Koku Gakuin's Hirabayashi Holds Off Komazawa and Aoyama Gakuin in Anchor Stage Showdown at Izumo Ekiden

There was a lot of action at the 36th running of the Izumo Ekiden Monday in Shimane, but it really came down to an anchor stage showdown between three of the biggest names on the university men's collegiate circuit.

For the first five legs it was mostly between two-time defending champ Komazawa University and the top four-ranked Ivy League Select Team, Aoyama Gakuin University, Koku Gakuin University and Soka University. All of them except the Ivy League alternate stages up front with the Ivies in the mix in 2nd thanks to excellent runs from its two lead-off runners Kieran Tuntivate and Will Battershill. AGU's Masaya Tsurukawa took the 8.0 km First Stage, Soka's Hibiki Yoshida put them into 1st on the 5.8 km Second Stage, AGU's Asahi Kuroda retook the lead on the 8.5 km Third Stage, Izumo native Aoi Ito put Komazawa out front on the 6.2 km Fourth Stage, and KGU's Ryuto Uehara went to the front on the 6.4 km Fifth Stage.

That set up an incredible matchup on the 10.2 km anchor stage between KGU's Kiyoto Hirabayashi, winner of February's Osaka Marathon in 2:06:18 and 3rd on the Hakone Ekiden's Second Stage in January, Komazawa's Kotaro Shinohara, the fastest-ever Japanese-born collegiate runner for 5000 m and half marathon and winner of Hakone's First Stage, and AGU's Aoi Ota, winner of Hakone's Third Stage with the equivalent of a sub-59-minute half marathon.

Hirabayashi started 4 seconds up on Shinohara with Ota another 20 seconds behind, about as close as you could hope to see three stars of the sport at that point in the race. Shinohara reeled Hirabayashi in, but just before halfway into the stage Hirabayashi threw in a surge and pulled away. That proved fatal to Komazawa's hopes of a three-peat, Hirabayashi breaking the tape in 2:09:24 for KGU's first win in 5 years and only 2nd-ever victory at Izumo.

Shinohara came through next in 2:10:04, Ota bringing AGU home 3rd in 2:10:24, the same gap between him and Shinohara as at the start of the stage. Post-race a member of Komazawa's coaching staff told JRN, "Shinohara peaked two weeks ago for the Yogibo Athletics Challenge Cup 5000 m, so he wasn't 100% ready for this. Next month he'll make headlines at the National University Ekiden and Hachioji Long Distance meet."

#4-ranked Soka was 4th in 2:11:47 despite not running Kenyan Stephen Muthini, and in a surprise the Ivy League hung on for its first-ever podium finish with an all-Ivy lineup and best-ever outright at 5th in 2:12:18 thanks in part to good runs on the 4th and anchor legs by Acer Iverson and Robert Miranda. #8-ranked Waseda had a good one despite disappointing runs from its lead pair Tomonori Yamaguchi and Taishi Ito, taking 6th in 2:12:23 when its last two runners Masaki Nagaya and Shinsaku Kudo excelled. Hakone 3rd-placer Josai University fell short of its #5 ranking at 7th in 2:13:35, with Teikyo University turning in the breakthrough performance of the day at 8th in 2:13:35 after coming in ranked 11th.

#10-ranked Hosei University was just 6 seconds off the podium in 9th in 2:13:41, with #7-ranked Daito Bunka University struggling at 10th in 2:13:57. Missing star 4th-year Kosuke Ishida, #9-ranked Toyo University also struggled, finishing last among Kanto Region teams at 11th in 2:15:45. Showing the impossibility of bridging the gap to the eleven Kanto programs, even on Izumo's shorter distances, top non-Kanto team Kyoto Sangyo University equalled its pre-race ranking of 12th in 2:17:07 even with Toyo's weak performance.

Overall it was one of the best ekiden races in recent years, no stage records, no course records, just close racing and constant turnover between all the favorites, the way it would be in an ideal world. Komazawa was missing star third-year Keita Sato, CR holder on the 3rd leg who was back in the dorm sick in bed. Could he have single-handedly made up the 40-second difference between KGU and Komazawa this time? Well, given that his CR for the 5.8 km Second Stage is 15:27 and that Komazawa's 2nd runner this time, Yudai Kiyama, ran 16:24, it's definitely possible.

But with a lot of losses to graduation this season does Komazawa have the depth to hold off KGU, AGU and Soka on the longer races later this season? We'll see at Nationals in November. University men's ekiden season continues Saturday with the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai, the qualifying half half marathon for teams that missed the ten-deep podium last January.

36th Izumo Ekiden

Izumo, Shimane, 14 Oct. 2024

21 teams, 6 stages, 45.1 km

complete results

Top Individual Stage Results

First Stage - 8.0 km

1. Masaya Tsurukawa (4th yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 23:40

2. Kieran Tuntivate (Ivy League) - 23:48

3. Rui Aoki (3rd yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 23:48

Second Stage - 5.8 km

1. Hibiki Yoshida (4th yr., Soka Univ.) - 15:46

2. Will Battershill (Ivy League) - 16:18

3. Takuma Ohama (1st yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 16:20

Third Stage - 8.5 km

1. Victor Kimutai (3rd yr., Josai Univ.) - 23:42

2. Takuma Yamakawa (3rd yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 23:52

3. Asahi Kuroda (3rd yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 23:55

-----

8. Tyler Berg (Ivy League) - 24:59

Fourth Stage - 6.2 km

1. Hiromichi Nonaka (2nd yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 17:42

2. Acer Iverson (Ivy League) - 17:46

3. Aoi Ito (3rd yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 17:49

Fifth Stage - 6.4 km

1. Ryuto Uehara (3rd yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 18:12

2. Kosuke Shimako (2nd yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 18:25

3. Masaki Nagaya (2nd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 18:31

-----

9. Matthew Pereira (Ivy League) - 19:07

Sixth Stage - 10.2 km

1. Kiyoto Hirabayashi (4th yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 29:03

2. Shinsaku Kudo (2nd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 29:35

3. Kotaro Shinohara (4th yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 29:39

3. Aoi Ota (4th yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:39

-----

7. Robert Miranda (Ivy League) 30:20

Team Results

1. Koku Gakuin University - 2:09:24

2. Komazawa University - 2:10:04

3. Aoyama Gakuin University - 2:10:24

4. Soka University - 2:11:47

5. Ivy League Select Team - 2:12:18

6. Waseda University - 2:12:23

7. Josai University - 2:12:34

8. Teikyo University - 2:13:35

9. Hosei University - 2:13:41

10. Daito Bunka University - 2:13:57

11. Toyo University - 2:15:45

12. Kyoto Sangyo University - 2:17:07

13. Hokushinetsu Region Select Team - 2:18:09

14. Hokkaido Region Select Team - 2:18:39

15. Nagoya University - 2:18:53

16. Kansai University - 2:19:33

17. Okayama University - 2:21:01

18. Kanoya Taiiku University - 2:21:26

19. Hiroshima University - 2:23:33

20. Hiroshima Keizai University - 2:25:20

21. Tohoku Region Select Team - 2:25:21

Keita Satoh Running New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile

1500 m U20 NR holder Keita Satoh (Nike Swoosh TC) is running this weekend's New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile , the first time that a Japanese man has been invited in the race's 45-year history. In university Sato had to change focus away from middle distance to the half marathon-scale lengths of the Hakone Ekiden stages, but since graduating in March and relocating to Flagstaff he has refocused on the 1500 m, going from 3:43.19 in April in his first 1500 m in almost 4 years to 3:38.30 over the course of 5 races. Fifth Avenue will be his last race before heading back to Japan for one more track 1500 m and some down time. Men's entries with best 1500 m times in last 3 years: Stefan Nillessen (NED) - 3:29.23 (2025) Flavien Szot (FRA) - 3:30.74 (2025) Oliver Hoare (AUS) - 3:31.07 (2024) Jake Heyward (GBR) - 3:31.18 (2026) Titouan Le Grix (FRA) - 3:31.46 (2026) Romain Mornet (FRA) - 3:31.62 (2025) Adam Spencer (AUS) - 3:31.83 (2026) Pieter Sisk (BEL) - 3:31.85 (2025) Gary Martin (...

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