Skip to main content

Toyota Wins New Expo Ekiden


A new, nominally one-off event held as part of Osaka's hosting of Expo 2025, Sunday's ACN Expo Ekiden pit top top corporate and collegiate teams against each other on a 7-stage, 54.5 km course. The new race lost a bit of steam when New Year Ekiden runner-up Honda declined to participate, when winner Asahi Kasei pulled out days before the race, and when the top two teams at the Hakone Ekiden, Aoyama Gakuin University and Komazawa University, didn't field A-list lineups. In their absence it was pretty much a blowout for New Year Ekiden 3rd-placer Toyota, who led start-to-finsh off a great leading run by Yamato Yoshii and stage best titles on 4 of the 7 individual legs to win in 2:32:48.

Fujitsu came on strong over the 2nd half with wins by 4th and 5th runners Daniel Kosen and Kazuya Shiojiri and strong runs on the final stages by Hiroki Matsueda and Kengo Suzuki to move into 2nd, finishing 1:14 behind Toyota in 2:34:02. Hakonen 3rd-placer Koku Gakuin University briefly sat in 2nd before Matsueda ran down 6th runner Yuta Asano, finishing 3rd overall as the top collegiate team in 2:34:18. Teikyo University had an excellent team performance to take 4th overall in 2:35:18. New Year Ekiden 4th-placer GMO holding off Komazawa by 20 seconds for 5th in 2:35:30, its second runner Yuto Imae the only one to break the Toyota/Fujitsu stranglehold on individual stage wins.

Aoyama Gakuin was another 8 seconds behind Komazawa in 7th, with head coach and major event backer Susumu Hara immediately calling for the race to become a regular fixture of the season instead of a one-off. The format and concept were definitely interesting and entertaining, but the major problem is that there just isn't a good time for it to be held. Mid-March puts it right after the end of the domestic marathon season and right ahead of track season, eliminating a lot of the top talent at both ends of the spectrum. There are already too many races in February, and the only feasible option in January, the last weekend, conflicts with the Osaka Women's Marathon and Osaka Half Marathon and comes just a week before the major half marathon of the season, Marugame. Whatever its merits, it's hard to say what the new race's future holds.

1st ACN Expo Ekiden

Osaka, 16 Mar. 2025
16 teams, 7 stages, 54.5 km

Team Results
1. Toyota - 2:32:48
2. Fujitsu - 2:34:02
3. Koku Gakuin University - 2:34:18
4. Teikyo University - 2:35:18
5. GMO - 2:35:30
6. Komazawa University - 2:35:50
7. Aoyama Gakuin University - 2:35:58
8. Logisteed - 2:36:04
9. Soka University - 2:38:00
OP - Corporate Select Team - 2:38:31
10. Yasukawa Denki - 2:39:36
11. Josai University - 2:39:45
12. Sumitomo Denko - 2:40:13
OP - Kansai Region University Select Team - 2:41:08
13. Waseda University - 2:41:32
14. Rikkyo University - 2:42:29

Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (8.9 km) - Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) - 24:58
Second Stage (5.1 km) - Yuto Imae (GMO) - 14:19
Third Stage (12.5 km) - Tomoki Ota (Toyota) - 34:06
Fourth Stage (5.4 km) - Daniel Kosen (Fujitsu) - 14:39
Fifth Stage (10.1 km) - Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) - 28:34
Sixth Stage (4.7 km) - Hideyuki Tanaka (Toyota) - 13:00
Seventh Stage (7.8 km) - Shunta Uchida (Toyota) - 22:02

© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I agree with the fact that while an interesting race and concept, there's just no room in the calendar to make it a really viable and top level competitive race.

Furthermore, even if somehow they found a way to do this during the ekiden season, there's the "risk" teams/public starts seeing it as competition to Hakone/New Year's Ekiden or comparing teams from both a bit too much.
After all if you really want it to be a real top competition you'd have to have corporate and college at full strenght and I think that would create a bit too much conflict.
Let Hakone be Hakone, let corporate be corporate and don't cause too many interferences in my opinion.

Still a fun experiment to watch once in a while perhaps.

March 17, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Kobe Marathon Elite Field

Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani , Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help. On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech , Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, wh...
1 comment
Read more

Kenyan Graduate Student Athlete Posts Job Hunt for Ekiden Team on Twitter

A Kenyan runner who had tried to help lead his team to the Hakone Ekiden has taken an unusual approach to finding a post-graduation sponsor. Last week Patrick Kamau posted his job hunt on his Twitter account , saying, "I am looking for a club team or a corporate team where I can run in ekidens. I would be happy to run for any team that gave me a chance. I would be grateful for any opportunity and take it on with a positive attitude!" Kamau was 5th at the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai qualifying race half marathon in 1:01:10 last year during his 4th year at Jobu University . But despite his efforts, Jobu never qualified for Hakone during his 4 years there. He is currently working on a graduate degree while looking for "a team that will let me continue my competitive career." Fans responded to Kamau's job search posting, saying, "I hope it works out for you!" "Good luck comes to those who work hard" and "Kamau is going to graduate school? Given...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite Field (updated)

Another big race on the MGC qualifying calendar has posted its elite fields, the Dec. 6 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon . It looks like a good race for the single MGC spot up for women under 2:27, and the 6 spots for men sub-2:09. Yuka Ando is the favorite in the women's race with a 2:21:18 in Nagoya 2 years ago, with her only real competition coming from Ayumi Morita , who broke 2:27 in Hofu last year but missed qualifying by not being the first Japanese woman across the line. CR holder Workneh Derese is back after his 2:06:58 win last year, leading Kenyan veteran Bedan Karoki and 4 Japanese men with a solid chance at sub-2:09, Tatsuya Maruyama , Ryoma Takeuchi , Shuho Dairokuno and Kento Nishi . Takeuchi set his 2:08:20 PB at Gold Coast in July, and Dairokuno is fresh off a great run at the final Kyushu Corporate Ekiden. Masatoshi Sakata , Yota Ifuku , Madoka Tanihara and Daiji Kawai have both come close to sub-2:09 in recent races and could factor in. 57th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite...
1 comment
Read more