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Queens Ekiden Streaming and Preview


Championship ekiden season kicks off Sunday with the Queens Ekiden, the corporate women's national championship race in Sendai, 42.195 km in 6 legs with 24 teams competing to make the 8-deep podium. TBS has the live broadcast starting at 11:50 a.m. local time, with streaming starting on Youtube at 12:10 p.m.

Japan Post won its 4th national title last year, running down 2023 winner Sekisui Kagaku and CR holder Shiseido over the 2nd half of the race to take the win. Its entire lineup from last year returns, with a new addition to its 10-runner entry roster in former Meijo University captain Nanase Tanimoto. Sekisui Kagaku is missing one of its strongest people from last year, First Stage winner Erika Tanoura, but has picked up 2023 World University Games 5000 m bronze medalist Risa Yamazaki from Nittai University. A surprise 3rd last year, Shimamura also returns its entire lineup led by Anna Suzuki and Yuna Takahashi.

Shiseido ended up 8th last year, the last place earning a guaranteed return trip to this year's race. It'll be dealing with Panasonic, Edion, Iwatani Sangyo and Daiichi Seimei for another podium finish this time around. The record holder for most wins at 7, Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo was 9th last year and has picked up collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa from Takushoku University. Fuwa has never been the same since her incredible 1st year of college, but even a decent run from her here could be enough to push Mitsui into the top 8. Traditional powerhouse Tenmaya was 11th last year and will be trying to turn things back around.

Further down the field, Otsuka Seiyaku features the top Japanese woman in the marathon at September's Tokyo World Championships, Kana Kobayashi. Bottom-ranked Ehime Ginko will be making its national debut in its 10th season as a program. Just making it to the national championships has a big impact on teams' financial existence, and every time there's a new one on board it's a good sign for the health of the system.

Team entry list with bib numbers:

1 - Japan Post
2 - Sekisui Kagaku
3 - Shimamura
4 - Panasonic
5 - Edion
6 - Iwatani Sangyo
7 - Daiichi Seimei
8 - Shiseido
9 - Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo
10 - Starts
11 - Tenmaya
12 - Kyocera
13 - Sysmex
14 - Uniqlo
15 - Route Inn Hotels
16 - Universal Entertainment
17 - Toyota Jidoshokki
18 - Otsuka Seiyaku
19 - Higo Ginko
20 - Noritz
21 - Tokyo Metro
22 - Daihatsu
23 - Kraftia
24 - Ehime Ginko

© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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Anonymous said…
I've been counting down the days for this one. I have high hopes for consecutive victories from the ever consistent JP team. Even though, on paper, there are faster teams out there I think they can rise to the occasion like they did last year. I expect Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo and Sekisui Kagaku to be their main threats. Sekisui Kagaku have depth of talent but some of their athletes are past their glory days as was evident in last year's race and not having Erika Tanoura to start off is a huge loss. Given the Princess Ekiden performance from Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo I expect them to be very strong. I could see them winning it. Edion have 3 super athletes in Ai Hosoda, Yada Mikuni and their rising star, Kana Mizumoto (newly signed with On Running) but lack some depth so I can't see them fighting for the win. Unless something immensely positive has happened in their last training camp, given what I've seen from the Shiseido athletes this year, I'm expecting them to drop out of the top 8 and be competing in the Princess Ekiden next year. Judy Jepngetich is no longer with the team which is an incredible loss to whatever chances they had. Very interested to see how Kana Kobayashi does in her stage. She somehow manages to thrive under pressure, when the stakes are high. I hope she can do it again.

I am so thankful that this race is live streamed on YouTube. Last year's race was incredible. I'll be glued to my screen watching.
November 21, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Anonymous said…
After reading the team line ups for the race I'm convinced Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo team will be victorious if all players run to form. The JP team will be in the mix for sure but with their changed line up I don't think they are as strong as last year. I could be wrong. Edion might be leading after the first stage if my positive thoughts regarding Kana Mizumoto are on point. Though Wakana Kabasawa and Yuma Yamamoto might have something to say about that! This is the showdown I've been wanting to see since Mizumoto was denied a World Championship birth this year. The Edion team are extremely strong on paper in the long 3rd (Mikuni Yada) and 5th stages (Ai Hosoda) but they may lose too much ground in the 4th section to be close enough to contest a victory. I don't know enough about their other runners to determine how competitive they will be. Perhaps a top 3 finish might be possible. However, I've revised my thoughts on Sekisui Kagaku and can't see them competing for the win. Their line up is untested and appears risky. Realistically, a top 8 finish would be a good result for them. What surprised me most about the team line ups are the omissions of some big names including Haruka Kokai and Yuka Suzuki (Dai-ichi Life), Ayuko Suzuki and Miyaka Sugata (JP), Hitomi Niiya and Chikako Mori (Sekisui Kagaku). Also of interest is how Miu Saito will run in the long 3rd stage against the likes of Ririka Hironaka and Seira Fuwa. Unfortunately for the Panasonic team, I don't think it will matter too much because I expect they will be very well down by the time she receives the sash. Counting down the hours till the start.
November 22, 2025 at 4:07 PM
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