite...
1 comment
Read more