Ritsumeikan Tears Down Rivals Kyoto Sangyo and Kwansei Gakuin for Kansai University Men's Ekiden Championships Title
by Brett Larner
As the world's best university distance runners start their buildup to the main event of their year, the Kanto Region's Jan. 2-3 Hakone Ekiden, and the U.S.A.'s NCAA holds its national cross country championships, their counterparts further west ran their season-ender Saturday at the 76th Kansai Region University Men's Ekiden Championships.
On a new course in Tango, Kyoto last year Kyoto Sangyo University beat crosstown rival Ritsumeikan University in a photo finish, both schools clocking 4:10:50 for the 8-stage, 81.2 km distance. This year both were back up front on a slightly longer 81.4 km version of the Tango course, but instead of a two-school show both got a serious challenge from last year's 4th-placer Kwansei Gakuin University.
KSU started in 2nd with Ritsumeikan and KGU further back as most other schools put their best runners on the First Stage. After a stage win by second man Yohei Koyama KGU was up to 2nd, and by the end of the Third S…
As the world's best university distance runners start their buildup to the main event of their year, the Kanto Region's Jan. 2-3 Hakone Ekiden, and the U.S.A.'s NCAA holds its national cross country championships, their counterparts further west ran their season-ender Saturday at the 76th Kansai Region University Men's Ekiden Championships.
On a new course in Tango, Kyoto last year Kyoto Sangyo University beat crosstown rival Ritsumeikan University in a photo finish, both schools clocking 4:10:50 for the 8-stage, 81.2 km distance. This year both were back up front on a slightly longer 81.4 km version of the Tango course, but instead of a two-school show both got a serious challenge from last year's 4th-placer Kwansei Gakuin University.
KSU started in 2nd with Ritsumeikan and KGU further back as most other schools put their best runners on the First Stage. After a stage win by second man Yohei Koyama KGU was up to 2nd, and by the end of the Third S…