Can Meijo Make it 8-Straight? Morinomiyako Ekiden Preview

Sunday's Morinomiyako Ekiden in Sendai is one of the two big national-level ekidens on the collegiate women's ekiden circuit. This is the era of Meijo University, who have won the last seven Morinomiyako titles and the last six at December's Mt. Fuji. Women's Ekiden, and just about the only real story here is whether anyone can stop them. Five out the six members of last year's winning team, Nanaka Yonezawa, Kaede Rikimaru, Asuka Ishimatsu, Saki Harada, and Nanase Tanimoto, are back, and the only one missing, 2nd-year Naru Yabutani, finished the lowest on the team on her stage at 4th last time. Tanimoto, the only 4th-year on the team, has had more downs than ups this season, but that was true last year too and Meijo came through.

Perpetual 2nd-placer Daito Bunka University was only 52 seconds behind over the 38.0 km Morinomiyako course, and that was with one of its runners finishing only 12th on her stage. Its entire 2023 lineup is back, led by 2nd-year Sarah Wanjiru. The runner who underperformed, Momona Yoshimoto, was 35 seconds slower than Meijo's Asuka Ishimatsu, and lead runner Yui Yoshii was also 35 seconds slower than Meijo's Nanaka Yonezawa. Between the two of them it's the margin they would need to stay with Meijo, but it'll take a full team performance to make that happen.

But DBU isn't the only factor. Ritsumeikan University led the first two stages last year and had three individual stage wins, its only setback a 14th-place run by 1st-year Yura Arata. Ultimately it finished 3rd in a photo finish with DBU 52 seconds back from Meijo. Anchor Asa Kobayashi was a big part of catching back up to DBU but has graduated, but she and Arata are the only members of last year's team not back this year. If it can fill in the two weaker runs last year and make up for Kobayashi's graduation then it'll also be in range of Meijo. But that's a higher bar than DBU has to clear.

Last year's 4th and 5th-placers Josai University and Nittai University also suffered from one weak link last year and return almost the same lineups, but having finished 45 seconds and 1:24 respectively behind DBU and Ritsumeikan it would be stretch for either to be in contention for the win. A top 3 finish by either would be a big breakthrough.

Beyond them, the million-yen question is whether collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa will run for last year's 12th-placer Takushoku University. Now a 4th-year, Fuwa has raced little since she set the 2021 collegiate women's ekiden season on fire as a 1st-year only to get an Achilles injury in January, 2022 that turned into serial injuries. Fuwa ran 33:12.79 for 7th in last month's National University Championships 10000 m, showing that she's in good enough shape to run even if well over 2 minutes behind where she was three years ago. Nobody really expects her to turn things upside down again like in 2021, but whatever her longterm prospects are at this point fans hope to see her run Morinomiyako and Mt. Fuji one last time.

NTV is broadcasting the Morinomiyako Ekiden live starting at 11:45 a.m. Sunday, with official streaming on TVer. If you've got a VPN you should be all set. If not, mov3.co is probably your best bet. Start lists and live results will be here.

Morinomiyako Ekiden Entry List

Sendai, Miyagi, 27 Oct. 2024

26 teams, 6 stages, 38.0 km

complete entry lists

1. Meijo University (Tokai Region)

2. Daito Bunka University (Kanto Region)

3. Ritsumeikan University (Kansai Region)

4. Josai University (Kanto Region)

5. Nittai University (Kanto Region)

6. Osaka Gakuin University (Kansai Region)

7. Kansai University (Kansai Region)

8. Tohoku Fukushi University (Tohoku Region)

9. Sapporo Kokusai University (Hokkaido Region)

10. Sendai University (Tohoku Region)

11. Tsukuba University (Kanto Region)

12. Juntendo University (Kanto Region)

13. Chuo University (Kanto Region)

14. Takushoku University (Kanto Region)

15. Teikyo Kagaku University (Kanto Region)

16. Tamagawa University (Kanto Region)

17. Toyo University (Kanto Region)

18. Niigata Iryo Fukushi University (Hokushinetsu Region)

19. Chukyo Gakuin University (Tokai Region)

20. Hyogo University (Kansai Region)

21. Kantaiheiyo University (Chugoku Shikoku Region)

22. Fukuoka University (Kyushu Region)

23. Kyoto Sangyo University (Kansai Region)

24. Kansai Gaikokugo University (Kansai Region)

25. Tokyo Nogyo University (Kanto Region)

26. Tohoku Region Select Team (Tohoku Region)

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