Skip to main content

Ritsumeikan Women End Meijo Dynasty at Morinomiyako Ekiden


Nobody can stay on top forever, and after 13-straight wins across the two major national-level university women's ekidens, 7-time defending champion Meijo University was knocked out of the top spot Sunday's Morinomiyako Ekiden in Sendai by a course record-breaking run from Ritsumeikan University.

There was an element of more of the same, with last year's top 4 teams Meijo, Daito Bunka University, Ritsumeikan and Josai University all finishing in the top 4 again and all six of last year's individual winners, Tomo Muramatsu (Ritsumeikan), Sayuki Ota (Ritsumeikan), Asuka Ishimatsu (Meijo), Kokoro Nakachi (Ritsumeikan), Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka) and Nanase Tanimoto (Meijo) making the top 3 on their stages this time. Meijo was never really on its game, with last year's First Stage runner-up Nanaka Yonezawa 9th and second runner Nene Ueno only 10th on her leg. Meijo spent the rest of the race trying to dig its way out of that hole, but it only got as far as 4th thanks mostly to top 3 stage placings from third runner Ishimatsu and anchor Tanimoto.

But it wasn't just that Meijo underperformed. Both Ritsumeikan, 3rd last year, and Daito Bunka, forever 2nd, brought the kind of full-team performances they needed to have a shot. All 6 Ritsumeikan women made the top 3 on their stages, with second runner Yumi Yamamoto, Muramatsu on third, and anchor Makoto Tsuchiya running the fastest times on their stages and its first half trio of Ota, Yamamoto and Muramatsu all breaking their stage CR. Daito Bunka took the other three stage wins, Mariya Noda breaking the First Stage CR and Momoka Tsutano and Wanjiru taking the Fourth and Fifth stages. Third and sixth runners Mayu Kawase and Akie Hirao were only 6th and 5th, a crack that cost DBU a shot at breaking its confinement to 2nd, but both they and Ritsumeikan went under the 2:04:29 overall CR set by Meijo last year. Ritsumeikan took the win in an excellent 2:03:03 CR, with DBU 2nd again in 2:04:06. Last year's 4th-placer Josai's anchor Aoi Takahashi held Tanimoto off by 21 seconds to take 3rd in 2:05:41, Josai's best-ever team finish.

Further down the field, Sapporo locals Tohoku Fukushi University was a surprise 5th, running 4th almost the entire way and only run down by Tanimoto by 21 seconds but improving on its 8th-place finish last year. Osaka Gakuin University was 6th again this time, 36 seconds faster than what it ran last year. Takushoku University got back onto the podium at 7th thanks in large part to the return of collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa. After almost 3 years of serial injuries Fuwa was far from her record breaking 1st-year season but did enough to more or less hold position for Takushoku and keep anchor Ayu Inden safe. With Fuwa graduating Takushoku will be in a tough position to make the podium next year, but as a last piece to her collegiate legacy she did what she could.

Through the first five stages Juntendo University was in position to make the 8-deep podium for the first time, 6th after two stages and 8th the rest of the way. But it takes a complete team, and when anchor Mai Sakai ran only the 18th-best time in the field of 26 Juntendo plummeted to 11th. Tsukuba University looked safe for 8th, but it got a scare when the last two runners from last year's 5th-placer Nittai University rolled up fast after a slow first two stages. Nittai anchor Yuiri Ogata closed to within 12 seconds of Tsukuba's Yukina Honjo, but there just wasn't enough room left to get there. Tsukuba took the last podium spot in 2:08:10 with Nittai 9th in 2:08:22.

With Meijo's Morinomiyako streak broken it has one more chance to get back on top this season at the Dec. 30 Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden national championship. It has the people to match Ritsumeikan and Daito Bunka, but given Sunday's performance it's going to take a big turnaround in its fortunes to pull off a comeback win.

Morinomiyako Ekiden

42nd National University Women's Ekiden Championship
Sendai, Miyagi, 27 Oct. 2024
26 teams, 6 stages, 38.0 km

Top Team Results
1. Ritsumeikan University - 2:03:03 - CR
2. Daito Bunka University - 2:04:06 (CR)
3. Josai University - 2:05:41
4. Meijo University - 2:06:02
5. Tohoku Fukushi University - 2:06:23
6. Osaka Gakuin University - 2:06:43
7. Takushoku University - 2:06:48
8. Tsukuba University - 2:08:10
9. Nittai University - 2:08:22
10. Chuo University - 2:08:53

Top Individual Stage Results
First Stage (6.6 km)
1. Mariya Noda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 21:11 - CR
2. Sayuki Ota (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 21:13 (CR)
3. Rio Einaga (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 21:16 (CR)

Second Stage (4.0 km)
1. Yumi Yamamoto (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 12:41 - CR
2. Yuna Suzuki (Josai Univ.) - 12:57
3. Mana Aiba (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 13:03

Third Stage (5.8 km)
1. Tomo Muramatsu (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 18:45 - CR
2. Rinka Okita (Josai Univ.) - 19:15
3. Asuka Ishimatsu (Meijo Univ.) - 19:18

Fourth Stage (4.8 km)
1. Momoka Tsutano (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 15:42
2. Ichigo Ishikawa (Josai Univ.) - 15:45
3. Chiseno Ikeda (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:53

Fifth Stage (9.2 km)
1. Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 28:51
2. Kokoro Nakachi (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 29:33
3. Amisa Murayama (Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 29:43

Sixth Stage (7.6 km)
1. Makoto Tsuchiya (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 24:58
2. Nanase Tanimoto (Meijo Univ.) - 25:07
3. Yuiri Ogata (Nittai Univ.) - 25:28

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee


Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
I thought this was the year for Daito Bunka Uni but they seem to always be the bridesmaid, never the bride. Congratulations to Ritsumeikan Uni for their victory and Course Record! It was a masterclass of consistency at the highest level with each member performing on the day. It certainly bodes well for their chances at the Mt Fuji Ekiden. What was most exciting was the stage course records from Mariya Noda (Daito Bunka), Yumi Yamamoto (Ritsumeikan) and Tomo Muramatsu (Ritsumeikan). Sarah Wanjiru ran 29s faster than her stage winning time last year but Kokoro Nakachi (Ritsumeikan) ran much better than I'd expected. Another interesting takeaway was seeing Seira Fuwa back running in Nike Vaporflys instead of New Balance shoes. It is going to be a hard slog to get back to her previous best form. I hope she can do it. Meijo Uni had a great run but like you said nobody can stay on top forever. I'm anticipating an interesting battle at the Mt Fuji Ekiden with 7 stages instead of 6.
October 29, 2024 at 1:05 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

National University Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

The 95th National University Track and Field Championships run Friday through Monday at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The complete meet schedule and live results are here . The 10000 m races were already held separately earlier this season. Streaming starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday Japan time, with separate field event channels and Day 2 and 3 streaming here . Top entries in each event with best performance in the qualifying window: Men 100 m Shoma Yamamoto (Hiroshima Univ.) - 10.04 Fukuto Komuro (Chuo Univ.) - 10.07 Naoki Nishioka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 10.09 Riku Oishi (Toyo Univ.) - 10.13 Kaito Kuroki (Chuo Univ.) - 10.14 Ryunosuke Mizuno (Waseda Univ.) - 10.14 Yugo Haitamataira (Juntendo Univ.) - 10.17 Shun Miyashita (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10.19 200 m Akira Hayashi (Keio Univ.) - 20.36 Tomoru Funaki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 20.39 Oma Asai (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.47 Reishin Yamamoto (Toyo Univ.) - 20.49 Shingo Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) - 20.54 Haruto Nakamura (Fukuoka Univ.) - 20.55 400 m Shinya Hayashi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yuasa and Niiya Win Hokkaido Marathon, 6 Qualify for Olympic Trials

  Six more people picked up qualifying spots for next year's MGC Race at yesterday's Hokkaido Marathon in Sapporo, guaranteeing themselves places at Japan's 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials. In the men's race, Hibiki Yoshida tried to break away from the massive lead group at 30 km, opening a 25-second lead between there and 35 km before getting cut down by the chase trio of Jin Yuasa , Ken Tansho and Masato Arao . All three stayed together until the very end, Yuasa showing the same kind of closing speed he had in winning 2025 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon and pulling away to win in 2:10:46. The debuting Tansho was next in 2:10:55, with Arao, 6th at last year's Sydney Marathon in an excellent 2:07:42, 3rd here in 2:10:59. By clearing 2:12:00 all three picked up MGC qualifying spots, freeing them up to go overseas next spring. Continuing a great season, Soka University 's Shoki Yamaguchi was 4th in 2:11:47, missing out on trials qualification but bea...
1 comment
Read more

Monterey Welcomes Student-Athletes from Sister City Nanao, Japan

a press release by the Monterey-Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project photos here Fourteen student-athletes from Nanao High School in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, recently completed a weeklong visit to the Monterey Peninsula as part of the Monterey–Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project , bringing together young people from the two Sister Cities through running, education, environmental stewardship, cultural exchange, and friendship. The seven boys and seven girls from Nanao were paired with 14 members of the Monterey High School cross country team and stayed in their homes throughout the visit. The week marked the first half of a reciprocal exchange that will continue when the Monterey students travel to Nanao later this year. The visitors received their first introduction to Monterey shortly after arriving at Monterey High School, walking with their hosts to Sister City Park and gathering for photographs beside the sign honoring Nanao — a fitting beginning for a week devoted to bringin...
Post a Comment
Read more