Skip to main content

Nittai University Breaks CR at National Mixed-Gender University Ekiden


The 5th annual National Mixed-Gender University Ekiden took place Sunday in Osaka's Nagai Park. Its 6-leg course totaling 20 km, the race broke down into individual legs of 3 km, 2 km, 5 km, 3 km, 2 km and 5 km, with men and women from competing universities alternating on each leg. Nittai University returned to the top position, breaking the overall CR with its winning time of 58:27.

Nittai's Hiroto Takamura led off in only 6th, but second runner Kazuyo Iida had a good run to move up into 2nd, putting third runner Ryota Tominaga into position to take the lead. Once out front Nittai's remaining 3 runners Risa Yamazaki, Takanori Wakesu and Yuiri Ogata held onto 1st the rest of the way to the win.

Daito Bunka University was 2nd in 59:17 in its debut at the event, with last year's winner Juntendo University taking 3rd this time in 59:53.

5th National Mixed-Gender University Ekiden

Nagai Park, Osaka, 16 Sept. 2025
21 teams, 6 legs, 20.0 km

Top Individual Stage Results
First Stage (men, 3.0 km)
1. Yudai Katakawa (Asia Univ.) - 8:02 - CR
2. Yuki Murao (Juntendo Univ.) - 8:05 (CR)
3. Kio Furuhashi (Surugadai Univ.) - 8:06 (CR)

Second Stage (women, 2.0 km)
1. Airi Tajima (Juntendo Univ.) - 6:04 - CR
2. Yura Tanaka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 6:06 (CR)
3. Kazuyo Iida (Nittai Univ.) - 6:11 (CR)

Third Stage (men, 5.0 km)
1. Ryota Tominaga (Nittai Univ.) - 13:45 - CR
2. Kaito Kojima (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 14:11
3. Yugo Nishidai (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 14:12

Fourth Stage (women, 3.0 km)
1. Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 9:02 - CR
2. Risa Yamazaki (Nittai Univ.) - 9:21 (CR)
3. Miu Suzuki (Tsukuba Univ.) - 9:30

Fifth Stage (men, 2.0 km)
1. Takanori Wakesu (Nittai Univ.) - 5:20 - CR
1. Rio Osawa (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 5:20 - CR
1. Takumi Shiobara (Juntendo Univ.) - 5:20 - CR

Sixth Stage (women, 5.0 km)
1. Yuiri Ogata (Nittai Univ.) - 15:42 - CR
2. Ayaka Maeda (Kansai Univ.) - 15:55 (CR)
2. Haruka Ogawa (Rikkyo Univ.) - 15:55 (CR)

Team Results
1. Nittai University - 58:27 - CR
2. Daito Bunka University - 59:17 (CR)
3. Juntendo University - 59:53 (CR)
4. Surugadai University - 1:00:17
5. Tsukuba University - 1:00:26
6. Kansai University - 1:00:38
7. Rikkyo University - 1:00:43
8. Kyoto Sangyo University - 1:00:54
9. Josai University - 1:00:58
10. Chuo University - 1:01:02
11. Ritsumeikan University - 1:01:14
12. Asia University - 1:01:18
13. Takushoku University - 1:01:53
14. Toyo University - 1:01:58
15. Kantaiheiyo University - 1:03:09
OP - Kansai Region Select Team - 1:03:49
16. Bukkyo University - 1:04:03
17. Waseda University - 1:04:13
18. Setsunan University - 1:04:15
19. Doshisha University - 1:05:30
20. Meiji Kokusai Iryo University - 1:06:10

source article:

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Takeshi Soh Reflects on 54 Years in the Sport on His Retirement as Asahi Kasei Head Coach

After 54 years at the Asahi Kasei corporate team, first as athlete and then as coach, Takeshi Soh will retire at the end of this month. Together with his twin brother Shigeru Soh they formed a duo who were icons of the Japanese marathoning world and went all the way to the Olympics. After retiring from competition Takeshi devoted himself to coaching young athletes and came to play a primary role in the leadership of Japanese long distance. His list of achievements is long, and so is the list of those he influenced and inspired. His twin Shigeru was chosen for three Olympic teams in the marathon, Montreal in 1976, Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984. Takeshi was named to the Moscow and Los Angeles teams, placing 4th in L.A. to confirm his position as one of the greatest names in the sport in that era. After becoming a coach the twins helped lead Hiromi Taniguchi to gold at the 1991 Tokyo World Championships, Koichi Morishita to silver a year later at the Barcelona Olympics, and o...

Evaluating the Japan Marathon Championship Series IV Awards

  The JAAF held the award ceremony for its Japan Marathon Championship Series IV last night in Tokyo, the whole thing streamed live on Youtube. The two-year series, in this case running from April, 2023 to March, 2025, scores marathoners on time and place in domestic races and high-level international races, with athletes' two best performances combining to give them their series rankings. Series winners score guaranteed places on the 2025 Tokyo World Championships team , with the top 8 women and men earning prize money: 1st: Â¥6,000,000 (~$40,000 USD) 2nd: Â¥3,000,000 (~$20,000) 3rd: Â¥1,000,000 (~$6,700) 4th: Â¥800,000 (~$5,300) 5th: Â¥700,000 (~$4,700) 6th: Â¥500,000 (~$3,300) 7th: Â¥300,000 (~$2,000) 8th: Â¥200,000 (~$1,300) Points for time are scored according to World Athletics scoring tables, with placing points based on races' designated level. Given the JAAF's financial interests in the big domestic races and the income stream from their TV broadcasts, the scoring system ...

Weekend Road and Track Roundup

A roundup of the main road and track action on the last weekend of Japan's 2024-25 academic and fiscal year: Doubling off a 2:07:06 PB at the Tokyo Marathon 4 weeks ago, Tatsuya Maruyama took bronze at the Asian Marathon Championships in Jiaxing, China in 2:11:56. Gold went to North Korea's Il Ryong Han in a breakaway 2:11:18, with silver medalist Tianyu Chen of China just ahead of Maruyama in 2:11:50. Japan's Shungo Yokota was a distant 4th in 2:14:00, with Japan-based Mongolian NR holder Ser-Od Bat-Ochir 6th in 2:15:14. Japanese women Kaede Kawamura and Natsumi Matsushita were 5th and 6th in 2:31:26 and 2:34:40, with medals going to China's Bing Wu , gold in 2:26:01, North Korea's Kwang-Ok Ri , silver right behind her in 2:26:07, and defending gold medalist Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh landing in bronze this time in 2:28:56, her third sub-2:29 performance so far in 2025. Back home, four men broke 2:20 at the Fukui Sakura Marathon . Ko Kobayashi from the Shi...