japan running news

Following the cancelation of the Kanto Region University Women's Ekiden, on Aug. 18 the Inter-University Athletic Union of Kanto announced that the teams it will send to the Oct. 25 National University Women's Ekiden will instead be chosen based on the results at a series of 5000 m track races to be held Sept. 26 at Juntendo University in Inzai, Chiba. Each team vying for Nationals will field six runners, with the four schools with the lowest combined times for their six women earning places. Due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the meet will be held without spectators. The top eight teams at last year's Nationals have already qualified for the return trip this year, among them the Kanto region programs Daito Bunka University , Nittai University and Josai University . Translator's note: This news follows the Hokkaido region holding its usual qualifying ekiden this past Saturday, the first elite-level road race in Japan since March 8. The qualifying method ...

The 32nd Hokkaido University Ekiden took place Aug. 15 on a 3.26 km loop course inside Sapporo's Moerenuma Park. In the six-stage, 35.86 km women's race, which served as the regional qualifier for the Oct. 25 Morinomiyako Ekiden national championships in Sendai, Sapporo Kokusai University swept all six stage bests to win in a new event record of 2:06:13. Overcoming the challenges of the coronavirus era, it was Sapporo Kokusai's fourth-straight win. Captain Reo Aoyama  lit the fuse when she took the lead on the 6.52 km First Stage. At last year's Nationals she was responsible for the First Stage but finished last in 25th, the team only managing to pull itself up to 22nd by the end of the race. "I wanted to get rid of last year's disappointment with this run and get our season off the ground with some momentum," she said. Aoyama succeeded in that goal, handing off with a margin of almost 4 minutes on 2nd place. Head coach since the team was founded, ...

an unsigned editorial in the Nikkan Gendai "The hurdles are just too high to overcome." Those are the words of a staff member at one of the Hakone Ekiden regulars. On July 27 it was announced that the Oct. 11 Izumo Ekiden had been canceled due to the coronavirus crisis. As the first of the Big Three University Ekidens, its cancelation is bound to have an impact not just on the Nov. 1 National University Ekiden and Jan. 2-3 Hakone Ekiden, but on the corporate league, junior high and high school national ekiden championships, the National Women's Ekiden and National Men's Ekiden, and the major marathons' chances of being held. "The JAAF's 'Road Race Staging Guidance' preconditions that it issued in June are extremely strict," commented the same university team leader. "It goes without saying that being able to stage a race depends upon any declaration of a state of emergency having been canceled, but if you look at the conditions ...

Still under discussion up to this point as to whether it could be held as scheduled on Oct. 11, the Izumo Ekiden has officially been canceled, with the municipal government of the event's host city, Izumo, Shimane, having already informed all major involved parties of its decision. Mayor Hideto Nagaoka , 69, held a press conference on July 27 to formally announce the move. Those involved in the event and fans alike had raised their voices in support of the event going ahead when news emerged last week of the likelihood that the city government would cancel it. Inter-University Athletics Union officials were desperate to avoid a cancelation as it would have a major impact on whether other major races including the National University Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden will go ahead this season. But the coronavirus numbers continue to go up, not only in Tokyo but nationwide. The risks inherent in athletes and staff coming in from across the country coupled with the difficulty of s...

On July 21 it was learned that Soka University third-year Yudai Shimazu , who at January's Hakone Ekiden broke the 13-year-old anchor stage course record to give Soka its first-ever top ten finish, first return trip to Hakone 2021, and first invitation to the Izumo Ekiden, has taken a leave of absence from the university. Shimazu started the Hakone anchor stage in 11th but succeeded in running down two teams to put Soka into 9th. He earnied special attention for having done it while being one of only 33 runners in the Hakone field of 210 not to wear Nike's Zoom X Vaporfly Next %, instead wearing a white pair of Mizunos. On the 21st, the Inter-University Athletic Union of Kanto (KGRR) announced the seven teams it will send to the Nov. 1 National University Men's Ekiden Championships. In a normal year these teams would earn their places at June's Yosenkai qualifying race, each team fielding two runners in each of four heats of 10000 m on the track with teams scored b...

In an interview on July 21, an official with the Oct. 11 Izumo Ekiden confirmed that organizers are examining canceling the race, the first of the Big Three university men's ekidens along with November's National University Ekiden and January's Hakone Ekiden. As the number of new cases of coronavirus infection in the Tokyo metropolitan area continues to climb there are growing concerns about the safety of the 2500 volunteers and race staff who must interact with athletes and fans coming from Tokyo, leading to more calls for the event's cancelation. Izumo mayor Hideto Nagaoka , 69, is expected to hold a press conference on July 27 to make a formal announcement. Held in Izumo, Shimane, the Izumo Ekiden is the season-opener for Japan's ultra competitive university men's ekiden season. Ten schools from the greater Tokyo area are scheduled to compete. A spokesperson from the Izumo City Sports Department commented, "As far as holding it goes, it's all or ...

The method of determining team qualification for the 52nd National University Men's Ekiden Champiionships on Nov. 1 has been left up to each regional university athletics association. For the first time since 1997, the ultra-competitive Kanto Region will choose its allotment of non-seeded teams by combining team members' official 10000 m PBs rather than by a qualification race. The Kansai Region is also considering the same approach of qualification based on athletes' official 10000 m bests. According to the Inter-University Athletics Union of Kansai , three of the four slots awarded to Kansai based on last year's results at Nationals will be determined by the combined official 10000 m bests of each team's eight fastest athletes. The fourth team will be selected by Kansai officials based on discussions around the impact of the coronavirus crisis upon each school's ability to conduct team training and other limiting circumstances this year. In the Kanto Regio...

an editorial by Tadasu Imamura It’s still half a year away, but considering the current state of the coronavirus crisis it’s no sure bet that the Jan. 2-3 Hakone Ekiden will happen. The Yosenkai, Hakone’s Oct. 17 qualifying race, won’t be held on its traditional course starting at the Tachikawa SDF Base airfield and finishing inside Showa Kinen Park. To combat the spread of the virus the Yosenkai will instead be held without spectators on a multi-lap course inside the base . The Kanto Region’s qualifying event for November’s National University Ekiden was scheduled to have been held in June. But again, due to the coronavirus crisis that has changed, with the KGRR now planning to send the seven teams with the fastest combined eight-man 10000 m times to fill the region’s quota of non-seeded teams. The fact that the Hakone Yosenkai is happening probably indicates a hard-edged sense that the Hakone main event simply has to happen. With many universities still limiting team activiti...

Thank you all for your continued cooperation and support, and our sincere gratitude for your support of the Inter-University Athletics Union of Kanto (KGRR). The KGRR has been busily preparing for its upcoming season of events, but the development of the coronavirus crisis has forced a reevaluation of the schedule. Given the number of incidents of cluster infections that have contributed to a rapid spread, if such an incident were to occur at the time of one of our events it would cause a significant strain upon the local medical care system. Additionally, the Apr. 7 national declaration of a state of emergency has been extended beyond its original ending date of May 6, restricting many member schools to having its athletes train only on their own on an extracurricular basis. In such a situation in which athletes are unable to train adequately, we do not feel it is possible to stage competitions in which it is safe for them to compete. Needless to say, the health  and lives ...

Regarding the Cancelation of the 52nd National University Ekiden Championships Kansai Region Qualifier On Apr. 23 the Inter-Collegiate Athletics Association of Kansai announced its planned policy with regard to the Kansai Region Qualifier for the 52nd National University Men's Ekiden Championships. However, due to the continued spread of the novel coronavirus, on Monday, May 4 the national government announced an extension of its declaration of a national emergency until Sunday, May 31. Because this situation mets the previously-announced criteria under which the June 13 Kansai Region Qualifier would be canceled, we regret to inform all ICAAK member schools that we are hereby canceling it. Our high performance committee is exploring an alternative method for selecting teams, and once it has been determined it will be announced on the ICAAK website. This selection method will be used to name three teams to October's Izumo Ekiden and four to November's National Champio...

After a rough start to the season last month at the Izumo Ekiden , Tokai University lived up to its #1 ranking as it held off defending national champion Aoyama Gakuin University on the anchor stage of the National University Men's Ekiden to win its first national title in 16 years. In a lot of ways it was one of the more chaotic major university ekidens in recent memory, with almost every team that ended up on the eight-deep podium suffering at least one disastrous stage that saw one of its runners finish in the double digit placings on stage time. But over Nationals' full eight-stage, 106.8 km course these seemed to cancel each other out, the expected top nine teams all landing in the top ten with one unexpected interloper. A bizarrely slow First Stage, 15:20 through 5 km, resulted in a predictably blazing last 4.5 km, with last year's Second Stage winner Tomoya Ogikubo (Josai Univ.) getting away to hand off in 1st in 27:49 almost 10 seconds up on top two-ranked...

Ekiden season rolls on Sunday with the second stop on the Big Three university men's ekiden tour, the National University Men's Ekiden Championships . TV Asahi will broadcast all the action live from 7:45 to 13:40 local time, with English coverage on @JRNLive . Last year Aoyama Gakuin University ran down favorite Tokai University on the second to last stage to score the win. AGU is down on strength this year, while Tokai is stronger than ever. It should be far ahead of every other team in the field, but at the season-opening Izumo Ekiden Tokai showed the same kind of vulnerability that lost it the national title last year. #2-ranked Komazawa University should be there ready to take over the moment Tokai falters. Tokai and Komazawa are the only two schools in the field with eight-man PB averages under 14 minutes for 5000 m, sub-29 for 10000 m, and under 63 minutes for the half marathon. Behind the two favorites there's a gap back to 3rd. At Izumo the shorter ...

Tokyo Kokusai University made history Sunday night at Kanagawa’s Sagamihara Gion Stadium, winning the Kanto Region Qualifier for November’s National University Ekiden to make the national championship ekiden for the first time. One of the wave of new programs to break onto the Hakone scene in recent years, won by a margin of just 13 seconds for the combined times of its eight runners in four heats of 10000 m, downing major established schools like Meiji University , Waseda University and Nittai University to take the top spot. A big part of that was first-year Vincent Yegon , who won the most competitive heat in 28:04.56 to give Tokyo Kokusai an edge on cumulative time. But with a margin of more than 2:40 over the final qualifying team, 5th-place Chuo Gakuin University , the rest of the team pulled its weight and would have almost certainly qualified even without the boost from Yegon. Chuo University was the unlucky 6th-placer at less than 18 seconds behind Chuo Gakuin, abou...

In response to a tabloid magazine's claims that Komazawa University president Hachiro Hasebe and others had called for the resignation of ekiden team head coach Hiroaki Oyagi , Komazawa announced on Nov. 27 that it will establish a third-party investigatory committee. "The committee will ascertain the facts of the situation and respond with appropriate severity," said the statement. According to the gossip rag's report, in July President Hasebe's group asked Coach Oyagi to resign over financial irregularities that had come to light. Oyagi is said to have responded by calling the internal audit and demand for him to resign power harassment. Komazawa University has won the Hakone Ekiden six times under Oyagi's leadership. Last time it finished only 12th, but at October's qualifying race it took the top spot by a wide margin and at the Nov. 4 National University Men's Ekiden it was a strong 4th. source article: https://www.nikkansports.com/sp...

Favorites Aoyama Gakuin University and Tokai University made it a two-team race at the 50th edition of the National University Men's Ekiden in Sunday in Nagoya, with Tokai breaking away in the early going only to be run down near the race's end. With a new course configuration that shortened the early stages and lengthened the seventh of its eight stages, Nationals this year put an emphasis on 10000 m speed early and half marathon stamina late. AGU's Hakone downhill specialist Yuji Onoda looked like he was going to set the example for his team with a hard surge 8 km into the 9.5 km First Stage, but he and the other Hakone Ekiden stars from the Kanto Region got a surprise when Yuki Ishii of the Kansai Region's Kwansei Gakuin University dropped them all to hand off in 1st. Teikyo University was unexpectedly next at the exchange 3 seconds back, with AGU a step behind and Tokai another 2 seconds back. Other pre-race favorites Komazawa University and Toyo Unive...

It's a busy weekend ahead with three important ekidens and road race action at home and abroad. Saturday features regional corporate men's ekiden championships in two of Japan's most competitive regions, East Japan and Kyushu . The Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden, the corporate men's ekiden championships, is one of the only national-level ekidens that doesn't feature a seeded bracket in which top-placing teams are guaranteed a place at the following year's edition. This means every team has to run its regional championships in November to requalify every year, a fact that has generally kept top Japanese men out of competitive marathons during the two months between Chicago and Fukuoka. In the East Japan region half marathon national record holder Yuta Shitara leads last year's winner Honda ahead of planned appearances at the Ageo City Half Marathon and Fukuoka International Marathon. 10000 m national record holder Kota Murayama fronts two-time New Year Ekiden...

On Sept. 19 it was learned that former Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S. head coach Koji Watanabe , 80, will take over as head coach of the Nittai University ekiden team. Previous head coach Masaaki Watanabe , 55, was fired on Sept. 11 after revelations of his violence toward and mental abuse of students surfaced. New coach Watanabe commented, "I want to create an environment where team members can be in the competition." His posting is planned to last from Oct. 1 to the end of March next year. A Nittai graduate, new coach Watanabe led the Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S. boys to eight National High School Ekiden Championships titles. He previously served at Nittai as chairperson of the Special Development Committee from 2012 to 2014. National powerhouse Nittai has competed in 70-straight Hakone Ekidens, winning Japan's most prestigious title ten times. It is scheduled to compete at both the Oct. 8 Izumo Ekiden and Nov. 4 National University Men's Ekiden, and will be going for a fourth...

Ikuto Yufu was one of the stars of Komazawa University 's strongest lineup ever, helping lead the team to top 3 finishes in 11 of the 12 Big Three University Ekidens he ran his 4 years at Komazawa including 3-straight National University Ekiden Championships titles from 2011 to 2013 and overall course records at both Nationals and the Izumo Ekiden. He was undefeated on the Nationals Third Stage, winning it all 4 years and breaking its stage record twice. He showed exceptional range outside the ekiden, winning the National University Track and Field Championships 1500 m title in 2013 and setting Komazawa records for 1500 m, 5000 m, and 10000 m. In his final university race JRN took Yufu to the 2014 NYC Half , where he outkicked the great Meb Keflezighi to finish 9th in 1:02:51. After graduating in 2014 he joined the Fujitsu corporate team but immediately began to have Achilles tendon trouble. His first two corporate league seasons were mostly a wash, one brief bright spot ...

The Kanto Region Qualifier for this fall's 50th National University Men's Ekiden happened Saturday at Saitama's Urawa Komaba Stadium. The meet is made up of four heats of 10000 m with two runners from each competing school in each heat, the aggregate times of its eight runners determining a school's total time. The eight fastest programs go on to join other regional qualifiers and the six seeded teams already on the bill for November's Nationals. Considering that it's been since 2009 since a school from outside Kanto made the top ten at Nationals and 1999 since one made the seeded top six, what happens at the Kanto Region Qualifier has a lot of weight on what happens come ekiden season. 10th at Nationals last year, Hosei University 's fortunes continued to climb as it took the top spot in 4:06:08.63 by less than 12 seconds over last year's 11-th placer Koku Gakuin University . Hosei 4th-year Yuta Bando led the way with a win in Heat Three in 30:40...

After finishing 4th on the competitive Second Stage on Day One of the 2018 Hakone Ekiden , Kanagawa University star 4th-year Kengo Suzuki departed Japan to take part in the JAAF's New Zealand marathon training camp for the second year in a row. "I want to conquer my fears about the distance and get as close as I can come to the feeling of being in the race," he said. After winning November's National University Men's Ekiden for the first time in 20 years, Kanagawa ended up only 13th overall at Hakone . Following his graduation in March Suzuki, the 2017 National University Half Marathon champion, will join the Fujitsu corporate team. In order the reap the greatest return on investment from his marathon debut, in Tokyo next month Suzuki will focus on overall place rather than time. "I want to show that disappointment can be a spark for growth," he said. source article: http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/etc/20180108-OHT1T50010.html translated and e...