Takigahara SDF Base Wins Mt. Fuji Ekiden for 8th Year

Two classic midsummer ekidens happened during the Paris Olympics, the 77th Towada Hachimantai Ekiden in Akita and the 49th Mount Fuji Ekiden in Shizuoka. We didn't have time to cover them then, but better late than never.

The Mount Fuji Ekiden was held Aug. 4 in Gotemba, Shizuoka starting at Gotemba Field, climbing 3258 m to the peak of Mt. Fuji, then making the return trip for a total distance of 48.19 km in 11 stages. Each runner on the 6-member teams handled one uphill leg and one downhill leg except the sixth runner, whose stage included the final climb to the peak and then the start of the descent after getting the tasuki stamped by a monk waiting at the top.

For the 8th year in a row the Takigahara SDF Base team won the overall title, running 3:51:35 to win just 24 seconds off last year's mark. Individual stage winners from Takigahara included 2-time Hasetsune Cup winner Yuya Kawasaki on the uphill 4th leg, vertical king Toru Miyahara on the 5th leg, and Hiroya Moriguchi on the summit leg. Last year's runner-up Moriyama 35th Infantry Regiment was over 2 minutes faster than last year but was still a distant 2nd in 3:57:22. 4th in a photo finish with 3rd last year, the 1st Airborne Brigade had another last-second heartbreak this time, 3rd by 2 seconds behind Moriyama in 3:57:24.

With stage wins by Ryunosuke Omi and Hiroki Kai, the Heisei Sangakukai team was the top non-military team at 7th overall in 4:03:22, beating the Toyota Sportsman Club by 44 seconds.

49th Mount Fuji Ekiden

Gotemba, Shizuoka, 4 Aug. 2024

11 stages, 48.19 km, 3258 m ascent, 3199 m descent, 100 teams, 6 runners per team

complete results

Top Individual Stage Results

First Stage (6.54 km, 243 m gain)

Yuya Asaka (2nd Infantry Regiment) - 20:44 (3:10/km)

Second Stage (4.64 km, 345 m gain)

Kosuke Edamura (Shimizu Running Club) - 18:24 (3:58/km)

Third Stage (4.54 km, 371 m gain)

Satoshi Nakamitsu (Nerima 1st Infanty Regiment) - 19:41 (4:20/km)

Fourth Stage (2.84 km, 664 m gain)

Ryunosuke Omi (Heisei Sangakukai) - 26:07 (9:12/km)

Fifth Stage (4.24 km, 1017 m gain)

Toru Miyahara (Takigahara SDF Base) - 44:17 (10:27/km)

Sixth Stage (4.92 km, 618 m gain to summit, 618 m loss)

Hiroya Moriguchi (Takigahara SDF Base) - 42:30 (8:38/km)

Seventh Stage (3.66 km, 1017 m loss)

Suguru Wakushima (Fuji Sky) - 8:05 (2:13/km)

Eighth Stage (2.59 km, 664 m loss)

Seiya Okimoto (Hachioji Fuji Running Club) - 6:31 (2:31/km)

Ninth Stage (4.44 km, 371 m loss)

Tatsuhiko Takahashi (2nd Infantry Regiment) - 11:34 (2:36/km)

Tenth Stage (4.64 km, 345 m loss)

Hayato Furukawa (Nerima 1st Infantry Regiment) - 11:34 (2:30/km)

Eleventh Stage (4.88 km, 184 m loss)

Shogo Yokoi (Akagi Climbers) - 15:27 (3:10/km)

Top Team Results

1. Takigahara SDF Base - 3:51:35

2. Moriyama 35th Infantry Regiment - 3:57:22

3. 1st Airborne Brigade - 3:57:24

4. Rumoi SDF Base - 3:59:44

5. Nerima 1st Infantry Regiment - 4:01:04

6. 2nd Infantry Regiment - 4:01:34

7. Heisei Sangakukai - 4:03:22

8. Toyota Sportsman Club - 4:04:06

9. Engaru SDF Base - 4:07:59

10. Sapporo 18th Infantry Regiment - 4:09:44

source article:

https://dogsorcaravan.com/2024/08/05/dcweekly20240805

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Chepkirui Wins Nagoya Women's Marathon

Heavy-duty favorite Sheila Chepkirui took the win at Sunday's Nagoya Women's Marathon , pulling away after 30 km to cruise in for 1st in 2:20:40. Erratic pacing early saw the first and second groups only seconds apart for much of the first half of the race, the top group slower than planned and the 2nd group a bit ahead of schedule. At halfway in 1:10:37 the front group included Chepkirui, #2-ranked Ruti Aga and last year's runner-up Eunice Chumba , and Japanese contingent Sayaka Sato , Rika Kaseda , Natsuki Omori and Mao Uesugi . Omori was the first to drop, then Uesugi, then Aga, who ultimately dropped out before 30 km. When the pacers stopped at 30 km Chepkirui made a move that dropped Kaseda and strung out Chumba and Sato behind her, but all four came back together once before another surge put Kaseda away for good. As Chepkirui inched away Sato and Chumba passed each other repeatedly, and Chumba could only watch as the top Japanese runner got away from her again thi...

Nagoya Women's Marathon Preview

The Nagoya Women's Marathon , the world's largest women-only marathon and the last race in the selection cycle for September's Tokyo World Championships, happens Sunday. Weather conditions are looking better than what they had in Tokyo and Osaka the last two weekends, 7˚ at the start and rising to 12˚ with sunny skies. The wind looks a bit stronger than ideal, but it could be worse. Fuji TV has the live broadcast starting at 9:00 a.m. Sunday local time, and if you've got a VPN you should be able to watch the TVer streaming . One option for a leaderboard is here , and another here . We'll have some coverage on @JRNLive . Just like last time around there are three Ethiopian and Kenyan-born athletes at the top list, this time it being sub-2:20 women Sheila Chepkirui , winner in NYC last year, and Ruti Aga , winner in Xiamen in January, and last year's Nagoya runner-up Eunice Chebichii Chumba . But last year Yuka Ando still pulled off the win, so there's a c...

Who's Running Tokyo Worlds?

The Japanese marathon teams will be the most prestigious ones to be on for September's Tokyo World Championships, and with Sunday's Nagoya Women's Marathon the window for Japanese athletes to get onto the JAAF's shortlist closed. Who's on it? The final decision won't be made until Mar. 26, but let's look through the selection criteria and see who's guaranteed, who's pretty likely, and who has a chance. 1. Marathon medalists at the Paris Olympics - There weren't any, so nobody makes the team this way. Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) and Yuka Suzuki (Daiichi Seimei) were the top placers, both of them running PBs in the Olympics to finish 6th. You'd think that would count for something a year later, but you'd think wrong. 2. JMC Series IV Champions - The top point scorers in the Japan Marathon Championship Series IV, which ran from April, 2023 to March, 2025, earn places on the marathon teams along with cash prizes. For women that's Yuka ...

japan running news

Search This Blog