Nagano Higashi Girls Make It Two In a Row at National High School Ekiden

The Nagano Higashi H.S. girls pulled off a perfect repetition of their start-to-finish win at last year's National High School Ekiden, taking the lead on the first leg again this time and never letting go. Opening runner Nami Kawakami won the 6.0 km First Stage by 2 seconds in 19:06, 2nd runner Haruna Tabata extended it to 12 seconds, and 3rd runner Airi Mashiba added another 30 seconds to the lead with a massive 9:06 CR for the 3.0 km leg, beating every Kenyan on the stage and everyone who had run it before.

Nagano Higashi's last 2 runners Yui Honda and Rena Imai both lost some ground, but with both of them still running the 3rd-fastest times on their stages there wasn't really any risk of anyone catching them. Imai brought Nagano Higashi home in 1:06:30 for the 21.0975 km course, just missing the overall CR by 4 seconds but still a dominant performance from an all-Japanese lineup.

3rd last year, Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. got off to a slow start but spend the rest of the race in 2nd, ultimately finishing 33 seconds behind Nagano Higashi in 1:07:03. Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. and Sendai Ikuei H.S. ruled for 3rd for most of the way, Ritsumeikan Uji ultimately getting there 9 seconds ahead of Sendai Ikuei, 1:07:29 to 1:07:38.

Saitama Sakae H.S. and Kurashiki H.S. were 5th and 6th, Saitama Sakae getting there 2 seconds ahead on 1:08:08 despite an amazing 8:32 CR on the 3.0 km Fourth Stage from Kurashiki's Janet Jepkoech. 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo, 3rd on her stage in 13:02 for 4.0975 km, helping Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. get onto the 8-deep podium at 7th in 1:08:24, with Suma Gakuen H.S. 8th in 1:09:01.

37th National High School Girls Ekiden

Kyoto, 21 Dec. 2025

57 teams, 5 stages, 21.0975 km

complete results

Top Individual Stage Results

First Stage (6.0 km)

1. Nami Kawakami (2nd yr., Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 19:06

2. Nodoka Ashida (3rd yr., Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 19:08

3. Yua Nagamori (1st yr., Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 19:09

Second Stage (4.0975 km)

1. Rio Kawamura (3rd yr., Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 12:45

2. Haruna Tabata (3rd yr., Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 12:54

3. Rin Kubo (3rd yr., Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S.) - 13:02

Third Stage (3.0 km)

1. Airi Mashiba (3rd yr., Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 9:06 - CR

2. Mirriam Njeri (2nd yr., Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 9:16

3. Mary Muthoni (1st yr., Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 9:30

Fourth Stage (3.0 km)

1. Janet Jepkoech (3rd yr., Kurashiki H.S.) - 8:32 - CR

2. Rei Taya (2nd yr., Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 9:14

3. Yui Honda (1st yr., Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 9:22

Fifth Stage (5.0 km)

1. Miyu Kobayashi (3rd yr., Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 15:50

2. Mai Fukumoto (2nd yr., Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 16:01

3. Rena Imai (2nd yr., Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 16:02

Top Team Performances

1. Nagano Higashi H.S. - 1:06:30

2. Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. - 1:07:03

3. Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. - 1:07:29

4. Sendai Ikuei H.S. - 1:07:38

5. Saitama Sakae H.S. - 1:08:08

6. Kurashiki H.S. - 1:08:10

7. Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. - 1:08:24

8. Suma Gakuen H.S. - 1:09:01

9. Saikyo H.S. - 1:09:14

10. Kamimura Gakuen H.S. - 1:09:17

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31

japan running news

Search This Blog