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Aoyama Gakuin Head Coach Hara Named Chair of Kanto Student Athletics Federation Ekiden Committee: "I Want Reform"

The Kanto Student Athletics Federation (KGRR), organizers of the Hakone Ekiden, announced this week that as of April 1 they have changed their legal status from a volunteer organization to an incorporated foundation. Having served as the KGRR's chairperson for eight years since his appointment in 2016, Masahiro Ariyoshi, 76, has stepped down to be replaced by Yasushi Ueda, 68, a 1984 Olympian in the men's triple jump. Former Yamanashi Gakuin University head coach Masahito Ueda, 65, stepped down as chair of the KGRR ekiden committee after serving for ten years.

Susumu Hara, 57, head coach of course record-breaking 2024 Hakone Ekiden winner Aoyama Gakuin University, was named KGRR executive director and will succeed Ueda as ekiden committee chair. Tokai University head coach Hayashi Morozumi, 57, will serve as ekiden committee vice-chair. Other committee members include Seiji Kushibe (Josai University, 52), Toshiyuki Sakai (Toyo University, 47), Tomoo Tsubota (Hosei University, 46), Yasuhiro Maeda (Koku Gakuin University, 46), Shunsuke Nagato (Juntendo University, 39), Akira Nakamura (Juntendo University), Makoto Yamashita (Tamagawa University), and Yohei Sato (Nittai University).

The KGRR ekiden committee was established in April, 2000 to deal with the rapidly escalating popularity of the Hakone Ekiden and issues surrounding the event's management. Its first chairperson was Daito Bunka University's Masayuki Aoba. He was succeeded by Kanagawa University's Eiji Ogo in 2007, with Yamanashi Gakuin's Ueda taking over in 2014. Hara became head coach of Aoyama Gakuin in 2004, and in 2009 led the school to its first Hakone qualification in 33 years. A year later it placed 8th, its first top ten finish in 41 years. In 2015 Aoyama Gakuin won for the first time, and has won a total of eight times in the ten years since then including this year's 100th edition, which coincided with the school's 150th anniversary.

In the past Hara has been controversially vocal about ideas for changing the collegiate ekiden circuit, saying, "The Hakone Ekiden should be made a national event," and, "The National University Men's Ekiden would be a lot more exciting if the course went the opposite direction from now and finished in Nagoya." But now that the authority to act on those ideas is in his hands he spoke more cautiously, saying, "As chairperson of the the ekiden committee I will listen to all opinions and consult with a wide range of people before carrying out any actions."

In an interview with Sports Hochi Hara said, "I would like to carry out measures to help athlete development in road racing and ekidens, including the Hakone Ekiden. Up to this point the KGRR has conducted the Hakone Ekiden in conjunction with the Yomiuri Newspaper, but now that we are a body with corporate status we'll be able to take more initiative to sort out the issues and problems with the race's management one by one. I'd like to start these reforms by working on the problems that can be most readily addressed."

Every year on Dec. 10, the day that the 16-runner Hakone Ekiden entry rosters are announced, the coaches of the previous year's top five teams at Hakone take part in a public discussion of their expectations for the upcoming race. The chairperson of the KGRR ekiden committee serves as co-host with an announcer from Nippon TV, meaning that this year Hara will serve double duty as moderator and participant as coach of the defending champion team.



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